astrohog

My Feedback: (1)

I believe that at the first whisper of drones causing future issues with our hobby, i.e. the first sign that the general public showed concerns over drones, their personal space, safety and privacy, that the AMA WAS THE authority on R/C aviation and was well-respected amongst the Federal ranks. It was at THAT very moment that the AMA should have ACTED like THE authority and been proactive in creating separation from the drones. I also believe that at that point, the AMA COULD have established a different set of rules by which to operate drones within the folds of the AMA that would have been well-received by the Feds and the general public. Of course this new set of rules would have had to have been somewhat restrictive, and would likely have alienated (and created clear separation from) the vast majority of droners who didn't want to comply, but that would have sent the message to the Feds that they wanted to hear at the time, also allowing them to clearly identify the "outlaw" droners from the AMA-complying ones.

As a simple, traditional flyer, it was very clear to me at the advent of drones, that the vast majority of the droners did not fit the demographic of the average AMA member, therefore belonging to a completely different hobby (albeit seemingly similar, there were clear signs that it was distinctly different from the traditional hobby). I have to believe that our fearless leaders at the time were savvy enough to spot these differences as well, but they saw an opportunity to gain membership (and the subsequent $$) that they so badly felt they needed, that they missed their opportunity to take the reigns.

Astro