Next, there will be a mandatory back ground check for any and all R/C aircraft,with a 5 day waiting piriod to boot.
Given some of the folks that fly R/C, that might not be such a bad Idea!!! Hey...only kidding!!! Uhhh I think I'm only kidding...Hmmmmmm... Randy Cuberly
Mr. Holliday I respectfully and strongly disagree with you. To ban all rc flying except in designated areas would prevent me from flying on my own property. I have enough property that I am able to fly without bothering anyone. My closest neighbor is well over a mile away. I am not a big fan of the AMA as I well remember feeling abandoned by them. The government is not likely to make a distinction between rc and our sport. We all look guilty to a political agenda. We have plenty of laws in this country, we don't really need any more and we don't need to appear divided to a bureaucrat whose only agenda is to prolong his tenure in D.C. Respectfully, WL George.
If and when the feds crack down it wont be just on R/C, it will be ALL of model aircraft.
It doesn't really bother them to pry the Ringmaster from your cold bloody fingers:-). Easier that way. .......
I feel like I can guarentee the people that are doing this are probably not AMA members. The former president of the Deland RC club and I had a conversation about this and his suggestion was people should have to show their AMA membership to the people working at the hobby shop in order to purchase these things. Personally, I don't think that's a bad idea...
I do. The AMA was never conceived of as a law enforcement agency. And in point of fact, there is already a law (quoted endlessly in this debate) that no one has the legal authority to regulate "model aircraft". So making the primary model aircraft organization, effectively, regulating things that AREN'T model aircraft doesn't seem to make sense. I certainly don't want them to act as gatekeepers. Also, from another perspective, suppose you do say the AMA is in charge, and this becomes the gatekeepers. We have half-a-dozen threads in the past few months about how the AMA seems to be 100% in the pockets of the drone vendors and other industry types. How are they going to be able to "regulate" something that is a huge part of their revenue stream? At least it gives them a conflict of interest. I guarantee the casual buyers are not going to plunk down another $65 or whatever on a $100 ARF/RTF just for the privilege of buying, and in any case, why do you think having added a surcharge is going to make them responsible? The reason that the AMA members don't cause most of these incidents is they were responsible enough to become AMA members in the first place. Getting a AMA card, basically because you are forced to, doesn't address the problem. The end result of drone use is what should be subject to legal action. There are a fantastic number of laws on the books, and something in the area of criminal mischief to reckless endangerment should apply to cases where people were, say, recklessly endangered, as most of these incidents seem to claim. You don't need any equivalent new law that says the same thing with "...with a quadcopter" tacked on at the end. Brett
Almost everyone on this forum is above 60 or 65, We are all older. Old today is 90.
Good points Brett. I never thought to think of it in the legal sense. I was thinking more in a way of how to keep the idiots from buying these quadcopters and potentially ruining the fun of model aircraft for the rest of us
I wouldn't argue with your goal - but many times the cure turns out to be worse than the cause, unless you are very careful. You need to be particularly careful about laws and regulations, many times the goal is so good that it is co-opted to force through poor legislation or regulation. Brett
The balloon chair deal is true. Larry Walters was the "pilot". The fine was only $1500 for an uninspected aircraft.
You are correct. I thought they got him for more. Could very well have
Hey Sean,His "aircraft" was uninspected and unregistered but at least he had a method of altitude control: a BB gun with which to pop a few balloons to bring the whole thing down again! Very technologically advanced...
haha untill he dropped the BB gun.There was a guy a few years ago that built another lawnchair balloon, but was more refined and perfectly legal--had a registration number and everything. He flew it across lake Winnebago up at Airventure one year.