I am more in favor of a laissez-faire approach, I think we can govern our own hobby without the government's help.
I am more in favor of a laissez-faire approach, I think we can govern our own hobby without the government's help.
Don't steal, the government hates competition.
That would be great! Have you seen what the AMA wants to do with us?... YUK!!!
I haven't, but I am not, and will never be a member of the AMA.
Don't steal, the government hates competition.
I posted a sticky with a link to their site.. Basically, they want all FPV flights to be 2 person, buddy box, less than 400 feet, LOS only and at AMA Sanctioned fields only!
Myron
That's really sadOriginally Posted by Myron
You guys gotta understand where this came from. From the inside, the FAA does NOT LIKE FPV in any way shape or form! The AMA is trying to get you what they think they can sell to the Fed. The FAA believes your little chicky China video transmitters and cobbled together OSD's (especially with a blind RTH) is a disaster looking for a place to happen. End of sentence.
They want safety at X to the ninth power to be proven before they will release anything in the NAS. The number of absolutely safe flying hours that would require is phenomenal and it's a Catch 22 because you can't fly in the US to get those hours. The big contractors go over to The Sand Box or the Rock Pile and fly, and fly, and fly and build the argument that their aircraft are the only ones that are safe enough to fly in the U.S. NAS and they have to hours to prove it!
RCAPA is fighting to get us that access so we can prove that we can be just as safe and do so without impeding commercial or general air traffic. If you haven't done so, go over to www.suasnews.com and get the latest on the effort. I just sent out letters to congresspeople out of my own pocket and there is going to be a grassroots effort that YOU can participate in. If you enjoy what you do, you should break down and spend the .44 cents for a stamp and use the letter that is soon to be posted that you can send to YOUR representative.
Gene
But the ques is - is RCAPA only concerned with AP?
"I Like Waffles" : FPVLAB on Facebook
That's a good question, Sentry.....
And the answer is "No". When we first started it, it WAS as a representative voice for people who were interested in doing commercial aerial photography. We still believe the "little guy" flying a SlowStick should be able to charge for a picture he may take, but we have morphed into an association that is fighting against ANY onerous regulation of a past time that has produced a TON of innovation.
Obviously my "for profit" company would like to sell a plane or two, but we're also neck deep in community service doing SAR and LE support work through our charity RPSearch Services. We've proven the safety and value of a small UA over the past 8 years and we believe others should be able to utilize them in those capacities as well. Regardless of whether it's a Spectra or a Slow Stick!
I think if you'll read some of the articles written by Patrick Egan on suasnews.com you'll see that we've expanded across the board. From fixed wings, to heli's, to LTA's - he's been in catfights with the Feds over all of them.
Gene
Fair enough... I have now just registered RCAPA
"I Like Waffles" : FPVLAB on Facebook
I gotta disagree. The AMA (AKA bunch of old guys) represent more than the new FPV sector of flying. They (the AMA) have a safety code that their members fly under. Their safety code covers all sorts of flying models from RC to control line and free flight. Using the AMA safety code flying model aircraft is a safe activity. My interpretation of the upcoming new regulations from the FAA will be the safety code set up by the AMA. Thus the "old guys" will have no change to the way they fly their models. and have their contests. As a side note one of their contests is a RC glider competition where aircraft have been in excess of 5,000 ft altitude; and they interact with general aviation. Mainly they get away for general aviation when full scale is in the vicinity. Point is they have a safety procedure and it works. Their code doesn't address FPV it is too new; too many unknowns. The AMA has chosen to put strict limits on it to avoid it from jeopardizing all the other aspects of AMA flying. Fine it is up to the FPV community to define a safe code to operate under.
I believe this "safety code" will have more to do with weight than anything else.
Most FPV aircraft fit in the Flying Foam Thing description; light weight small electronics. Common sense would say the light weight foam machine can't do much damage; however the AMA says an RC aircraft can weigh as much as 55 lbs. Now a heavy FPV machine can do some serious damage if it goes rouge especially if it weighs 55 lbs.
It is up to the people who fly FPV to come up with a safe way to use them.
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