Originally Posted by
franklin_m
And of course you're "very familiar." But there's a list of fields that are shut down (inside two miles) and therefore not authorized. Yet AMA is telling folks to fly normally. All the AMA is doing is handing the FAA the stick to beat them with. Proving that even when the rules are simple, nothing above 400 feet in class G, and inside controlled airspace up to the grid altitude, the AMA won't follow it.
Which would cause me to ask ... when you were flying at your field, did everyone obey the 400 foot limit? Of course they did. Yeah right. Again, proving to FAA that the hobby won't even follow simple rules.
The basin field was allowed to hold an event recently with the FAA in attendance. However, the FAA restricted altitude to 250 feet and had the outer boundaries brought in some. Now, how is all this being communicated to the non-AMA users of this field? Is the AMA club doing anything to get the word out?
It use to be great fun to go to the local RC field at the local airport and watch models and full size operate. Safety was indeed a consideration but everyone behaved like adults were supposed to. And when someone screwed up, they didn't get upset and run to mommy when called out. They owned up to it and took it like the men they were.
Not so today!
As for the so called safety record. When was it started? 1960's? 1950's? Before that? Whenever it was ask yourself this. How many full size were in the air at any one time over the US? And how many RC Models were there around the country? What were the chances of a mid air? You'll find that both numbers have grown considerably over the years with the biggest jump in RC being quite recently. After all some one million FAA registrants now vs a few hundred thousand not too many years ago. And how many full size are in the air today? 5000 to 8000 at any given moment during the day in the US. Like it or not, we've been lucky so far.
Citing the safety record is one thing. Understanding it is another. I believe we're simply riding on the momentum of what has gone before. But I also believe that based on shear numbers the unenforced rules and guidelines of the AMA will soon prove inadequate. And even the guidelines of the FAA, based in part on the AMA safety code, will prove to be too little.
It would not surprise me to find the FAA is simply biding their time. Waiting for an event with which they can come down hard on recreational RC flying. And I believe the long history of the AMA not enforcing their own rules will provide the path.
Going to be interesting if nothing else.