ORIGINAL: EASYTIGER
You can't tell me that a 10 pound plane does not present less of a hazard than a 30 pound one.
And you cannot tell me that the PERCEPTION of such a plane is not different.
And, again, perception is reality.
I think you have "mixed your metaphors" here.
If your question is "will most newbies/non flyers/dilettantes think an 8 pound turbine (which I have yet to see one) is less dangerous".......well maybe, but I am not sure this is a relevant question.
It appears that your question should be "will the club BODs/Parks Departments/land owners/AMA think there is enough of a difference to establsh criteria and by extension a discrimination between the 2 types of turbine planes"....to me that is a giant leap and not likely to be the case.
Just the administration of such a rule makes it almost impossible. The only rules I see that are even remotely similar are administered/enforced at competitions/fun flys (weight, wingspan, powerplant, etc.) Even the giant scale events argue about wingspan. I have never once had anyone check my waiver outside of a jet event. Anyone remember the wars over measuring thrust (for thrust to weight calculations), weighing planes....forget it.
You really think this proposal would help the Prado situation? A 10 pound thrust turbine with a 500 mph exit velocity can put a small airframe at escape velocity and punch through 400 feet in less than 2 seconds.
And I have yet to see a 10 pound AUW turbine model, much less someone who can weigh it at the field and manage those fights.
Again, newbies or uninitiated (meaning "ignorant" ) might think this would work, but informed people (like the AMA) won't.
You asked.