The UK government plans to mandate drone registration and safety awareness courses for owners of small unmanned aircraft.

The rules apply to anyone who owns a drone that weighs more than 250 grams (8 oz).

The plans remain vague. No time frame or firm plans exist as to how the new rules will be enforced.

(Read "UK Pilots Want Tougher Drone Regulations.")

The drone safety awareness test will require potential flyers to "prove that they understand UK safety, security and privacy regulations."

Plans also include extending no-fly zones, which are programmed into drones using GPS coordinates. Exclusion zones would include areas such as prisons and airports.

Similar registration rules in the U.S. were successfully challenged in court and are currently not applicable to non-commercial flyers.

That means if you are a hobbyist who paid a $5 fee to register your drone, you may be in luck. After a recent court decision, the Federal Aviation Administration is issuing a refund.

The refund follows a May decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit regarding the small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) registration program.

The FAA says the court's decision invalidated the registration requirement as it applies to certain model aircraft that meet the definitional and operational requirements provided in section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act that broadly applies to hobbyists. The FAA says that owners of model aircraft operated in compliance with section 336 are not required to register.