Brendan Schulman successfully defended the first federal case ever involving the operation of a commercial drone in the United States, Huerta v. Pirker. (appeal pending) Brendan has been into RC flight for over 20 years and enjoys many aspects of the hobby.
Here are a few actions you can take:
As a US citizen, submit your own comments to the FAA on this new interpretation of what a model aircraft is here:http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FAA-2014-0396-0001
You can make a polite, informed and respectful comment and give a rating of the FAA on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/FAA?sk=reviews
You can sign a petition to have the FAA rescind the ruling.
http://www.change.org/petitions/the-united-states-federal-aviation-administration-rescind-your-latest-ruling-on-model-fpv-flying-and-the-personal-commercial-use-of-unmanned-aerial-vehicles
If you have a moment, please take all of the actions above. The FAA needs to know your feelings on this matter. With a group effort we can at the very least not watch our hobby banned quietly. We are by no means experts on the matter, so please share your thoughts below.
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Is there anyway that you can publish this in other formats (youtube, etc) so that more people can be exposed to this conversation? Outstanding, guys!
Also, (and I know you are a tad busy at the moment with FTFF) have you considered reaching out to news media to discuss this topic? Governmental infringement upon civil rights is a larger issue and should be of concern to everyone.
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Hmm FPV Equipped Canadian Geese.
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Well-timed for Flitefest, too.
Wish I could be there...
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Read it here...
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/07/model-drone-finds-elderly-man-alive-after-going-missing-for-three-days/
Quoting the story, "The missing elderly man, who has dementia, was located around 1pm Saturday in a 200-acre soybean field after a model drone, equipped with a first-person-view camera, discovered him alive."
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Best Sources I came up with:
US Federal Law 2012: http://tinyurl.com/ns6agda
FAA Interpretation: http://tinyurl.com/nb4m5po
Press Release from FAA June 23 2014: http://tinyurl.com/p7hzfhf
Do's and Don'ts of Model Flying per FAA Website: http://tinyurl.com/q53q32h
AMA's Rich Hanson Explains FAA Model Aircraft Rule: http://tinyurl.com/nfn694q
Flitetests podcast with Brendan Schulman: http://tinyurl.com/q47wrmk
The most disturbing things to me after really making an effort to understand the situation are
1. Lack of recognition of where the “hobby” has come. The term “model” is misleading. Is there such thing as a “model drone”? A drone is a drone is a drone – what is there to it that makes it a “model”? The term Model was relevant back when there was just manned aircraft and unmanned models.
2. Commercial value of design and sales of model aircraft, accessories, events in the US
3. The lack of recognition of the natural support and promotion from the hobby of STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) development. Countless engineers and scientists owe early activity in model aircraft to their technology enthusiasm.
4. Treating model aircraft as full-scale aircraft that must adhere to CFR FAR rules
5. Lack of definition of commercial use where there are already numerous types of for-profit activity - as there should be
6. Where are the model-flying employees of FAA during all this? One has to believe model-flying enthusiasts abound in the FAA – are they being maligned in this process?
Realize commenting to the FAA is just 10% of what actually needs to be done – that is, change the law. The law has been with us since 2012 – now the giant is awakening.
For better or worse, model aircraft world has to grow up. AMA probably needs to reconsider the scope of its mission and activities.
I don’t think it necessarily has to address commercial activity, but it would be in its best interest of staying relevant to do that.
It even has opportunities in fee-based training.
It certainly has a role in keeping line-of-sight FPV off the FAA’s radar screen, and probably low-level flight beyond line of sight as well.
New technologies have broadened the scope of what model aircraft are about, what the expanded uses now are, and the many facets of commercial activities.
The FAA interpretation does not address this reality, even leaning on a dictionary definition of model aircraft – capricious behavior designed to oversimplify and limit the real extent of the “hobby”.
Realize the FAA is already authorized to enforce the rules as they see fit. The one source missing in my list that I would have like to read is Brendan's defense of Trappy - step by step what the charges were and what the defense was. What real teeth does the FAA have, and where & how did they over-reach.
We got a taste in the podcast, but not the full story.
One thing for sure is the giant has awakened. We have to exercise our rights to change the law. AMA seems central to that.
We’ll be living with this – challenges to our freedom – forever.
I accept that it will become part of the fabric of the “hobby”.
Get out there and comment, then contact your Reps, today.
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