That’s awesome, but before you take your drone up into the sky, there are a few things you should do and know about flying drones.

Yes, we’re going all responsible mom and dad on you, but trust us, you’ll thank us later when you’re not sitting in jail for flying in restricted airspace.

1. Register your drone

In the U.S., all drones weighing between 0.55 and 55 pounds — including cameras and other payloads — and purchased after Dec. 21, 2015, must be registered before they are flown for the first time. Drones purchased before Dec. 21 must be registered by Feb. 19, 2016.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires all drone owners to register in order to “trace the ownership of an aircraft in the event of an incident.”

Registering is a simple process and can be done online through the FAA’s drone registration website if your drone is 55 pounds and under; drones that weigh more than 55 pounds must be registered by mail.

 

Image: Screenshot/FAA

This pdf shows examples of lightweight toy drones that do not have to be registered; for example, the 2.2 oz. Air Hogs Millennium Falcon drone falls under the weight limit.

Register before Jan. 21, 2016, and the $5 registration fee will be refunded to you through a rebate. The $5 fee will apply to all drones registered after the cutoff date.

All registered drones must also be marked with the identification number issued:

When you register, you will receive a unique registration number that applies to any and all unmanned aircraft you own for 3 years. After 3 years, you must re-register. You MUST mark any and all aircraft with your number before you operate them.

Looks like you’ll have to Sharpie the number on, get a label maker, apply a sticker or something to get that number on your drone.

2. Read the instruction manual

Look, we know nobody likes reading instruction manuals. Heck, the first thing we do when we unbox new gadgets is toss the manual aside. If we can’t figure it out on our own, then the toy isn’t intuitive and is probably junk to begin with, right?

Not for drones. These flying machines are tricky to fly and take practice — even small ones like that rad Millennium Falcon drone.

Drones come in all shapes and sizes and their controllers vary, too. Some, like Parrot’s drones, are controlled with apps on smartphones and tablets, and others like DJI’s Phantom 3 Standard use remote controls.

What we’re trying to get at is, the instruction manual will make it easier to understand how your drone flies up and down, and left and right. Reading the manual and knowing the controls instead of just winging it will also save you from constantly crashing — and potentially breaking — your drone within the first few minutes of flying.

3. Put on the foam hull for indoor use

 

See those propeller blades on your drone? They’re dangerous and could slice your fingers off if you touch them when they’re spinning, kind of like an idiot who touches a ceiling fan.

If your drone — like the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 — comes with a foam or rubber hull, be sure to put it on when you’re flying it indoors. It’s there to act as a protective bumper against destroying things and potentially taking an eye out.

4. Don’t be creepy with it

Drones with cameras are great for getting aerial footage, but they’re also awfully easy to use for spying on people from way up high.

Respect your neighbors and don’t fly your drone over their yard or swimming pool or wherever it shouldn’t be flown, unless you’ve obtained their explicit permission.

5. Don’t make your drone a courier

Amazon’s really playing up its plans to deliver packages with drones, and it’s possible that it could happen in the near future, but there are many hurdles for the company to overcome. Like making sure the packages don’t fall out and kill someone.

As much as we love seeing people mod drones to do things they weren’t originally designed to do, resist the urge to make your own taco or pizza delivery drone. The last thing you want to do is make it into the local newspaper because you dropped a Whopper and nuggets on some poor civilian minding her own business on the street.

6. Know the rules

There’s probably nothing to worry about if you’re flying your drone down the street, but if you intend to really push its limits, you definitely want to know the do’s and don’ts.

Know Before You Fly is a great resource for drone operators. Did you know drones can’t be flown above 400 feet and that operators must keep their drones within their sight (meaning, just looking through a drone’s camera view is illegal!). You’ll find tons more facts and rules on the website.

Like driving a car, flying a drone has its own set of rules that must be followed. Be safe and be smart!