bradpaul

If I was a "toy drone" manufacturer, (which I am not) I would be adopting the "Gilette Shaver Model"....... that is, sell the model for next to nothing and make a killing on replacement parts and upgrades. Then advertise the heck out of it this fall to make it the "must have toy" for Christmas. Sell, sell, sell so that there are so many out there that the FAA will find that it is beyond their ability to control.

Can't arrest thousands of kids having fun..........................................

littlecrankshaf

My Feedback: (58)

I am sure that's a big part of the plan for many of the vendors...Unless the government makes an outright "prohibition" on a specific class of our toys, things will play out as the will of the people wish. We all know how well government's attempts at prohibition has worked thus far... Always makes things worse, one way or the other.

ira d

So right you are.

Usedtobepropworn

It amazes me that the AMA even got mixed up in this stuff. The AMA has had guidelines and a safety code that has worked with the FAA rather flawlessly for many years. To the point the FAA has not had to invoke any rulemaking on the AMA crowd. Why not let the Feds and the flyers who don’t want to abide by the AMA guidelines and safety code fight it out by themselves instead of dragging the whole of the AMA into a fight most could care less about.

Dennis

randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

If you would do some research, the sales of multirotors and fpv equipment has literally exploded so it's not just a few guys no one cares about. You would be surprised how many higher ups in the AMA are doing fpv and "drones" now.

Usedtobepropworn

Again so what, sales are irrelevant even I own two. I fly within the guidelines that have served well for years. I am not going to be a concern to the Feds. All the higher ups in the AMA and other members you refer to who fly within the guidelines or safety code they are no concern to the feds. If the AMA would have stuck to its original hobby representation and not bothered with any of the commercial end of it nothing would have changed. Let the guys who fly outside the organization and its guidelines and safety code fend for themselves.

randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

You are misinformed. Unless you haven't heard, the FAA is going after everyone. Not just the "rule breakers" you refer to.

Usedtobepropworn

Yes they are now but if you look at the timeline it was after the AMA decided to become involved with small commercial UAV/UAS operations. If they had stuck to their original mandate and told the FAA they only service the hobby flyers and everything outside of that remained the domain of the FAA I think they would have been fine. Once the lines between pure hobby endeavors and light commercial become blurred it looks like the FAA now lumps you all together. In Canada we kept the hard line separation with a very distinct line between hobby and commercial use. We realize it could all go south in a heartbeat but at present we do not suffer the trials and tribulations you guys are going through.

Dennis

Usedtobepropworn

Randall I hope I have your name correct I am not misinformed in fact quite the opposite I am trying to stay on top of what is going on in your country because it will have a direct effect on an ongoing project of mine. All the rhetoric and interpretations of the know it alls on this forum mean very little. The UAS/UAV/FPV groups are a very small, divided, with very differing agendas. Hardly a power base to affect a change on the outcome. What is happening in your country is a shame and I hope it works its way out in a positive way.

My background is strictly model based but this UAS/UAV/FPV is really exciting. Some time ago long before all the hoopla I started playing with some ideas. I always used standard radios and flew within the confines of my RC field including putting my name and MAAC number inside so it has always been considered nothing but a model. FPV requires an amateur radio operator’s license which I procured early on. As a licensed operator I can supervise non licensed operators. Zoom to today and the latest is a fixed wing UAV with three FPV cameras on board. Still flown as a model/hobby only at the field. The pilot uses a fixed focal length camera adjusted to true visual reference. The two observers have 36 times zoom with infrared and auto focus. At the moment because we are operating as a hobby endeavor we use 3 standard 2.4 radios for control this makes each operator completely independent of the other.

Right now the amateur frequencies are too limited and the rules are not clear on flying beyond physical line of sight for this to have any real time applications so we continue to fly and develop this within the hobby aspect. In the future after all the fireworks settle down I am hoping the demand for bandwidth will be so great that many more frequencies will open up which will in turn open possibilities for a commercial application. In the mean time I just keep plugging away keeping my eye on the developments in your fine country.

All the best
Dennis

JohnShe

Really? Who? The only news reports are FAA attempts to rein in the idiots who don't follow the rules and guidelines. I have neither seen no heard of any FAA interference with AMA chartered club operations.

phlpsfrnk

http://www.suasnews.com/2014/08/3065...on-operations/

More hype!

JohnShe

The real hype will come when some idiot causes a fatal accident.

randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

The new rules if put into place will destroy the manufacturers here in the united states. You won't be seeing an AMA show team or any privately sponsored show team at your AMA field either.

JohnShe

What new rules? The FAA interpretation of section 336, albeit excruciatingly narrow, imposes no new rules.

porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

Regarding post 163

This sounds really alarmist, and without foundation. Because some people won't be able to fly a demo, manufactures are going to be destroyed? The sky is not falling, the end is not near. You will still see stuff fly, and people will continue to buy the newest and best stuff.

JohnShe

Yes, a few people have their tin foil caps on too tight. The hobby will prevail as it always has and it will constanly improve with new technology and new ways to have fun safely.

Sport_Pilot

Manufactures will not be able to test their product. So the customer will test them and they may fall apart and crash. Then people will not buy them.

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

Most if not all of the stuff is tested out of country anyhow. Besides your interpretation of the rules are only your opinion which doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. The powers to be that will implement those same rules do not even know you or your opinions on the mater exist. Armchair lawyers and experts always insist they know everything and when it doesn’t pan out the way they insist it will, have more excuses than Carter has liver pills for why they were wrong. Just more hot air muddying the waters.


Dennis

rcmiket

The feds will regulate our hobby to death. Once they start it just snowballs. The FAA could care less about the law abiding hobbyist they see all of us in the same light, as a problem.

Mike

Sport_Pilot

The FAA said that test flights were commercial flights. And if they bother to read them they have my opinion as I sent them. Did you? Still time left.

Dick T.

My Feedback: (243)

In my opinion the commercial aspect of the proposed rules is FAA's negotiable throw away. Despite all the hand wringing sky is falling here, the interpretation focuses on just three things that can be new rules affecting us: (1) File mile airport limit, (2) Commercial aspect, and (3) FPV UAV.

Airport limit will have insignificant impact: This will be implemented, little to worry about if a club already has a good working relationships with proximity airport.

Commercial aspect: FAA will drop or significantly modify this in exchange for the AMA getting out of the FPV portion of the UAV. AMA will keep limited hobby level UAV.

FPV/UAV: This will belong to the FAA, period.

My thoughts only, not losing any sleep over any of this.

308jockey

I happened to catch the Today Show this morning and saw a piece on drone use at gun clubs. Basically there seem to be some people that will come to a shooting club with a stack of pizza box flying wings using nitro engines and having the small commercially available explosive targets attached. They are flown down a line and any number of shooters are firing away. This is done generally on a skeet range so no danger of shotgun pellets flying away into someones yard. Not a safety issue in other words. The FAA has stepped in claiming the airplanes are being used illegally as they are being paid to do this. They are trying to throw in a safety to full size aircraft issue but I don't think anyone is buying that line. The piece failed to address the difference in shooting at a model or at a clay pigeon in terms of safety. I thought it was funny that the FAA got involved with this at all and particularly in the direction they did. Apparently there are not enough real safety issues for them to deal with. It was also pointed out that there have been judicial rulings that the FAA is to stay away from modelers and that they have basically ignored those rulings and are doing as they please. I know there are several Youtube videos of this type of thing being done at some of the large machine gun shoots each year. I'm surprised out how often the airplanes come through that gauntlet unscathed.

Rick H.

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

I don’t see any manufacturers panicking; life is still going on the same way nothing has changed. You’re entitled to your opinion and so am I. My opinion is that your intent is to stir the pot not be part of a solution. I haven’t heard of one manufacture running amok screaming the sky is falling and I see little in your posts that are nothing but the Hennie Penny syndrome.
Writing to your FAA would mean little I live in Canada. We have our limits/rules/guidelines/laws sorted out and nothing has changed for the modeler or manufacturers. When the dust settles you will find its going to be the same.
The only ones of concern are those who do not want to play nice in the sandbox. If you fly under your organizations guidelines and act responsibly why would the FAA bother to go out of their way to even check on you? Attract attention it may be a different story.
According to the statistics there are 600,000 registered users here. Maybe 60,000 somewhat active. Beside yourself what 30 max on this thread? Of those how many bothered to let anyone know their concerns re: the topic. Sort of puts things in perspective. Not much leverage that I can see. The AMA on the other hand at least is a recognized body representing modelers. The FAA will even give manufacturers an ear. Not a manufacturer or an AMA member most likely they might consider you as being part of the problem. If you’re real paranoid they could be compiling a list of names and addresses for future reference. NAWWWW I’m just funnin with ya!

JohnShe

What regulations? The FAA has never imposed regulations on our recreational activities. The current brouhaha is in regard to the section 336 interpretation that most people seem to have misunderstood.

porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

+1 Propworn. Hysterical the sky is falling ain't never gonna happen comments like this:

"Manufactures will not be able to test their product. So the customer will test them and they may fall apart and crash. Then people will not buy them".

are just plain silly as statements of fact. As opinion, fair enough. Classic case of reductio ad absurdum though. As someone already correctly noted, most testing happens outside of this country. But lets say someone from the states creates a new plane, goes outside and tests it, then packages it up and sells it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.