On Fri, 18 Dec 2015 08:25:20 -0500, John H.
wrote:
On Thu, 17 Dec 2015 15:16:03 -0800 (PST), wrote:
On Thursday, December 17, 2015 at 10:34:48 AM UTC-5, John H. wrote:
Letter to all members of Prince Georges RC club:
PGRC Members,
In case you haven't heard, the FAA is requiring all UAS owners (including AMA members
who fly RC) to register with the FAA before 19 February. See AMA District IV VP Jay
Marsh's e-mail below. Also see the included links to the FAA press release and AMA's
response. Registration requires only your name, address, and e-mail address; and can
be done on-line.
This was all discussed at the meeting Tuesday night but, if you missed it, here is
the gist:
1. The AMA, and we at PGRC, think the FAA's inclusion of AMA members in the
registration program is an unnecessary imposition.
2. Nevertheless, we are requiring all PGRC members (and visiting flyers) to
register before 19 February, in order to fly at our field.
3. You can register at the FAA website (www.faa.gov/uas/registration) starting
21 December. Registration is free for 30 days after 21 December, and $5 thereafter.
Registration is good for 3 years.
4. We will be required to put the FAA registration number on ALL our models that
we plan to fly.
5. Because of our proximity to DC, FAA personnel are likely to visit our field
to verify that all flyers are registered. Hence, we should carry a copy of the
certificate to the field (e.g., in our flight boxes), as well as imprinting the
number on all our models.
This registration process may or may not be the last infringement of the FAA on our
hobby and on us at PGRC, but anyone failing to comply will certainly be jeopardizing
the hobby and our continued existence at PGRC Field. After 19 February, only
FAA-registered RC pilots will be permitted to fly at PGRC Field.
Sometimes, a period of whining can be good for the psyche - there was certainly a
good measure of it at the meeting on Tuesday. So go ahead and whine, and get it out
of your system. Then register.
Regards,
(Secretary)
--
Ban idiots, not guns!
From the AMA today:
As we proceed with this process, we suggest AMA members hold off on registering their model aircraft with the FAA until advised by the AMA or until February 19, the FAA's legal deadline for registering existing model aircraft.
Yeah, got that. For anyone else interested:
http://tinyurl.com/q5cnz5c
"We believe that resolution to the unnecessary federal registration rule for our
members rests with AMA's petition before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia."
So, we'll see what happens.
I predict that they will have around 50-60% compliance in this cycle
but it may be more while it is free. By the 2019 cycle, they will
either increase enforcement, at great cost and the fees will go up
with lots of people opting out or saner minds will prevail and they
will scale the program way back. They might just let it die a quiet
death if in the 3 years it does not actually provide any help in
prosecuting air space violators.
There will always be the bureaucratic inertia trying to keep any
government program going on forever. We still have a "rural
electrification" agency, in spite of the fact that there are very few
places off the grid these days and most of those people like it that
way.
A lot of this reminds me of GHW Bush's boat tax sticker. I don't know
anyone who bought one and I only saw them on about half the boats I
saw. The local water cops pretty much said this was a federal law and
let the feds enforce it. The USCG didn't have the equipment or the man
power to do anything effective. After a short while, they just came
out and said "never mind".
It was one of the "new taxes" he said he would not create and I
imagine lost him the vote of every boater.