Originally Posted by
hairy46
Again if the AMA had not embraced the drones, I do not believe that we would be going though this! They could be saying then an now it ain't us doing this, go after the ones that are and leave us be. We did not have all this BS until the drones showed the ugly heads, it's not us doing this! We are not flying out of sight or spying , we just enjoy getting together and making a day out of what we built. AMA should have stayed with what has worked all these years for them, you drone guys could have started your own little drone clubs, boring as they would be, flew one once and thought if my plane where so easy to fly, I wouldn't waste my time, no effort and totally boring!
Yes this is not a question of new technology, model aviation has been on the cutting edge of hobbyist technology for decades. My plane has multiple computers in it, 2 GPS sensors, telemetry, gyros, carbon fiber, gas turbine, bidirectional radio, the list of tech goes on and on. I still stand on the ground and look up to watch it fly!
These drones are flying tripods, camera mounts. People fly them to take pictures, not to experience aviation The AMA wanted them as members. Meanwhile, no one I know who flies camera tripods wants anything to do with the AMA,
The Pollyannas and their rose colored glasses say "so what is 5 buck fee, just pay it and enjoy!" As if 5 buck tax is all that is coming from the FAA what a joke.
The sheeple say "the AMA had no choice, there were no other options"....horse hockey......Many tried to tell the AMA to fight with a different tactic, separate traditional models from drones, I know AMA Hall of Famer Bob Violett has been telling them for YEARS. This is his most recent (published) letter.
http://www.bvmjets.com/Safety/AMA0714-1.pdf
It is one thing to be ineffective when facing a problem, it is quite another to be EXPENSIVE and ineffective. US$1,000,000 for this mess?