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
I guess one of his points was to get us all arguing. All said, I think his stunt was not a good thing for us. It was just not dangerous in this one case. If every knucklehead thinks it's ok to do this then the authorities will take notice. The only thing we got going for us is most knuckleheads can't do it. This concept applies to a lot of potentiality dangerous things.
Duane, Joel, I posted this link so that we could get some insight into how other airspace users see us. (I know, one can argue there's a difference between hobby UAVs, FPV and model R/C, but on of those insights is that manned aircraft folks don't really see those differences.) I don't really see the point of arguing legalities and definitions, when the issue is one of perceptions. Right now, the manned aviation community is starting to take an interest in operations like ours because of videos of "Team Black Sheep" and the recent R/C - homebuilt accident. They don't see thousands of hours of safe operations, or the effort that goes making them happen. They see unlicensed aircraft doing things outside of AC 91-57, and collisions between airplanes like theirs and people they don't know.
If you want to change that perception, which I would assert is having an influence on the NPRM that's being written now, I suggest that videos showing safe flights within the current rules, and finding ways to positively engage with other airspace users would work better than asserting your "rights" or assuming that the sky is falling.
He wasn't flying over 5th ave... he was over a river...
If there would have been a crowd of people he would have stayed away from it(watch his other vids).
My arguement is to all the people who think flying over people and in air traffic patters with a foamie is harmles, it isn't.
Skateboarding in an empty parking lot is fairly safe except for the skater. Skateboarding in the Mall is dangerous to others.
Throwing water ballons in the backyard is fine, throwing them into traffic can cause a fatal accident.
Flying foamies over unpopulated areas away from airports is fine. Flying a foamie over one of the most densely populated areas and heaviest air traffic in North America is dangerous.
Don't think a foamie hitting a plane. person or car is dangerous? Let me crash one into your windshield while you are driving in traffic at 45 MPH. Want to catch the 10" prop from my foamie in the face? Distract the pilot in a plane your in when he is trying to land by slamming my foamie into his windshield?
Didn't think so.
BTW, i'm not just talking FPV, i'm also talking regular rc users. FPV is equally dangerous in my eyes. And actually if you try a flight sim, FPV makes mroe sense because you are flying from the point of view of a pilot. With a regular rc plane you have to keep in mind orientation from your position. nose in, nose out etc.
(assuming the FPV pilot stays within line of site. If he leaves that then yes you can deal with loss of signal etc. But if he stays within LOS then he has the same possibilities of failer as the regular RC pilot.
Duane, Just who do you mean when you say "shut them down", and how would you propose they (us) be shut down?
So yes, as you pointed out again, there is a potential hazard. Just as everything else.
Pointing out that there is a hazard, but there are hazards with many things which are legal does not fule the fire. It will show the FAA that we understand the potential hazards and are willing to take steps to minimize them(such as airbags on a car).
Even at an AMA event there are potential hazards. All I am saying is that certian people make rc planes to be very dangerous. It is not very often you see anyone get hurt. If you look at the percentages of car injuries vs rc injuries you will see this...
Keep in mind it will be hard to find an actual percentage of RC related injuries because they do not happen often, but if you do a google search, i'm sure you can get some good statistics on car related inuries.
Chill Duane, If I drove a little monster truck down a busy side walk or in the mall I would be made to stop. There are all ready general purpose laws for this like disorderly conduct or what ever. You can still get water balloons and skate boards and they are still legal. Yes this guy was really pushing the edge with this stunt, but as he said it was to prove a point. You just don't get the point.. He wasn't flying in the mall and wasn't buzzing people on the side walk or street, was he. If you were in Miss Liberty's crown you might have noticed it, but no one got hysterical and called the DHS.I agree 100% with Joel. You can go to the local hobby shop and get rocket moters. Hmm ,what could a creative and dastrdly person person do. Rocked motors are not banned, but if you want a realy big one you need a certification from other rocket people, like HAM radio operators do. That is the model that should be taken, not a legal or not issue. Times are different now than when they were formed, and I don't have much hope for a reasonable regulations. I hope I'm wrong.
300 million cars driven daily vs a few hundred recrational FPV users. I hope there would be less incidents. Space flight has even less accidents. Apples and Oranges.
Just a few years ago the AMA lost a multi-million dollar lawsuit when a control line plane crippled a spectator. The reason was the "AMA safety test" damaged the control arms.
Then there was the girld disfigured in Fla by an RC helicopter.
Don't pretend these things are not dangerous. You are just giving the FAA more fuel for the fire. FAA, "These guys havenl't a clue about safety. Let's shut them down."
Driving a car. Airplanes. I won't even attempt to add up the amount of deaths related to those lol. but both seem to be legal...
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