Petitioning AMA members for separation from drones

[reyn3545]

AMA grew some balls!!!!

http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/2015/12/17/hold-off-on-registering-model-aircraft/



BJ Swope

I think everyone received that email this afternoon... unfortunately, I think their basis is useless. They're complaining about conflicts with Section 336 (still), and the FAA was very clear that those guidelines applied to the craft, while this week's ruling was limited to the airspace. Splitting hairs... maybe, but I think they have pretty clear ground to stand on there.

 

[witchfingers]

Silly boys, did you read towards the bottom of the email? It says, hold off registering with the faa until we (ama) can streamline the process for registering our members. So in other words, the ama will register you, like a sex offender, for you. Isn't that nice of them. "DUH,WE ARE JUST STUPID, WE MAKE PLANE GO UP IN AIR, HUH, WHATS THAT EXTRA $5 ON OUR AMA REGISTRATION???"

 

[acerc]

The statue 336 does apply to the pilots and the airspace, otherwise there would not be references as to it's operation in accordance to a CBO', or in regards to yielding the right of way to full scale, or contacting a flight tower if flying within 5 miles of the airport. One can't very well use those model aircraft if one can't use those model aircraft thus making any law or ruling a mute point, so why was the law enacted ???!!!!

 

[2walla]

The difference of course being no spotter, side or rear vision or sound with fpv. I can clearly hear a cessna over my 111 at my club and my spotter will warn me of manned aircraft behind me approaching. I know a guy in our club who sat in his kitchen and flew around his neighborhood with his fpv quad. Very cool that that is possible, but safe?

Depends... You should try fpv before you jump on how "unsafe" it is. I race quads with 6-7 other guys and it is much safer from a lot of perspectives than racing funfighters. I see exactly what is in front of me and where i am going. When flying a model you watch it. Not where it is going.. As far as spotters 99% are not worth a pinch of piss.. I hit a guy who walked out on the runway while i was landing once. None of the spotters saw him walk out and i saw him at the last min, he ducked and i did a nice pop up touch and go off his back. And as far as full scale, you may not ever see it or hear it coming. We have a guy who occasionally flies his robinson helicopter to his house about 1/4 mile from our field. Several times he took off and flew right over our field just over treetop high coming from behind the Flightline. He didnt even know we were there until i went by his house with my 3.3 yak in the trailer and suggested that he not go whizzing over at 100 feet as it may not be possible to avoid him. We didnt ever hear him coming and he was well out over the runway before anyone could have reacted. Now he knows we are there he avoids our airspace.

 

[C-Hymas]

AMA grew some balls!!!!

http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/2015/12/17/hold-off-on-registering-model-aircraft/



BJ Swope

Not so much. Read between the lines. AMA is lobbying to make it so you EITHER register with the AMA or register through the FAA. It has always been a money grab with the AMA seeing a potential to gain more members. This letter is nothing more than to make it look like they are doing something while all they are after is lining their pockets. Total BS, FAA is the governing body and will be the one making the final decision.

 

[witchfingers]

Depends... You should try fpv before you jump on how "unsafe" it is. I race quads with 6-7 other guys and it is much safer from a lot of perspectives than racing funfighters. I see exactly what is in front of me and where i am going. When flying a model you watch it. Not where it is going.. As far as spotters 99% are not worth a pinch of piss.. I hit a guy who walked out on the runway while i was landing once. None of the spotters saw him walk out and i saw him at the last min, he ducked and i did a nice pop up touch and go off his back. And as far as full scale, you may not ever see it or hear it coming. We have a guy who occasionally flies his robinson helicopter to his house about 1/4 mile from our field. Several times he took off and flew right over our field just over treetop high coming from behind the Flightline. He didnt even know we were there until i went by his house with my 3.3 yak in the trailer and suggested that he not go whizzing over at 100 feet as it may not be possible to avoid him. We didnt ever hear him coming and he was well out over the runway before anyone could have reacted. Now he knows we are there he avoids our airspace.

I have tried fpv and I really think the fpv racing is cool. My buddy races around his buddies 10 acre farm and never goes over 100 feet. Large camera equipped multirotors are going well above 400 feet for sustained periods exploring up high which greatly increases the chance of a collision. When you are out of line of sight, with no spotter, using only your fpv goggles, I fail to see how you can fly defensively with grainy video looking one way.

 

[Bartman]

When you are out of line of sight, with no spotter, using only your fpv goggles, I fail to see how you can fly defensively with grainy video looking one way.

I agree. The guys that are fpv racing aren't really the problem as they are usually down on the deck well below where full scale might be. People flying fpv though with UHF systems and going multiple miles from their starting point, in and out of clouds, using multi-rotor helicopters and fixed wing represent the biggest danger, IMHO.

 

[Bunky.F.Knuckle]

The biggest issue is John Q. Dronepilot. They have no idea or a conception of rules that have to be followed. They have no idea of what AMA is, nor would they care to know.

It would be simple for a programmer to insert a couple lines of code into the brain if these quads, and once verified that they are members of the AMA, then the piece would be flyable.

 

[Sailor808]

LOL. Drone... Like we're raining fire.