Pilots & aircraft

WSDOT Aviation aims to provide information and service to all pilots in Washington state to fly safely.

Drones & Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), also known as drones, encompass the family of remote-operated aircraft and rotorcraft weighing less than 55 pounds. The guidance on this page provides basic rules and links to regulatory information required to safely operate your drone in Washington state.

Federal registration information

There are three steps to register your aircraft with the Federal government and the State of Washington.

Pilot and Mechanic registration no longer required in Washington state

Learn about Senate Bill 5414, which eliminates pilot and mechanic registration in Washington state. 

Programs and resources for pilots

Programs and information that may benefit pilots in Washington state.

Register an aircraft

All aircraft in Washington state must register with WSDOT Aviation and is required by Washington State law.

Volunteer for search & rescue

Becoming a Search and Rescue volunteer requires a large time commitment and months of training. However, there is always a need for highly dedicated people to become aircrew members, base support personnel, communication unit operators, and incident management team members.

Performance highlights from the Gray Notebook

Traffic fatality crashes on Washington public roadways

increased 56% in March 2021 compared to March 2020.

11,906 incidents responded to

by WSDOT’s incident Response teams during the third quarter of 2021, nearly 6% more than same quarter in 2020.

WSF ridership was nearly 5.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022,

which was 1.6 million (38.3%) higher than the corresponding quarter in FY2021