ORIGINAL: smokeyser
Aren't all flying model aircraft UAVs? What's the difference besides where the antenna is plugged in? On one it's on the controller and on the other it's a seperate piece that also attaches to the laptop. From cardinalfan's post, it sounds like he just wants streaming video from his airplane and a laptop seems to be the perfect way to do that.
No all RC model aircraft are not UAVs.
UAVs are defined as systems (what ever the heck that means) and with this definition the FAA is free to interpet the definition however they want to at the time.
As other technology gets smaller, lighter, more Rf friendly, and is being installed on RC model airplanes the lines between our toys and UAVs are becoming more blurred.
A streaming video feed, a computer, and a USB joystick controller clearly puts this into the UAV category. Depending on the RF band chosen and the power of the equipment this would have "over the horizon" capability. Again something a UAV is capable of but not a toy RC model airplane.
I know quite a few people take great offense at the notion that our RC airplanes are toys, I suggest that we all get on the bandwagon that these are in fact just toy airplanes and nothing more than toy airplanes.
I cringe every time someone asks how to do what the original poster asked. As a group we need to avoid promoting any such marriage of technologies. Not only is building and operating a UAV illegal if it is built from one of our toys it lends weight to the FAA to regulate us out of business.