This week's "EAA Hotline", an email newsletter for EAA members has a story on the Team Black Sheep video. They don't state a position on the flight, but report AMA's position, and conclude with:
"The FAA includes R/C aircraft flown by modelers in its definition of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and states its “recreational use of the National Airspace System is covered by FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 91-57, which generally limits operations to below 400 feet above ground level and away from airports and air traffic."
http://www.eaa.org/news/2010/2010-12-09_zephyr.asp
That video is getting notice in a lot of places...
Comments
Why are there laws and regulations at all ?
To help give people who may be "on the fence" or "clueless" a set of appropriate rules for living. Without them far more people would be doing stupid and even evil things. Maybe I can't do anything about the dope dealers in center city, but I can tell my kids about the dangers of drugs and to stay out of the city. IMHO, If I do not instruct them and put down rules, I would be worse than the dope dealers.
That is why I have no problem with the FAA providing reasonable rules, I think if more of us worked towards reasonableness in rule making, as opposed to having no rules at all, we would get more of what we need from the FAA. Instead it seemed everyone went into attack/defense mode instead of giving the FAA good data and suggestions for meaningful and reasonable satey rules.
Since the US can't accept the risk of toy electric plane; we should just outsource all innovation to China. Let them do the new innovative things with risk, and we'll all just work dawn to dusk for $1 a day. My problem with this phobia is that it has economic consequences.
What altitude are birds allowed to go, and are they any less dangerous?
I dont really know what it would have looked like if that NYC plane had came down in traffic, but if its anything near like a deer smashing into my windshield at 65mph. It would be unexpected, but as I found out, I would be still responcible for maintainting the vehicle in any event. $hit happens daily. Get over it.
Comment by Gary Mortimer :
"*2 Well said Mike, if FPV wants to be part of the solution then start logging flights honestly and start building a safety case. Thats what the FAA want. The only data they have at the minute is that provided by the military and the Raven incident rate is shocking. That's why they are worried. RCAPA tried to get people to log their hours and somewhere there is even a free logbook for doing it. These are the steps that will make things happen in the future not arguing its your right and then carrying on. " underline mine.
That is what real professionals want, real documentation of the situation.
I have a dozen 3" thick binders full of proof that a high school course meets the state standards for the subject. This year I have to prove that my course meets the national standards, another tree's worth of documentation. That is just so I can teach an elective course! This is why I think the AMA and everyone else is panicking, they don't have anything substantial to show the FAA. The AMA safety rules are worthless without the investigatory documents to support them. Where is there study demonstrating that even LOS buddy-boxed FPV is safe? None. They just made up the rule. That is the way the FAA will look at it. Same for turbines and metal blades. How do they know what a safe distance for spectators at flying Fields is? Just picked a distance out of a hat is all. Not good enough to base Federal law on.
Greg, by "them" I mean the FAA. If they wanted to they could just eliminate all recreational use of sUASes and make commercial use such a PITA and expensive that only corporation could do it.
From the above article;
In August, police in Santa Barbara, Calif., detained flight instructors John and Martha King at gunpoint after federal authorities mistook their Cessna for a plane that was stolen in 2002. The Kings are famous in aviation because they produce and star in a popular series of test-preparation videos for pilots.
The error in the Kings' case was eventually traced to a law-enforcement database that is cross-referenced with the FAA's registry, not to the registry itself. But Brown of the FAA called it an example of the real-world consequences of bad recordkeeping.
"It's very, very scary," Martha King said. "If this keeps happening to people, somebody's going to get shot."
To update the FAA registry, the agency will cancel all aircraft registrations over the next three years. Owners will have three months to re-register. In addition, the FAA will do away with its one-time registration certificate and adopt one that has to be replaced every three years. Those who fail to re-register will lose their certificate, and the plane must be grounded.
Consequences to innocent registered pilots, real damage and , maybe death !
FAA should have issued this policy on 9-12, while all planes were grounded !
We will be subject to FAA sUAS registration, inspection and enforcement too...
New sUAS policy will tell all.
Thought everyone might get a bit of a chuckle out of this latest story about our vaulted FAA and their lack of power to enforce even their existing rules and regulations. Link: http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/ap-enterprise-faa-loses-track-...
This is not to say we should thumb our noses, rather it's intended to demonstrate just how hard it would be for them to track down offenders of rules which are intended to curtail use of the sort of technology we propose to use.
I am amazed at the way trappy found to show us that beautifull city, i am sure he doesn´t want to brake laws, but at the end the result was a wonderfull video and a lot of publicity.....
Well said, Mike.
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