A new coalition has launched to protect the model aviation hobby industry, starting with the fight for a better rule on remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
As written, the proposed remote ID rule would seriously disincentivize participation in the model aviation hobby, according to coalition officials.
The coalition of aviation associations, hobby shops and manufacturers is deeply concerned about the impact this rule and future regulations will have on the model aviation hobby, the many jobs and businesses that support it and the STEM learning opportunities the hobby provides, officials explain. Model aviation is the natural precursor to careers in aviation — jobs which the U.S. desperately needs to fill, officials add.
“Since 2015, the model aviation hobby has faced increasingly burdensome regulation which has made it difficult for the hobby to thrive,” said Chad Budreau, executive director of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. “The most recent example of this is remote ID. If the proposed rule is implemented as written, the model aircraft hobby will shrink, businesses will close, jobs will disappear, and young people will turn away from the hobby of flying model airplanes.”
“Not only does burdensome regulation negatively impact our existing community of responsible and safe model aircraft hobbyists, it will be devastating to the broader aviation industry. Burdensome regulations put everything at risk — the entire model aviation hobby, thousands of jobs and businesses, as well as future pilots, engineers and aerospace experts. We are starting this coalition to protect the model aviation hobby and make sure this doesn’t happen with remote ID or any future regulations,” continued Budreau.
As part of their effort to curb burdensome regulation, the coalition sent a letter to Congress expressing their concern over increasingly burdensome regulation and new rules for recreational UAS operators. The letter sent to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure describes the prominence and importance of the model aviation industry, particularly for inspiring interest amongst young people in careers in STEM.
According to the letter, model aviation supports a $1 billion hobby industry and is responsible for thousands of jobs. However, in a recent survey of hobby shops, about 77% of respondents said the FAA’s UAS regulations have hurt their sales either somewhat or drastically and almost 70% said that FAA regulations are the biggest threat to the model aircraft industry.
Regarding remote ID, the coalition is concerned that some elements of the proposal would disincentivize participation in the model aviation hobby, impose significant costs on the model aviation community, and unnecessarily restrict existing, safe model aircraft operations. Specifically, the group is asking the FAA to address the following concerns with the proposed remote ID rule:
- The rule should provide community-based organizations, like AMA, more flexibility to establish and maintain fixed flying sites that satisfy remote ID compliance.
- The rule should create a pathway for remote ID compliance at AMA events and competitions, which may not take place at fixed flying sites.
- The rule should account for situations where there is no internet connectivity, as many safe places to fly are in rural areas with little or no service.
- The rule should revise the definition of amateur-built UAS to effectively delineate the categories of aircraft.
- The rule should not require modelers to register every aircraft individually.
The new coalition includes:
- The Academy of Model Aeronautics
- National Retail Hobby Store Association
- Hobby Manufacturers Association
- Futaba
- Civil Air Patrol
- ReadyMade RC
- Balsa USA
- Drone Zone
- Anderson RC
- Sullivan Products
- MexAir RC
- Family Hobby Center
- Bob Smith Industries
- Dave’s RC Electronics
- Aloft Hobbies
- Tampa Drones
- Big Lake Hobbies
- B&B Specialties
- Radio South
- Wind Catcher RC
- MikeGoesFlying
- Bitgo Hobby
- Arizona Aircraft Replicas
- Tripe Tree Aerodrome
- Action Hobbies
- Brownie’s Pro & Sport Hobbies
- Thomas Drones
It’s been an over 4 decade frustrating journey for me attempting to offer a tried and true means to attract and train large numbers of new comers to the hobby. It turns out the modeling organizations are and have been in decline for quite some time. I’ve asked the industry to simply send a representative to me so I can train them how to use a marketing/promotion method that is all but guaranteed to turn things around.
Problem is, al industry members seek advice from people who don’t have a bottom line to be concerned with. All I need is just 1 or 2 people to witness a demonstration. It wouldn’t cos that much and even if it did, it would be very much worth any amount of money. With billions of dollars on the line, it would seem that someone would take a chance.
My thought, they can kiss my ASS.
I will not register EVER! I am going to fly free as bird.
Arrest a 67 year old man trying to enjoy what little time I have left!
Jamul, Ca.
I’m curious as to why the commercial drone industry insists on the model aviation community be included in these odious regulations.
I believe there may be an effort to try and make money off of the model aviation community. Since WHO will be manufacturing the remote ID equipment?
Bad people with bad intentions will do bad things regardless of rules and regs.We in the model aviation community are the eyes and ears if we see something we can report suspesious persons.If we are regulated out of existence only the bad people will do what they do and law abiding people like us are punished .I will not stand for this I’m 71 and the hobby keeps me mentally sharp I’m 12 years old again in my minds eye every time I send a model flying . What happened to Life Liberty and The Persuit Of Happyiness I’m gonna do what I do and harm no one that’s the Spirt Of 1776
About three years before Donald Trump became President we were flying at Ferry Point Park in the Bronx Trump has a golf course opposite the field on the other side of the Whitestone Bridge we were on the flight line aw we saw a golf cart coming at us as it got closer to our surprise it was Mr Trump like a regular guy spoke with us was curious checked out our birds Our collective thoughts were is he going to take over our field? We expressed our concern Mr Trump reassured us the field was safe as we relaxed the big question came are u running for president he was not forth coming with a response after that the golf cart drove off we all came away with a good posetive impression of the man I was not at the field that day the incident was told to me by my buddy who at the time was President of The Intellegent Flyers we shared the field with the Blue Angels io club they are now the only club at Ferry Point Park In da Bronx I think if the President knew about our situation a positive outcome could happen all these Draconian rules are to me a extension of the swamp I think the President is doing the right thing I wonder what he would do if he knew
I am a private pilot who flies model airplanes. I have spent the entire day trying to make sense of this NPRM and write a response to the FAA. I have become more and more flabbergasted about the idiocy of this NPRM. There seems to be no other rhyme or reason other than to deliberately expunge the sport of model flying from the land of the brave and free by essential criminalizing upstanding citizens for wanting to participate in a safe and educational hobby.
I find it extremely difficult to write a positive and constructive response in the face of such malice. How do you respond when you read I’m from the government and I’m here to kill you.
The fact that the FAA opened the comment period for a mere 60 days and then denied the request by the aviation ABC groups for an extension, stating, and I quote: “Extending the comment period is not consistent with the goal of the NPRM, request denied!” proves my point.
Forming this coalition is a good step in the right direction and bringing this to the steps of congress certainly is a step in the right direction, but I feel and have expressed to the people at the EAA and AOPA that they should call upon their much bigger membership to help the AMA navigate this.
The notion of having these temporary FRIAS is incredibly naive. I can guarantee you that no municipality, county, park service or land owner will stick their head out to designate an existing known flying site as “Federal Done sanctuary”. Not going to happen.
So I guess I’m going to spend an other day tomorrow trying to craft a kindly written letter to the FAA
— GS
too little too late I will miss flying my aircraft with my kids. Very sad. To bad the AMA did nothing to stop this.
All of our registration fees to the AMA, all for nothing, what a joke
As a full size aviation professional and active modeler for longer than the professional part of my life, I am amazed at how badly informed the FAA department is, as I have worked with FAA offices as part of my regular duties I am surprised they got this proposal out, and even worse, where are The FAA officials who are also modelers????
This is the reason why NPRM is out, it is the method the FAA listens, and I hope the FAA modeling community also says something about it.
If the rule is implemented, you will not be able to build a model aircraft but could then instead go and buy an assault rifle, it simply does not make any sense.
We need to help preserve the well-being of the Hobby, whether it be for the sheer pleasure of the recreational activity or the educational purpose for our children as well as adults. With the new requirements that are proposed to be set in place, they will severely impact this wonderful Hobby. Most of us are on a budget and the unsightly cost for all our Homebuilt model aircraft would not be able to financially justify being able to stay in the Hobby. A bit unconstitutional that I cannot enjoy my airspace with out being monitored and having to pay for the cost out of my own pocket for their own absurd devices, rules and regulations they are trying to impose. Internet service is spotty at the best and nonexistent at the most were my family flies our scale models. Model aviation should not be included into the new classification of rules and regulations they are trying to impose. If it is safety and malicious behavior they are worried about, none of this will prevent it. Bad people will always choose to do bad things, the rules and regulations will not stop them and they will get around anything FFA will try to impose. It will only harm all of us that are honest, safe, and never put anyone in danger. we loose more and more freedom every day because of misinformed government. We the people are told that we have a say, but what it comes down to is just a smokescreen to fool us unfortunately. This needs to stop, we are losing Freedom’s daily. Why destroy a wonderful educational Hobby that our generation will soon be pushed out of, and future generations will never understand the enjoyment. This will destroy all hopes for the future generation for all educational purposes.
We loose more and more freedom every day because of misinformed government. We the people are told that we have a say, but what it comes down to is just a smokescreen to fool us unfortunately. This needs to stop, we are losing Freedom’s daily. Why destroy a wonderful educational Hobby that our generation will soon be pushed out of, and future generations will never understand the enjoyment. This will destroy all hopes for the future generation for all educational purposes. It breaks my heart that the government is willing to imply these laws that will implement my children as illegally building model aircraft. Shame, shame on all of you. What a horrible law to back us into a corner and bully We the people of the USA and our children. This imposed law needs to be completely restructured with separate uses of drones separating commercial, type, recreational, and educational.
I’ve yet to hear just HOW the fees and such will be managed, WHAT they will be used for (beyond paying somebody to keep all the info) and just HOW IN THE HELL are they going to enforce and monitor compliance? I have NO plans to comply with this idiot situation; I guess I’m going to become a law-breaker by default. There’s not enough qualified people in the whole country to do the “control”. And for what? “Security”? Do they SERIOUSLY believe that making the hobbyists go thru those hoops that ANYTHING will be made “more secure”? Yeah, I know, the troublemakers will comply, too, right? Sure has worked for firearms………
FAA does not have the manpower or the budget to enforce this ridiculous rulling. Could they just be doing this to justify asking for more money? There is no other reason to be doing what they are doing.
The ruling is ridiculous and shows a total lack of knowledge of model aviation. As a modeler it feels like big brother simply trying to generate revenue with a total lack of care about the effects of their actions. The FAA has no data to support their actions!
It is that simple, FAA is acting with total ignorance of model aviation, on thinking about multirotor drones like everything is the same
I have been building and flying model airplanes for 27 years. In that time there have been no problems with the safety at flying fields where I have flown. Why does the FAA want to interfere with a hobby that has been in practice for about 100 or more years that has done a great job of policing and regulating their hobby for all that time??? I support the efforts of this organization and hope that the people in the FAA will get some education in what the hobby represents.
It will hurt the hobby and all forms of aviation. I have been flying RC for years. I have flown with instructors, crop dusters, airline pilots, fighter pilots, mechanics, and many other fields in aviation that all started with model aviation. My father started with free flight models in the 40s. Joined the Air Force and became a radar and weapons systems mechanic on fighters. Then while in the air force got his IFR PPL through the bases flight clubs. We have a couple young members at our club that through model aviation have decided on aviation careers. This NPRM is just bad and is written to end the hobby. It opens up everything for the commercial drone industry. The CDA is who lobbied to get Section 336 repealed. Section 336 protected the hobby by not allowing the FAA to regulate it. Also if it’s not to end the hobby why put in that the FAA will review fixed flying sites for 12 months and offer waivers of sites they approve of, and after 12 months no new sites will be able to apply, ever. So if a fixed site looses the land for any reason it can’t move to a new location. If the FAA goes through with this in it’s current state I have decided I will quit the hobby after being involved in it for 35 years and I am one of many that have stated this. The cost to fly models when you own many will just be to expensive. The NPRM requires each aircraft have it’s own ID and it’s own subscription to connect to the service. I have 40+ aircraft all flying and I know people with over 100. The cost would be astronomical. I have been looking more and more into part 103 due to it would be less regulated and cheaper to fly then RC if this does end up going through.