Originally Posted by
RichardGee
Dear Mr. Mathews (
[email protected]), President, AMA:
I know I am not alone in expressing this opinion –
As a model aircraft enthusiast of over 40 years (AMA 101024) I want to state my opposition to the AMA allowing camera-carrying drones to be part of the model aircraft community.
Because of this, we who fly our fixed and rotary-wing RC aircraft in accordance with the AMA Safety Code, at sanctioned AMA club sites, now find our historically safe activities threatened by draconian FAA regulations that WILL destroy this hobby!
Yes, we can petition our Senators for exceptions – such as Sen. Inhofe’s amendment 3596, but this is a band aid AT BEST!
Inviting camera-carrying and FPV drones into the AMA modeling fold also invited the Federal Aviation Administration to regulate and tax our hobby.
It is past time the AMA separate this new type of RC aircraft from traditional RC fixed and rotary-wing aircraft that fly exclusively at AMA sanctioned sites and events, obeying AMA safety codes that have existed for decades.
Doing any less WILL BE THE DEMISE OF RC MODEL AIRCRAFT.
Exactly and very well written ......
Thing is , there are those among us who would paint us as some type of model aircraft racists for not wanting to see this new category of RC flight run ripshod over our existing hobby . I have never once advocated for any outright bans on FPV/BLOS operations , I have advocated for that advancement being SUCH a technological leap as to put the flying camera into it's very own class of flight apart from "Traditional" LOS RC as we have practiced for decades . The precedent does exist in the full scale world that the FAA is trying so hard to slam our round peg into the square hole of , one needs to look no further than the different classifications of operations between a "regular" General Aviation light aircraft (like a Cessna 172 for example) VS the operational conditions of the "Ultralight" . The Ultralight is it's own separate category just as the FPV/BLOS able craft that happens to share some of our equipment should be it's own category as well , with it's own dedicated organization advocating for it's special operating conditions .
The AMA EC saw big dollars in future Drone ops , and threw us "traditional" RCers under the Bus in their chase for the almighty Drone Dollar !