RE: FAA & AMA - What's Your Vested Interest?
I think many here have lost sight of the fact that the FAA is already well along the way to writing their new SFAR Part 107 sUAS rules. While the NPRM is perhaps a year away, at this time there is very little input that anyone can have on their work. The AMA is trying to work with the FAA, but the FAA is being difficult and less than cooperative, so the AMA is more or less in the dark.
It seems to me that much of the discussion in this thread is about what objectives we should have and how we should go about communicating with the FAA. Unfortunately as I understand the process until they issue the NPRM there really is very little public input that can be done.
The AMA is working on a safety program for submittal to the FAA for their approval as a Community Based Organization plan, but since FAA will not tell us what they plan to do it is very difficult to write a plan to cover operations beyond the restrictions the FAA plans to impose on us.
It does appear that the FAA is embracing the two tiered approach proposed in the ARC memo dated April 1, 2009. So hopefully the AMA will be able to prepare a plan the FAA will approve so that we can continue to enjoy our hobby with as little interference as possible.