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  • Duane Brocious May 26, 2011 at 7:30am
    I agree with you Alex, except that the AMA is working with the FAA and Congress to make the AMA the sole authority for recreational sUAS in the USA. They already have passed it through in the Senate version of the FAA Reathorization Bill. If it comes through the final Bill,  The AMA will have the same authority as the FAA and AMA membership will be mandatory for ALL recreational sUAS.
  • alex r May 26, 2011 at 5:49am

    Oh Hey I have an idea -- F the AMA!!!! %&*(  They think they are some government oficla organization and that everyone that flies RC is REQUIRED to be a member.

     

    Hey AMA -- you are an optional club!!! - get over yourselves! As for insurance, anyone with homeowner's insurance is covered in case of an RC airplane accident. Call you insurance today and ask.

  • Duane Brocious May 26, 2011 at 4:50am

    I would much rather the FAA tell me I can fly autonomous or FPV within LOS and under 400' than the AMA tell nme I can't fly it at all.

    Remember also that the AMA can change the rules at any time without reason. Maybe next year they will ban all FPV and even AP. AP is big on many AMA members "to ban" list.

  • Developer
    John Arne Birkeland May 26, 2011 at 4:48am

    To much politics for my taste. And let's be frank. To many and strict regulations on hobby FPV/UAV etc. will not stop it, just drive it underground and out of the reach of any controlled regulation. Exactly the scenario you do not want with regards to safety is it not?

    I am often struck by the conservatism you find in parts of the R/C community. Many of the safety concerns regarding FPV/UAV have no logic or actual safety assessment being them. In fact if you applied some of the proposed FPV/UAV regulations equally to all of R/C, it would severely limit the whole activity. Fear of the unknown is the best explanation I guess.

    This whole process seem to repeat it self now and again. Not that many years ago this exact same discussion went on with regard to 3D helicopters and how they would ruin it for everybody and make R/C flying illegal. Even further back (before my time) radio controlled airplanes where a big hazard, with no control wires to keep them in check! All those dangerous activities soon become accepted as more and more people got to know them.

    But this time there is one scary difference. AMA in their own self interest is trying to become an official "national body for aeromodeling operations". And with that any regulations applied to "new and scary" have much more weight behind them, with the potential to limit progress.

  • Ritchie May 26, 2011 at 4:37am

    It seems the AMA are flustering to try and make themselves look important so the FAA will take notice and get them to govern or at least set the rules for flight. AMA seem to have what I call "the old git syndrome" where by they hate everything new but think everything they have been doing for years is completely safe even though no proficiency has been taken. "The old git syndrome" typical of older generation in Britain who have never taken a driving test because they drove tanks in the war(s) so know how to drive. They typically sit to low and too far back to maintain control or vision. I have experienced both inside an old git vehicle (my Grandad thought a concrete barrier was a slip road even though it was only a foot wide) and outside (woman across road steamed off her drive in reverse missing a mail van by a couple feet and going straight into my rear three quarter panel).

    I would hope the FAA comes out and states that no body other than itself can restrict your movements in recreational model flying.

  • Duane Brocious May 26, 2011 at 4:33am

    We are already on the FAA "to do " list.

    We (recreational FPV and autonomous) have had no voice with the FAA and the AMA is doing their best to turn the FAA and Congress against us.

  • Andrew Rabbitt May 26, 2011 at 12:21am

    The FAA has a statutory duty to foster aviation in all its forms whilst making all play together safely.

    The AMA is only responsible for a subset of a subset of all forms of aviating and is by definition going to be one-sided and political.

    On that basis of care, I know who I'd wish for...

  • Ryan May 25, 2011 at 10:57pm
    Be careful what you wish for Duane. Government organizations tend to be quite reactionary. All it takes is for 1 incident to hit the headlines and the government agency will impose all sorts of rules and regulations probably crippling if not eliminating all the fun we can have. The best thing we can do for our hobby is to be responsible and don't stir up trouble, so we stay off of all the "regulatory" agencies to do lists.
  • Duane Brocious May 25, 2011 at 9:26pm

    The FAA wants to put limits on recreational aircraft.

    The AMA wants to ban all autonomous and semiautonomous flying, period.

    The Ama wants FPV limited to buddy boxed LOS and 400' Alt.

    The AMA already bans even the AR parrot !

    Yet, they think a 125 lb. turbine powered aircraft at 200 MPH with no altitude limit at an airport is just fine.

    Sorry, I do not want these people in charge of anything. Give me the FAA please.

    Talk about jumping out of the frying pan!

  • Developer
    Doug Weibel May 25, 2011 at 8:48pm
    People who are worrying about the AMA being designated as the rulemaking body for aeromodelling should consider what will happen if they are not.  I'd rather have the AMA designated to make rules than the FAA!  The AMA is posturing to be designated as the rulemaking body because they are bloody scared of what things will look like if that responsibility is not delegated to a non-governmental body.  I am equally scared.  The last thing I want is for the FAA to do it.  And if it can be delegated to a non-governmental body, which looks quite possible, who from a practical standpoint other than the AMA could that be?  The FAA isn't going to sit still while people try to come to some consensus (good luck with that) and form some new organization....
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