ORIGINAL: Farmer Ted
This is kind of the 'sky is falling' kind of thing I was talking about...
Nobody I fly with has a turbine or a plane over 15lbs, let alone 55lbs.
I'm pretty sure none of us have a 100mph+ plane either...I don't think 80% of 'average' rc aircraft are capable of breaking the 100 mph speed limit.
the recommendations said that you could fly within 3 miles of an airport and that there was no restriction for under 2lb 'park flyer' electric planes. (If I remember correctly)
I think the 400' ceiling is perhaps a little unrealistic but it would be hard to enforce and I probably only get above 400' when thermal gliding anyhow.
The proposals may effect a number of specialty types of flying but for the average RC pilot, I don't think it would 'eliminate a good portion of what we are currently able to do' It would pretty much eliminate flying a giant scale turbine at 100+ mph over a local airport. I realize that that is a silly and oversimplified statement but there's also a touch of truth there.
Farmer - the main thing is that whatever style of model flying that any of us enjoy, we all depend on a healthy hobby industry to support our little niche. So, it's important for all of us to go to bat for the those most effected by the regulations, whether they are AMA or not.
Also, those of us older citizens have seen this cycle before with government at all levels: "minor" regulation now often leads to more of such in the future. For one example, a hard 400' altitude limit may be difficult to police now, but a decade from now the gov could simply start requiring all new receivers to shut down throttle at a certain altitude. That may sound silly and unrealistic at the moment, but once regulations become specifically directed at us, there is no telling what could happen next. A slippery slope, indeed.