--- title: FAA on Drone Christmas Gifts for Kids description: The FAA releases FAQs for UAVs canonical: https://time.com/3646964/christmas-drone-faa-video/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-24T20:18:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:03:21.179Z og:title: 12 Things to Know If You Got a Drone for Christmas og:description: The FAA is worried about the potential flying hazard beneath your tree og:url: https://time.com/3646964/christmas-drone-faa-video/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaebb60c56c9b7cd7/6987773c0b72e383566dcd58/466611733.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4370 og:image:height: 2458 og:image:alt: 466611733 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 12 Things to Know If You Got a Drone for Christmas twitter:description: The FAA is worried about the potential flying hazard beneath your tree twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaebb60c56c9b7cd7/6987773c0b72e383566dcd58/466611733.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 12 Things to Know If You Got a Drone for Christmas > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2ac02002-a9a8-4040-86c2-06e9b0bd6690&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Know Before You Fly [Watch (HLS stream): Know Before You Fly](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/f0el4D6S.m3u8) (1:33)  _Published 2014-12-24. Know Before You Fly_ by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Dec 24, 2014 8:18 PM UTC by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Dec 24, 2014 8:18 PM UTC Today’s distinguished youths have Christmas present palates far too refined to enjoy infantilizing _Frozen_ paraphernalia. “It’s that time of year when kids of all ages will receive presents for the holidays,” begins an [FAA PSA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF5Q9JvBhxM) released Monday. “Many will be excited when they unwrap the box and find an unmanned aircraft.” Ah, drones. The gift for the kid who has _almost_ everything. There have been [numerous](http://nypost.com/2014/11/23/frozen-dolls-ninja-turtles-and-drones-the-23-hot-holiday-toys/) [reports](http://mashable.com/2014/11/18/uk-drone-festive-season/) [that drones are the](http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/11/best%5Fdrone%5Fgifts%5Fdji%5Fphantom%5Fparrot%5Far%5Frolling%5Fspider%5Freviewed.html) [it-gift](http://www.marketwatch.com/story/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-adrone-2014-10-02) of the season. And so the FAA released an educational video as part of its Know Before You Fly campaign that, as [TechCrunch very accurately puts it](http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/22/what-the-faa-wants-you-to-know-before-you-fly-your-drone/), is “the least interesting drone video you’ll ever see.” “Make sure you stay off the naughty list,” the FAA preaches as half-hearted animations explain proper flying rules — stay under 400 ft. and away from airports and people’s faces, for instance. While drones have [done many good things this year](http://time.com/2981749/8-of-the-weirdest-ways-people-are-using-drones/) (like that time they delivered[ bottle service](http://time.com/2901197/drone-bottle-service/) to good samaritans at Las Vegas poolside clubs), they have also proven a wee bit dangerous (like that time a [mistletoe carrying drone accidentally chopped off the tip of someone’s nose](http://time.com/3624191/tgi-fridays-seasonal-mistletoe-drone-literally-cut-off-part-of-someones-nose/) at a TGI Friday’s in Brooklyn.) Merry Christmas, everyone. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] It's that time of year when kids of all ages will receive presents for the holidays. Many will be excited when they unwrap the box and find an unmanned aircraft. How do you make sure you stay off the naughty list? We want you to know before you fly. It's time to have fun with your new unmanned aircraft. But to protect other people and other aircraft in the sky, you need to learn to fly safely. Here are some best practices. Do fly your unmanned aircraft below 400 feet. Don't fly your unmanned aircraft beyond your line of sight. Do fly with local clubs. Don't fly near airports or any manned aircraft. Do take a lesson before you fly. Don't fly near people or stadiums. Do inspect your aircraft before you fly. Don't fly anything that weighs more than 55 pounds. What weighs 55 pounds? Ralph, the world's largest bunny rabbit. Do fly for fun. Don't fly for payment or commercial purposes unless specifically authorized by the FAA. Don't be carless or reckless. You could be fined if you endanger people or other aircraft. Do be safe. And know before you fly. You now have the rules of the air to enjoy your cool new gift. 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