New proposed FAA rule requiring remote identification for SUAVs over .55 lbs

[Twowingtj]

It's easy to point fingers and assign blame after the fact, as always.

How many have spent as much time making comments to the FAA on the NPRM as they have assigning blame on the various forums?

If everyone that has fussed about it on the forums and social media actually commented to the FAA, a louder voice could be heard where it may actually make a difference.

Rolling over or civil disobedience will not make it go away.

[CVA59]

A couple of years ago I sent an email to Rich Hanson, the President of AMA at the time, stating that in my opinion the decision to include FPV and/or drones into our organization was the worst in the history of AMA. He replied with some blather about how now we could regulate them and convince them to fly using AMA rules. After one of the near miss incidents with an airliner, I sent another email asking how is this working out for you now? No reply was made. I am convinced drone and FPV flyers will cause the end of the r/c hobby as we have known it. Even club members in 2 clubs I have been in fly with no spotter or stay within LOS when flying FPV. After spending 36 years in the cockpit I know the possible consequences of colliding with even a moderate sized drone.We are now lumped into the same basket as all these rogue drone flyers as a result of the stupidity of our AMA officers.

I have been saying this regarding the AMA all along. I have gotten a lot of backlash (I could are less) because of this. The proof speaks for itself. Now that our hobby is now in the preliminary stages of potentially becoming extinct and now the AMA is now asking for us to participate????? Hahahaha, they should have been fighting wayyyyyy back so this day would never have come as it has now! Needless to say, I will no longer be a member of the AMA after this years membership expires. The AMA should have been spearheading this as the #1 proponent. However, in looking around on social media, useless emails from the AMA, and other info resources about remote ID, it seems the AMA has allowed us members to stand mostly alone on the front lines of this insanity. I am seeing private individuals coming together preparing to file lawsuits if this things goes bad. Where is the AMA legal team preparing legal action towards the FAA if this turns bad? Where is a statement from the AMA explaining if these insane rules go into effect, the will immediately begin legal proceedings to fight back. Where is this info from the AMA???????

Let me be clear, I have NO issues with the AMA other than their public lack of aggression / resistance of the FAA's ridiculously proposed rules. I got more satisfaction from the letter the EAA sent in than anything the AMA has done. EVERYONE is very clear on what the FAA is proposing, this horse has been beaten to death! As a result and with the time that has passed, the AMA should have already informed us if they are working on an alternate plan to protect our hobby from the thugs at the FAA?.

[VOODOO]

A couple of years ago I sent an email to Rich Hanson, the President of AMA at the time, stating that in my opinion the decision to include FPV and/or drones into our organization was the worst in the history of AMA. He replied with some blather about how now we could regulate them and convince them to fly using AMA rules. After one of the near miss incidents with an airliner, I sent another email asking how is this working out for you now? No reply was made. I am convinced drone and FPV flyers will cause the end of the r/c hobby as we have known it. Even club members in 2 clubs I have been in fly with no spotter or stay within LOS when flying FPV. After spending 36 years in the cockpit I know the possible consequences of colliding with even a moderate sized drone.We are now lumped into the same basket as all these rogue drone flyers as a result of the stupidity of our AMA officers.

[MikeT]

Are you kidding me??? I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE FAA MAKING MONEY!!! Let me spell it out for you. There are millions being made and millions yet to be made by those companies who will monitor and sell the products the FAA is requiring the "law abiding" UAS users to have in place, etc, etc,. The context of my post was that the FAA is and will continue to control every aspect of that and those companies......."And don't forget, it's also about them having total CONTROL of us". I NEVER said anywhere in my post that the FAA stood to make millions, wow. You need to re-read my post.

"They have realized the drone community has turned into a HUGE market and millions of dollars to be made. So they, like always, feel the need to jump in and take control over it all."

You weren't very clear at all.

Mike

[RRHandy]

Sadly, if you study the new rule proposals, they will eventually eliminate those "accepted" fields by attrition every 3 years.
Why would i want to drive 10-15 miles to a club field to fly, instead of my 5 acre backyard? I fly "airplanes" not boxes with multi props. In my 60+ years, on and off, flying a hand built balsa with an .049 on a string as a child, to electric foamies, I've always flown by the rules of safety and common sense.
They will never eliminate the rogue 'drone' fliers that can buy a box from any major retail store in the US that clearly says on the box,"NO FAA".
Unfortunately, unless we can surmount a large response to the new Fed FAA Regs proposed, I fear our hobby is in great danger.

Pandora1 Former AMA, current EAA member.

I agree with you and that I yes I will fly in my yard and do so responsibly, we responsible fliers are baring the brunt of the non. R.

[CVA59]

Do you really think the FAA is some kinda money making machine? Just how will they make millions? Congress mandated they do something.

Mike

Are you kidding me??? I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE FAA MAKING MONEY!!! Let me spell it out for you. There are millions being made and millions yet to be made by those companies who will monitor and sell the products the FAA is requiring the "law abiding" UAS users to have in place, etc, etc,. The context of my post was that the FAA is and will continue to control every aspect of that and those companies......."And don't forget, it's also about them having total CONTROL of us". I NEVER said anywhere in my post that the FAA stood to make millions, wow. You need to re-read my post.

[MikeT]

And don't forget, it's also about them having total CONTROL of us. They have realized the drone community has turned into a HUGE market and millions of dollars to be made. So they, like always, feel the need to jump in and take control over it all. Another example of passive communism.

Do you really think the FAA is some kinda money making machine? Just how will they make millions? Congress mandated they do something.

Mike

[CVA59]

But it still goes back to "punishing the innocent".

And don't forget, it's also about them having total CONTROL of us. They have realized the drone community has turned into a HUGE market and millions of dollars to be made. So they, like always, feel the need to jump in and take control over it all. Another example of passive communism.

[KRCamaro]

DRONES, People, or quads if you like, read the wording and you will see that this is for non AMA club fields. They are trying to get control of the rogue fliers and not us.

Sadly, if you study the new rule proposals, they will eventually eliminate those "accepted" fields by attrition every 3 years.
Why would i want to drive 10-15 miles to a club field to fly, instead of my 5 acre backyard? I fly "airplanes" not boxes with multi props. In my 60+ years, on and off, flying a hand built balsa with an .049 on a string as a child, to electric foamies, I've always flown by the rules of safety and common sense.
They will never eliminate the rogue 'drone' fliers that can buy a box from any major retail store in the US that clearly says on the box,"NO FAA".
Unfortunately, unless we can surmount a large response to the new Fed FAA Regs proposed, I fear our hobby is in great danger.

Pandora1 Former AMA, current EAA member.

[MikeT]

Horizon Hobby has a whole fleet of 21 UMX planes, all of which fit the criteria of under 250g. I've had several of their earlier versions and I've gotten rid of all but 2 and those 2, I rarely fly them anymore. After a while, they just get too boring to fly and they never get any use anymore. I rarely see UMXs at any of my flying fields and the times I do, those guys bring them out maybe twice, then never to be seen again. I still fly my Mini-Convergence and Eflite V-22 fairly regularly but both of those exceed the 250g limit.
Nevertheless, the purpose of this thread is not so much to convert to UMXs, but to discuss (or in some cases, vent) what, if anything to do about the proposed regulations and if nothing can be done to affect the outcome, how to live with them. I seriously doubt that any new regs will "eliminate" what we fly in this hobby already. They may change how we fly and in the worse case scenario, it's not going to result in a mass exodus from this hobby.

Manny of us have no use for UMX stuff. Here for example it's windy 5 months out of the year and UMX just won't cut it. They just get blown around and won't survive long..

Mike

[xviper]

But it still goes back to "punishing the innocent". For example, the drone that crashed on the White House lawn. Every RESPONSIBLE flyer knows the ENTIRE DC AREA IS A NO-FLY ZONE! Yet one ignorant yahoo gets the headlines, and we get taken to "the woodshed". And the press is in on it too. Any time an emergency situation is hampered by somebody's DJI, it's headlines. But how many stories do you hear about how RC aviation advancing STEM education? Or the therapeutic values of RC flying for people like rifleman who have PTSD and other service related problems? No, you'll only hear about the morons who will keep doing it and cause the death of this hobby. And I'm not pushing UMX and small scale helicopters, I'm just putting it out there as a workaround.

I understand all of that but it wasn't part of your post #81, which was about little aircraft that you think MRC should carry. My point was that I doubt MRC will carry any of those cheap little things that we see on Banggood because those things won't compete with Horizon's fleet of already proven and easily accessible products. They are only "workarounds" for those who are either children or people not quite fully into the hobby or those who are into the hobby and maybe want a temporary (very temporary) diversion. At least for me, these little things will never replace what I've been flying for the past 10 years. In fact, I will likely never buy another one again. It has little to do with "punishing the innocent" or the acts of bozos and morons.

[Valkpilot]

Horizon Hobby has a whole fleet of 21 UMX planes, all of which fit the criteria of under 250g. I've had several of their earlier versions and I've gotten rid of all but 2 and those 2, I rarely fly them anymore. After a while, they just get too boring to fly and they never get any use anymore. I rarely see UMXs at any of my flying fields and the times I do, those guys bring them out maybe twice, then never to be seen again. I still fly my Mini-Convergence and Eflite V-22 fairly regularly but both of those exceed the 250g limit.
Nevertheless, the purpose of this thread is not so much to convert to UMXs, but to discuss (or in some cases, vent) what, if anything to do about the proposed regulations and if nothing can be done to affect the outcome, how to live with them. I seriously doubt that any new regs will "eliminate" what we fly in this hobby already. They may change how we fly and in the worse case scenario, it's not going to result in a mass exodus from this hobby.

But it still goes back to "punishing the innocent". For example, the drone that crashed on the White House lawn. Every RESPONSIBLE flyer knows the ENTIRE DC AREA IS A NO-FLY ZONE! Yet one ignorant yahoo gets the headlines, and we get taken to "the woodshed". And the press is in on it too. Any time an emergency situation is hampered by somebody's DJI, it's headlines. But how many stories do you hear about how RC aviation advancing STEM education? Or the therapeutic values of RC flying for people like rifleman who have PTSD and other service related problems? No, you'll only hear about the morons who will keep doing it and cause the death of this hobby. And I'm not pushing UMX and small scale helicopters, I'm just putting it out there as a workaround.

[Valkpilot]

Seems to me the main thrust of the rules are to anticipate the flood of UAVs from companies such as Amazon, Google, etc., which could also have impact on recreational modelers (deliveries crossing over flight areas).

Boy are they in for a surprise when NIMBY cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and NYC enact ordinances that prevent them.

[xviper]

Horizon Hobby has a whole fleet of 21 UMX planes, all of which fit the criteria of under 250g. I've had several of their earlier versions and I've gotten rid of all but 2 and those 2, I rarely fly them anymore. After a while, they just get too boring to fly and they never get any use anymore. I rarely see UMXs at any of my flying fields and the times I do, those guys bring them out maybe twice, then never to be seen again. I still fly my Mini-Convergence and Eflite V-22 fairly regularly but both of those exceed the 250g limit.
Nevertheless, the purpose of this thread is not so much to convert to UMXs, but to discuss (or in some cases, vent) what, if anything to do about the proposed regulations and if nothing can be done to affect the outcome, how to live with them. I seriously doubt that any new regs will "eliminate" what we fly in this hobby already. They may change how we fly and in the worse case scenario, it's not going to result in a mass exodus from this hobby.

[Valkpilot]

If it is approx. 1/2 lb / 8 oz or less then it will be exempt. WOW...…………… talk about the less than 1%

Well, yeah it's a limiter, but not an eliminator. Perhaps MRC will increase it's mini/micro plane line. Here's two suggestions for Alpha, if he's watching:

https://www.banggood.com/Eachine-Min...r_warehouse=CN

https://www.banggood.com/XK-X450-VTO...r_warehouse=CN

[OV10]

So let me get this straight. This new rule only apples to planes 250 grams or more. So if it's less than that, it doesn't apply.

If it is approx. 1/2 lb / 8 oz or less then it will be exempt. WOW...…………… talk about the less than 1%

[MikeT]

So let me get this straight. This new rule only apples to planes 250 grams or more. So if it's less than that, it doesn't apply.

Right. Anything that fly's ( everything is a drone to them ) and weighs more than that is subject to regulation. Control line and indoor is exempt.

Mike

[Valkpilot]

So let me get this straight. This new rule only apples to planes 250 grams or more. So if it's less than that, it doesn't apply.

[Valkpilot]

I hear ya on having a concern about the "involved" but the sad reality of it is that is the way a significant number of people behave.
Whether it is this topic or any other including politics. People that don't do their civic duty to vote will be the first "complainers" about the outcomes.
But I can also understand were folks get exasperated time and time again of feeling the effects of "punish the many for the acts of few" and nothing can be done about.

My concern about the exasperation is that it is now more a general sense of apathy which seems to be a standard for the majorities

The thing is this isn't a LEGISLATIVE issue, where one's elected officials put forth a law and it goes through Congress. It's what people call the "shadow government", where certain entities go about making rules with little or no government oversight. What REALLY needs to happen is all those "Mom and Pop" hobby shops on the AMA list need to band together the way vape shops did when the vaping ban movement threatened to shut them down. Unfortunately, most of them probably have RC aircraft as a minor part of their business, and are diversified enough to take the hit if the rules are approved. Why do you think MRC has started offering tanks and bulldozers.

[OV10]

Flite Test and Horizon are involved. There's talk of Flite Test becoming a CBO. I'm more concerned about the hobbyist getting involved only 7020 comments to date..

Mike

I hear ya on having a concern about the "involved" but the sad reality of it is that is the way a significant number of people behave.
Whether it is this topic or any other including politics. People that don't do their civic duty to vote will be the first "complainers" about the outcomes.
But I can also understand were folks get exasperated time and time again of feeling the effects of "punish the many for the acts of few" and nothing can be done about.

My concern about the exasperation is that it is now more a general sense of apathy which seems to be a standard for the majorities