As a current sailplane pilot I am very concerned about Dave Brown's competency as president of the AMA. I have had no previous beef with Mr. Brown, however his statement in a magazine:
When I was asked about high altitude operations by model airplanes, I didn't know what they were getting at. I was unaware of any recent record attempts in this area, which would require a waiver from FAA. I knew we often flew slightly above the 400 feet specified in the FAA Advisory Circular (AC) which addresses aeromodeling.
has got to either be intentional misrepresentation or completely cluelessness about a significant segment of the model aviation community that he represents. I would not say 700 foot sailplane launches into speck height (logged at 1,500 - 2,500 ft. altitude) flights are "slightly above 400 feet". In fact if you read the AMA safety guidelines on altitude and then the FAC advisory you will see the AMA has completely misinterpreted the regulations by connecting two disparate thoughts, altitude and distance from an airport.
I think Mr. Brown needs to come clean here either to his misrepresentation or to his understanding of his constituency. Either way I am not sure he is qualified to lead this organization in discussions with the FAA.