WhtBrnco (& all),
Remember, most of these ordinances and restrictions were written before e-flight was popular or even feasible. (What's it been, 8 months now?
) Most defined the activity NOT in terms of what was annoying about it, i.e., noise, hurtling objects, gas & smoke, but instead took the lazy/sloppy approach of simply banning "model aircraft" or "remotely controlled devices".
What you need to do is get those rules updated by politely going to the people who write and pass them (city council, parks department, the state legislator from your district) and make a cogent case for distinguishing what WE do from the irresponsible, destructive behavior that OTHER people may have done that prompted the rule in the first place. Here's a start:
1. These things are electrically powered. The ban could be scaled back to cover only internal-combustion power sources, or aircraft carrying flammable liquids.
2. These things are quiet. The ban could be altered to address noise rather than flight.
3. They're also small and slow. The ban could be written to prohibit airborne objects weighing more than one pound, or traveling faster than 30 mph. The argument "if we let you do that, we have to let anybody do anything" wouldn't wash, because a rule like this would prohibit golf practice or boomerang-throwing but still allow foamies.
4. They use a very small area. If it's a park, there could be a designated area for them (say, the size of one baseball diamond, or even an actual baseball diamond that wasn't being used for baseball).
5. Emphasize how similar these are to things that are already allowed and that nobody in their right mind would complain about -- like kites, for example. I flew mine the other day in a park when there was some wind, and I went up and hovered next to some kites. The kids loved it.
6. Offer to host a field day for the park officials' kids and anybody else who might be interested. Emphasize the amazingly high "tech" and low cost of these models compared to an X-Box, for example -- plus the fact that they get the kids out of the house.
You probably won't solve the Manassas battlefield problem unless you build a foamy Taube, paint it gray, and call it a Civil War homing pigeon.
These are just ideas I'm tossing out here; no doubt you can think of a bunch more. But in terms of political acceptance and the ability to find good flying sites, the whole mini-electric thing is a revolution. R/Cers don't need to be a despised minority any more, and attitudes will change with time.
As an employee of a state legislature, I am constantly impressed with the difference that can be made by a small group of polite, well-prepared citizens who take the time to come down to the capitol building and offer their testimony. The key is not to come off as negative or angry, but to offer something positive. And be patient. Note the title of this thread: "Flying is not a crime". How many of us have seen bumper stickers reading, "Skateboarding is not a crime"? Well, it took about 10 years, but now there are skateboard parks in every major city, and Tony Hawk is a big-time entertainer. It can happen that way for us, too!
Duane Gall
RCPRO