While some will think it is sacreligious to discuss the modification of a safety rule, I would like to think that somethingcontroversial could be openlydiscussed witha minimum ofdrama andheated argument.Let me set some ground rules...I would like this to be an open minded, honest and respectful discussion of the following AMA rule:

AMA Safety Code Rule number 4: I will not fly my model in sanctioned events, airshows and model demostrations until it has been proven airworthy.

No one is right or wrong in this discussion....we are simply offering our opinions.

There has been some discussion of this from time to time. I think most of us have seen or suspected that this rule is not always followed. When variousmodelers call the AMA and ask about this, there have been a number of different interpretations of this rule offered to the callers by AMA officials.

Some have actually said it is OK to more or less skip this rule for fly in type events, or leave exceptions to the ruleup to the CD.
Some have said it is OK to fly unproven models before orafter the event's posted hours.
Some have pointed to the rule and said it is plainly written and not subject to any other interpretation, and that unprovenmodels really cannot even be flown after hours.

Senior AMA officials tend to feel there is no wiggle room at all in rule 4.

I have been to an event...a non AMA event....where a large number of fairly large and heavyR/Cmodelsof experimental designare flown for the first time in public, in competition. This goes completelyagainst the AMA Safety Code and would not be allowed if it was an AMA event. There are a couple of these events in the US every year.

The eventsare the SAE Aero Design payload competitions, where experimental modelsof various levels of quality and difficulty are designed and built by college teams and flown in weight lifting competition,in public, often for the first time. The better teams tend to have flown and proven their model well before the event, but something like half of the models have never left the ground at the start of the event.

I have only been to one event, the 2008 one in Fort Worth. I was a designated pilot, available to any team that needed a pilot and did not have one. I flewfour college teams models that had never been flown before. Three flew successsfuly. One was incapable of taking off.

FYI, the SAE Aero Design competition arranges for a specialinsurance policy for each event.

This activity flies in the face of the AMA safety code and yet, in spite of something like 15 crashes on first, second or third flights at the event, there were no insurance claims, no injuries andno property damage resulting from flying and crashing models flown in public the first time. I think this puts rule 4 in an interesting light.

Certain precautions are taken, of course:

1. Pre flight safety inspections are conducted to make sure that certain mechanical details like clevis retainers and servo mountingare correct, that the model appears to be more or less structurally sound enough to attempt flight, that the motor isunlikely to fall off whenstartedand that the control surfaces are moving in the correct directions. No check is made of CG...the teams are supposed to know how to calcuate that detail...

2. At the event, the director announces each flight. Unproven models are mentioned and for these,the crowd is asked ot look up and keep an eye on the modelas it makes it's lap around the field. Models that have doubtful propects get even higher levels of attention during takeoff and flight.

The event is about as big a crash fest as one can imagine.

I have no data on other SAE eventon injuries or accidents, but I would like to hear if there were ever any recorded. There were none in Fort Worth in 2008.

Given this experience, I haveseveral personal opinions on rule 4.

1. I feel that AMA park type models flown at fly in type events should not be subject to rule 4 as currently written, given the inherent low risk of 2 lb models flying at less than 60 mph.

2. I think that at fly in, airshow and model demotype events, it would be safe to atleastallow first flightsbefore and after event hours,

3. I think that it could be possible to safely allow first flights during fly inevent hours, witha safety inspection before flight and with the event management taking steps to keep all eventpilots, staff and spectatorsalert and safe during first flights..

What do you think?