Originally Posted by
Tipover
Even if the NPRM were changed to include non AMA members access to FRIA sites , that still does not stop the private property owner from limiting ground operations to local club (dues paying members). I'm not so sure FAA can deny FRIA recognition to a location based on that specific detail, or if they will even care. In fact they may see that as being to their advantage by limiting availability of FRIA locations to the problematic drone activity. It's quite obvious after reading the NPRM that they are primarily concerned with cracking down on hobbyists that fly long distance drones.
That is an interesting dilemma for the rule writers. For the FAA is NOT in the business of serving AMA, but rather writing a rule that applies to ALL citizens. And the FRIA is a concept that allows ALL citizens to fly non-compliant equipment. But one major problem with the concept is that FAA did not account for the fact that access to the FRIAs is almost entirely controlled by a single private dues collecting organization. Local land owners add another reason why the rule is flawed.
Under the draft rule, the FRIAs function much like airports. In the full scale world, we do indeed have public and private airports. I don't know the numbers, but I'm sure FAA has them. However, there's ample numbers of both, and a quick glance at a few sectionals leads me to believe that the public airports far outnumber private ones. In the case of FRIAs, they are nearly all private. That is fundamentally different and the fatal flaw in the policy.