Originally Posted by
Dzlstunter
I have a close relative at NASA. We debated for a couple of hours about the issue of "what is a drone which is flown in a dangerous fashion as opposed to a model airplane operated by an AMA member who really doesn't need more regulation other than his/her club and the AMA."
I lost the debate. There is no way to distinguish between the two insofar as public airspace is concerned.
There are good reasons why the public airspace is regulated and monitored by the FAA, and we are going to have to face up to that fact and accept the responsibility that comes with sharing the public airspace with others.
To make it easier to accept this just think about the next time you (or a loved one) fly on a commercial airline. Do you really want the possibility of a radio controlled aircraft of any kind in the area with that airplane? I don't.
Not sure that employment at NASA is necessarily qualifies someone to be an authority on the topic of sUAS and airspace safety. I suppose it depends on what this individual's job is. I would love to hear what argument he used to convince you we need to be lumped into one group, as I cannot envision any scenario where a responsible operation of a traditional RC airplane, flown VLOS, would ever put a manned aircraft at risk. Further, I would love to hear how any of the new regulations we are living with actually mitigate any such potential risk in a meaningful way.
I get how most people have a hard time understanding the difference between a drone and a traditional RC airplane, but the difference is clear if you look at the facts (both the safety record perspective as well as the basic modes of operation).