AMA: Guidance on Submitting Comments to the FAA

[Bill Jacklin]

It seems the AMA wants us to respond to the FAA. Well, how about this:


I, as a CL modeller, don't have the same problem with the "drone registration" issue as my buddies in RC do. However, it seems to me that no one, including the AMA, is objecting to the fact that the entire registration scheme has one gigantic flaw -- it simply doesn't bring about the desired result!

The two reasons for this are: 1) If a registered quadcopter (or any other small aircraft) DOES unintentionally hit an airplane with enough force to cause a crash or serious damage there wouldn't be enough of the offending craft left to recover a useful registration number, and 2) if someone obtains a quadcopter (or other ...) with the intent of doing something nefarious with it he/she won't register it anyway!

This seems to be so simple as to be obvious to an elementary school child. Do the 'adults' at FAA have their heads so wedged as to not see this? Has this not been brought to the attention of the 'powers that be' at both the FAA and AMA?

I now understand what law-abiding citizens whose hobbies include firearms are having to deal with -- sheer incompetence at high levels of organizations and government and the resultant 'do something, anything, even if it is wrong' reaction to a problem.

[Brett Buck]

It seems the AMA wants us to respond to the FAA. Well, how about this:

  I think the AMA needs to respond. They have clear direction from the membership on how to proceed - pursue all legal means to get at least a temporary restraining order. I still haven't seen any action on that.

     Brett

[Jim Kraft]

Your responce sounds reasonable which is why they won't understand it. They will read it over top to bottom and back to the top, and then say, "what is he saying? that what we are proposing won't work?" " Don't these people know that we are here to help them".
     But at least you are trying.

[Mike Griffin]

Bill, any thinking individual sees this exactly as you do but you have to keep in mind the people you are dealing with.  These people operate in an intellectual vacuum totally void of any common sense whatsoever.  The AMA is about as useless as tits on a boar hog.  Maybe when membership begins to tank they will wake up but so far, they don't have a clue.

Mike

[wwwarbird]

 I think the AMA needs to respond. They have clear direction from the membership on how to proceed - pursue all legal means to get at least a temporary restraining order. I still haven't seen any action on that.

     Brett

 I agree, the AMA should be all over this 24/7 until it's resolved. They also need to lay out, clarify, and define the aero modeling/drone differences to the FAA and make drones and quadcopters an entity of their own. I'll be flat out amazed if the AMA even tries to bother with most of it, let alone pull any of it off.

[Dave_Trible]

I agree, the AMA should be all over this 24/7 until it's resolved. They also need to lay out, clarify, and define the aero modeling/drone differences to the FAA and make drones and quadcopters an entity of their own. I'll be flat out amazed if the AMA even tries to bother with most of it, let alone pull any of it off.

The folks in charge at AMA have devoted themselves up to now to marry themselves to the drone culture.  They can't or won't try to disengage now.  They gave up any standing to try to split that cat.  I doubt they could now admit the error,  even if they see it.  So it's pedal to the metal for them.  The registration is pretty pointless but really harmless in my opinion.  They didn't ask if I was an AMA member.  They don't know and wouldn't care anyway.  If anything it may be simply a ' good guy' list.  Not sure what the AMA insurance will say about paying any claim for somebody who SHOULD have been signed up but isn't.  Sounds like a plausible denial issue.  (Sigh)

Dave

[John Fitzgerald]

Is the AMA feckless?

[wwwarbird]

Is the AMA feckless?

 In this case yes, driven by all out greed while turning their backs on 80 plus years of membership and completely ignoring their true aeromodeling heritage.

[wwwarbird]

The folks in charge at AMA have devoted themselves up to now to marry themselves to the drone culture.  They can't or won't try to disengage now.  They gave up any standing to try to split that cat.  I doubt they could now admit the error,  even if they see it.  So it's pedal to the metal for them. 

Dave

 Very true Dave, and precisely why they're not getting my money in 2016.

[Avaiojet]

Hundreds of thousands of quad-copters/drones, are sold each and every year. And that marketplace is growing rapidly.

It's about the money and nothing else.

[Jim Roselle]

Maybe when membership begins to tank they will wake up but so far, they don't have a clue.

Mike

This is an excerpt from an email exchange I had with Dave Mathewson:


"AMA paying membership is up for the 4th consecutive year. Our overall membership is now at its highest level ever. At the same time the average age of our members is declining for the first time in decades. More importantly donations from members who donate money for AMA programming in addition to their annual membership dies is up over 500% in the last 4 years. These are not indicators of a dying organization. Just the opposite."

Like it or not the aero modeling portion of this hobby is literally and figuratively dying off. The AMA is simply tryng to stay alive in a changing world.