Does the club have a website? There would be a place to start.
Does the AMA have a club list? There would be a second place to post something
I came up with those two places in less than 5 seconds. Give me a bit longer and I could probably think of someplace else, not that I need to. How hard would it be to put a line on the website that says something along the lines of "Flying is allowed up to 2000 feet by the FAA"?
Same goes with the AMA website. I'm sure they have a list of clubs so how hard would it be to put a note behind the club name that says something similar?

I've reached out to Harville our D8 guy. Let's see what he has to say on this. I've been following this "wavier" thing for some time and for the life of me getting a straight answer is impossible.

Mike.

Hydro, yes those are possible however it comes back to the need to know. As a resident of Washington do you have a need to know the altitude limit of a club in Florida?

The current topic seems to be are clubs getting approved for higher altitudes. I think there is evidence to show that there are. Andy states that to his knowledge no clubs have been denied. I see no reason doubt him on that. I understand that some guys here want details however I think the details need to come directly from the particular club officers.

“Need to know”. What makes this, “Need to know” information?

Can you cite one single reason that would make it detrimental for a club to let folks know what the altitude limit is at their field?

The AMA (and certain AMA reps in this thread) communicates openly that they are working with and for clubs to get altitude waivers. Why wouldn’t they also announce when they have successfully done so?

While your logic regarding the CA soaring club certainly seems sound, it doesn’t provide any evidence that they did, in fact, receive an exemption. For instance, there is a politician in Oregon, I don’t recall her name at the moment) that said she would not run for office if she didn’t receive Trump’s endorsement. She didn’t receive Trump’s endorsement, her opponent did, yet she is still running.

You can continue to repeat the fairly arbitrary statement that clubs are receiving exemptions, (I KNOW some have) but how many is really the important issue as it pertains to the livelihood and future of our hobby.

It sure would be nice if you would answer the questions posed to you, rather than answer with more questions and repeating the same vague statements.

Astro

The 400 ft rule effects all of us nationwide. I find that totally relevant as a as "need to know" and smells of that "good old boy " mentality we have been fighting for years. .

Mike

Does it though? Astro has already stated that his clubs have not applied for a higher altitude limit. A couple of my local clubs haven’t either. It would appear that they feel that flying above 400’ is not required by the bulk of their members. Certainly it affects pattern, IMAC, Jets and some giant scale but realistically those are the minority in most clubs.

Yea it does we are all in this together. Because we don't fly in the competition venues you list doesn't mean we would not benefit from a waiver. You think none of us fly big stuff , gliders or turbines on a daily basis? I don't know of a single club that I have visited in my 40 years in the hobby that did not exceed that 400 ft rule on a regular basis. Unless your a park flyers field that is.

Mike

For sake of argument, I'm going to Florida in May. I want to take a plane with me to the area I'm heading to. If I look up flying clubs in the district that covers Florida, I could find out if I would be altitude restricted or not. Alternately, I could google R/C flying clubs in the city in Florida I'm going to and find out the same thing just by looking at the club's website. Quick and easy, no needing to make phone calls or jumping through any of the other hoops you seem to deem necessary. And for the record, I do have a security clearance and know how the "need to know" works. If a club is so afraid of someone finding out they have a waiver that lets people fly over 400 feet, they can just lock the doors and shut down since I don't see the need to go to that club if they are that secretive. I have better ways to spend my time and money than to have to beg for information before going to a club that doesn't want me there to begin with.

If you're wondering if it matters that DJI is linked with to the Chinese military, DJI is being accused of turning off Aeroscope on DJI
drones operated by the Ukrainian military while allowing the Russians to use it to track the drones and target the operator's position.
DJI denies it and says it is the result of power outages (Russian troops have power?). Drones are military-grade surveillance tools
that never should have been invited into the RC hobby.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-sof...tw&rs=SHRNQMPC

I made no claim as to what you fly on a daily basis, only that the bulk of every club I was a member of flew .40 and .60 size stuff. Now that 90% of what I see at club fields are ARF electrics the need is further reduced. The fact that clubs aren’t applying for higher altitudes illustrates they don’t feel the need to fly higher then 400’.

Hydro, an email really isn’t jumping through hoops. As of now I plan to attend the AMA Jamboree in Washington State. It’s going to be just west of Tacoma. I will be shooting an email to the event director to inquire about altitude and other field requirements. This will help me determine which aircraft I bring.

"Certainly it affects pattern, IMAC, Jets and some giant scale but realistically those are the minority in most clubs."

Yea you made a statement to that effect. Every club I know of and have flown at flies those types of planes on a daily basis.

Mike
__________________

Once again, that is outside of the statement I said. The bulk of most club members fly airplanes that are perfectly enjoyable below 400’. Why else would a club NOT submit an application for a higher altitude?

Having to send an email to inquire about what's allowed just to determine what aircraft to bring is most definitely having to jump through hoops. Had that information been on the AMA website, on the event website(if applicable) or on printed documentation(fliers, registration forms, etc), you wouldn't need to send an email and would already know what plane(s) to take. You just demonstrated why your "need to know" doesn't work and is a waste of time for all involved.
BTW, which site are they flying at? There's only 3 that could work, west of Tacoma:
Bremerton National Airport
Bremerton Raceway, which is a former airport runway
Tacoma Narrows Airport
Interestingly enough, to use any of the three would require shutting down one of the two airports since the raceway is at a 20* angle to the Bremerton airport runway with a junction of the two runways at the north end of runway 2/20 and 18/36

Only 3 that would work? Really? And you don’t list any AMA club sites at all? See how far out of the loop you keep yourself? Are you so lazy that you can’t be bothered with a single email and you expect everyone else to do the work for you?

Home

And without waivers.

I was looking at Google Maps and only found those three airfields. This, again, shows why the aviation hobby is failing. I found three runways on Google Maps and nothing else. You say there's R/C fields and yet I didn't see them. Seems to me that you, the AMA and the clubs at those fields don't want anyone to know where they are, hence the secrecy. When we run boats, we are in county parks and welcome spectators. My club has the schedule and directions to all of the sites right on the website for anyone to see. We don't hide in the shadows like those affiliated with the AMA do. I have spent more time answering questions about my and others boats than I have actually racing on many occasions. This brings up the question "What does the AMA have to hide?"

Hydro, to find that page, all I did was type into Google “ AMA “ Jamboree “ that took me directly to the AMA events page, one more click and I had the page I attached. Nothing is being hidden.

Funny how you post negative comments about some people wanting everything handed to them and you turn around and exhibit the same trait. I’m fairly certain that when I get home I could find the event listed in Model Aviation. As a NON MEMBER how do you expect the AMA to keep YOU informed?

The typical RCer doesn't know how high they fly. As I recall it was mostly below 200' when people checked.Above 400'
was never an issue until it was prohibited as planes get too hard to see above that height, especially farther out.

The Barnyard Buzzards, in Monroe WA, have put their newsletter into local hobby shops for years for anyone that wants to know what's going on. Again, very simple and effective way to advertise. If you want to get people to show up at events, put out the information where it's most easily found. Most won't know where to look for local events if they are only advertised on a national organization's website

Hydro, I found out about this particular event via a FB group titled I fly AMA. That group has 5,700 members. Then the notification gets shared multiple times and potentially can be seen by 20,000 plus people throughout the PNW. The information is out there if you are in the loop to receive it. Your own inaction is what keeps you in the dark, nothing is being hidden. Again as a NON MEMBER of the organization that sanctions these events please tell me how you expect them to keep you informed.

In

I see nothing has changed here. Speedy won’t answer any of the questions that arise from his posts.

So much for meaningful threads.

Astro

Wouldn't do me any good, don't have a FB account, nor do I want one

Your stock just went up in my book. Facebook......the scourge of society.......

Astro

If AMA is as effective at getting these higher limits approved as their rhetoric would indicate, then why not publicize? People visit other clubs all the time, and might choose to go to one vs another depending on altitude limits. But in order for us to gauge the AMA's effectiveness we really need to know, for each club:

- Current LAANC altitude limit
- Has waiver been requested (yes/no)
- If yes, date requested and altitude requested
- Date of approved (written) FAA wavier & altitude granted

But yet when you ask the EC members, you get vague statements like "I don't know of one that's been denied." Ok, but that's a spin statement that would make a press secretary proud. Going from 200 to 300 on LAANC isn't quite so impressive as going from 200 to 2000. I suspect there's many cases of the former (hence "not knowing of denials") and very few of the latter. Just give us straight answers. The more they use language to obfuscate, the more one has to wonder why they're being evasive.

It's simple really, if for what ever reason you're not getting an answer one way then simply turn it around and ask from the opposite direction. I don't know how much simpler I could make it for you. That you read some kind of ill will in that line of thought, you may need to adjust your tinfoil helmet.

How many clubs have got any kind of exemption for altitude? Don't know, won't disclose, none of your business, what ever the reason, no definitive answer to your question. So going the other way has any club been refused an exemption and what were the reasons might give an indication if it's worth the effort. Sometimes a partial answer is all you're going to get, so try a different direction instead of whining about it. Have you even tried your district rep? Could it be your district rep is the one ignoring you. After all, your rep is the first one you're supposed to ask these type of questions of. Not many organizations disseminate the organization's business on an open form. Some organizations have none disclosure clauses that limit the type and scope of information which may be disclosed on forums like this one.