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R/C a terrorist weapon

OK modelers, lets quit our bickering on trivia and focus on a real problem.

CBS 2 HD Exclusive: Model Airplane Terror?
A Hobby For Many Can Turn Into A Terrorists Ally
Lou Young Reporting
(CBS) NEW YORK For most, its a harmless hobby, flying radio-controlled airplanes. But in the wrong hands, the little planes can become big weapons.
CBS 2 HD has learned more on the power of the planes and what the government is doing, if anything, to regulate them. It could happen in the middle of Manhattan. A remote controlled model airplane, an all-American hobby, can turn into a weapon, in the hands of a terrorist. You can literally go into a shop tomorrow and buy radio-controlled
aircraft or a radio controlled helicopter that will carry a payload of explosives anywhere you want to, I said David Hambling, a defense technology analyst.
The threat is real. Accused terrorists have already tried. In Maryland, a teacher was found guilty of helping a terror group get an electronic autopilot system and video equipment to use on these little airplanes.

Federal prosecutors say an Ohio man was indicted for conspiring with al Qaeda before he could use his remote controlled helicopter in an attack.

These are model airplanes, they're not toys. They can actually fly. The fastest can go over 100 mph with a theoretical range of five miles or more, which is why the feds have asked model airplane enthusiasts to keep their eyes and ears open.

“Its gonna take a long time to get to that point where they could possibly be able to fly one of these things and pinpoint an area where they could be doing some harm”, said model enthusiast John Brown.

The hobbyists love the planes, but they also know that in the wrong hands they could become undetectable air born weapons, literally flying under the radar. Some of the bigger craft can carry up to 20 pounds and 20 pounds of explosives can create quite an explosion.

“They present a real danger”, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said. “the difficulty is figuring out how to regulate them.” Schumer said even the Department of Homeland Security sees them as a threat. DHS a classified bulletin out to federal departments
a few years ago.

“I think the appropriate thing is to ask DHS now that they've said these are a danger, what they intend to do about it”, Schumer said.

So far the feds have decided against additional regulations on the little planes. Instead, they're relying on the very same hobby enthusiasts to keep their eyes and ears open. It would take an outsider quite a while to learn enough about the planesto modify them.

The hobbyists say they'd spot the danger in time.

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While profiling is not politically correct we all know what we have to do in this regard. You have a middle eastern male between the ages of 16 and 36 suddenly appearing at your field and wants training, asks questions about autopilots, range, pay load, things that would never occur to a normal beginner - You know what to do.

You spot a middle eastern male asking out of the beginners category questions in your local hobby shop, again you know what to do, and so should the LHS owner.

Don't think the AMA is going to take care of this - YOU ARE THE AMA in this regard, whether you are a card carrying member or not. When the Feds close down R/C flying they won't ask if you have an AMA card.

Call your local FBI field office. To find your local office, go to http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm or check inside the front cover of your local phone book. You can also contact the FBI at 1-866-483-5137 or submit a tip on their Web site, http://www.fbi.gov.