ORIGINAL: FlyinTiger
AMA is not creating a first person pilot training and evaluation program...they are making it so a few enthusiasts can operate at the same airfields and under the same basic rules as the rest of the RC people...NOT UAV rules! I don't ever want RC to fall under UAV rules, EVER! If you fly an RC aircraft with FPV and no safety pilot, you are operating a LOS (line-of-sight) UAV. The radio signal is the only thing that is LOS.
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FPV pilots, without instruments (except for a few with telemetry systems) and very little first person flight training, are a recipe for disaster. Like I said before, well trained and equipped pilots will be safe and promote the hobby. Untrained and poorly equipped FPV people will keep depending on their safety pilots to keep them from crashing.
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The SAFETY PILOT decides how far the other person goes before they can't recover...VERY safe...NOT at all like getting stung by a bee or making a bad decision to fly through the sun.
You hit the nail on the head here. We didn't want FPV to fall under the same ruling as UAS/UAV's. We were very clear about FPV vs UAS. There are products that will return your FPV craft back to the launch site. However those systems can lump FPV planes into the UAS crowd. The next best thing to a Autopilot fail safe is another pair of eyes and tumbs on the plane. Some FPV pilots will use a Gyro/FMA setup to level their plane. We communicated the use of these products to the AMA. However we wanted to keep things as simple as possible.
As you've mentioned, new pilots can become disoriented very easily. This is where your spotter/buddy comes into the picture. The spotter/buddy can help 'walk' you around the flight zone. The spotter/buddy is there to keep you away from the pits, or from flying behind the flight line. Once again something that usually happens until someone is used to flying around the area. There's a video out there from a FPV pilot who was lost. I believe the film was done somewhere over in the EU. The pilot thought he was going one direction to his field, but ended up in another direction. Most FPV pilots will tell you it's happened to them when they first start out.. This is why a Spotter is _highly_ suggested. I've spotted a fellow FPV'er at a fun fly here in the DC area. For the first few minutes I helped him establish a flight pattern. I'd also alert him when he was getting to far out and I was losing orientation of the plane.
Once FPV is common at flying fields I believe you'll see a call for a rule change. By that time the FPV community should have more data points and proof of proficiency. I've flown FPV at AMA flying fields BEFORE SC550 went into affect. I started out with a spotter/buddy on the other end of my transmitter. After awhile the elders waved me on and told me to do it Solo. I'm very optimistic and hope the AMA will follow the same path. From what it sounds like there is a valid concern that SC550 is the end all be all document for FPV. Rule changes can and will happen as the aspect of the hobby changes. Once again the numbers can and will probably be tweaked as FPV gains exposure out there in the field. The Jet gang were very limited when they started out. As that aspect of the hobby grew the numbers were changed. Once the flying season gets under way I'll solicit comments from the FPV community and find out what IS working and what IS NOT. I'll probably solicit everyone at the end of the flying season fall of 2009. Once we compile those comments we'll submit them to the AMA for review. As long as SC550 has the support of its community it will continue to be a living document.
As far as the weight thing goes... The difference between 9lbs and 11lbs post SC550 is insurance. If something drastic happens, and you've knowingly put a 12lb plane up in the air you and your club will not be covered. If your FPV plane was flying 90mph across the sky and hits someone at full speed and kills them, you won't be covered. If you flying solo and hit someone and seriously injure someone, you won't be covered. This especially becomes true as investigators piece the puzzle together. It's not that hard to replicate airframes and equipment used in a craft. Once again to start out we needed some numbers the community could agree on. We drew a line in the sand and proposed very level headed numbers. SC550 is the result. We can talk numbers all night if we wanted. It comes down to the simple fact that if you, your field, and your land lord want to be insured by the AMA you have to play by the rules. It really is as simple as that.