AMA and Multirotors

[Xpress]

The whole 'toy' stigma is the entire issue. They relate them as a toy in the same exact manner as an action figure or a LEGO brick set. These are toys that we play with, but in the same manner that a motorcycle or jet ski is a toy- fun to play with, but requires attention to safety and proper handling. I think the AMA needs more fresh faces in charge, people that seriously understand what is going on and what is at stake here because quite frankly, I don't feel that the current assembly is fully understanding the gravity of the situation, though I can fully understand that this may be the first type of this situation that they have encountered. Maybe they just don't know how.

If anything does kill this hobby for us, it will be all of the irresponsible newbies who have no business being behind the sticks of a model aircraft and who have ZERO concept of what is actually going on. Talk to any one of them about AMA or the FAA's imposed restrictions and they'll just stare at you much the same as a deer in headlights. Just today I saw a sign posted at the store down the street from me that said 'LOST DRONE, REWARD IF FOUND.' To me, that says it's someone new who has little common sense. They flew it beyond their capabilities and now it's gone, who knows what kind of damage potential that could have occurred. Not to sound paranoid, but that really bugs me.

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What REALLY makes me go HMM is just how (if heavy restrictions do wind up being passed) governing agencies plan on enforcing all of these rules, and how they can deem something to be unsafe. How can they restrict what gets sold? People can still buy unrestricted individual parts and make something out of it. For example, you can buy an 80% completed AR-15 receiver without having to register or show proof of I.D.- this is not considered a firearm because it does not have the necessary machining done to it to house the trigger and hammer assemblies. It's just a hunk of metal. Take it to a machine shop and have them machine it and it becomes a home made firearm that nobody knows you have- just add the rest of the parts and it's a fully functioning gun. And it's totally legal everywhere too. Who's to stop a company from manufacturing kits in this manner? Oh, wait, we already have ARF's. Until they're put together, it's just a box of wood and plastic. Or in the case of a multirotor, it's just a box of random parts- only the end user can assemble it and equip it to make it a flying vehicle (I'm aware of the RTF models, I'm only using kit examples for end of the world scenarios). And they can be flown in many a places that law enforcement agencies don't have jurisdiction over, or don't have access to.

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The amount of restrictions the government is trying to pass is quite frankly a frightening thought, and that's in general, not just RC related. What happened to Land of the Free? Now it's Home of the Controlled. The more and more government gets involved with something, the more they try to control everything and screw it all up. How long until they push the limits too far and a 2nd revolution springs up? That's not such a distant thought anymore with government approval ratings dropping every year. 'This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it.'

 

[Xpress]

Something else that bugs me as well is why is it considered "commercial use" if we strap a camera on some flying radio controlled vehicle and film or photograph from it for pay? I know plenty of friends and family members that do photoshoots of people or scenery for pay and they aren't considered "commercial" in any way. It's the same thing as mowing someones lawn for some extra cash.

What if I strap a camera to one of my aircraft and take pictures of the sunset? What if I print those photos out and list them for sale on my Facebook to family and friends? Is that considered a "commercial purpose"?

 

[Spats]

Any time you accept money that is considered commercial/business and the money must be reported on that by State and Federal law.

 

[CatalinaWOW]

I noticed several things at the AMA show. Wood is right, there were a lot of multi-rotors. Not quite as dominant as he says, but close. The AMA guys did look old and tired and not like somebody one of the kids buying multi-rotors would relate to. The AMA had sponsored speakers talking about clearly commercial use of multi-rotors. Interesting, but not a hobby activity. Of course they can argue that these guys like the NASA guys had hobby roots. The AMA safety guy gave a presentation guaranteed to not get the attention of anyone, especially not someone outside the AMA. The guys manning the booths for traditional RC vendors and activities were generally pretty old. The exceptions were the foamy vendors and the general hobby vendors (who were also selling multi-rotors).

I support anyone who loves to get things in the air, who wants to learn and do new things. The evidence at the AMA convention was that the AMA is not well positioned to help us do that.

 

[49dimes]

I simply see things as a "hobby" in general getting way expensive as it was back in the day. In "no time" in model aviation history has this hobby been more affordable to the masses than it is today. I suppose the "suits" who sit high upon the hill have finally recognized this and are going to make it to their advantage and not ours. But by all means it is "our safety" they are genuinely concerned about. Yea right.

 

[Flyin4fun]

the AMA is small potatoes compared to the proposals of commercial drones.... Fed Ex, UPS, pharmaceutical companies, etc, as with other entities , law enforcement, farmers, etc, that want NAS to do their businesses... who is going to suffer because of this? "Hobby R/C".

Multis did not cause this issue... FPV and GPS guidance did.... the technological advances of these have advanced too far and too fast for the AMA, FAA, DHS, to deal with the issue of these, SO , municipalities have begun to deal with them in their own way that was/is the most financially feasible way to do it...."bannings"

I envision, in the very near future, that "hobby R/C" will only exist at "approved" flying sites, where rules/guidelines will need to be strictly adhered to..

 

[Islandflyer]

the AMA is small potatoes compared to the proposals of commercial drones.... Fed Ex, UPS, pharmaceutical companies, etc, as with other entities , law enforcement, farmers, etc, that want NAS to do their businesses... who is going to suffer because of this? "Hobby R/C".

Multis did not cause this issue... FPV and GPS guidance did.... the technological advances of these have advanced too far and too fast for the AMA, FAA, DHS, to deal with the issue of these, SO , municipalities have begun to deal with them in their own way that was/is the most financially feasible way to do it...."bannings"

I envision, in the very near future, that "hobby R/C" will only exist at "approved" flying sites, where rules/guidelines will need to be strictly adhered to..

Very true: the multi-rotors (or any aircraft) is not the issue. The FPV, GPS guidance and video uses are the culprit that led the today threats to our hobby and fears for safety and privacy concerns.
I have already many times written about the fact that the AMA is trying to regulate a group of users who do not even know it exists.
At the same time , by associating our aeromodeling community with the FPV- "drone" group, we are confirming the public/media perception that it is all one and the same.
Instead, we should take a firm stance in stating that these other activities are simply NOT R/C airplanes related. We must distance ourselves from it.
Not that FPV, GPS guidance and video is all bad; it is just not R/C plane related.
If we (i.e. the AMA) do not distance ourselves from it, we will inevitably be lumped together in any retribution when something really bad happens in an activity in we do not even participate. Some of us practice both, but each activity should be represented by its own association.

As an analogy: most dragster drivers have a driver's licence. However, NHRA (not the highway patrol) regulates its activities. In reverse, NHRA has no authority to regulate highway traffic....

 

[SleepyC]

The problem with multi rotors (and I LOVE THEM) is that they work and work well. When smaller companies made and sold RC airplanes they usually sucked, or required more skill than the average schmuck could muster to do any damage with the thing.

Now any knob with $100 can have something that if they can figure out how to charge the battery will successfully go into the air. This is why they are in the media so much. When you allow the common schmuck to successfully fly something, you are going to see more of them.

The AMA has to do what they can to throw up flags saying “YO come here first”. But unfortunately as Tony pointed out, most of the new small Multi buyers could care less about the hobby or the AMA. They have no interest in a club they just heard about “drones” and wanted one.

Not sure what we can do as a hobby, except keep doing what we are doing. There is simply too much going on for anyone to ignore multi’s or not accept them. The sUAS industry is estimated to be at around $14.5 Billion dollars in the US by 2020. And wit5h that much money on the table, guess who is always going to win?

I’m working with an organization to hopefully request an exemption for my commercial operations, it’s a REAL PIA and there are 10,000 hoops to jump through... but guess who teh 6 companies who got exemptions work for... the MOVIE STUDIOS! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$ always wins. And 99% of the world could care less about $5000 airplanes.

So I’d say don’t get arrogant or mad, just keep flying safely at fields and events and do what everyone has done for 70 years.

 

[SleepyC]

Also....

From DJI:

We have found out the cause of these cases.
Not a pilot error. It is a bug relative to the IMU.
We will release a safety guide on this.
In general, check the IMU data which the MOD of the accelerometer should be about 1.00 with 0.01 tolerance. Otherwise calibration needed.

New firmware is under testing and will be released soon to fix the bug.
Sorry for that.


Well at least they said “sorry!”

 

[CatalinaWOW]

The multi-rotors are easier to fly out of the box than those things that came before. But that isn't the only problem. I learned to fly outside the auspices of the AMA and clubs. I am sure that many, many others did also. And our wildly out of control learning attempts were probably as dangerous as many of the imprudently flown multi-rotors. In retrospect, a club and the AMA would have been better choices. But as human beings we are all pretty good at making bad choices from time to time.

Another problem is something that has changed other than the technology for flying. When we were growing up, when Johnny did something stupid people shook their heads and it was dealt with by time behind the woodshed or some other informal process. Didn't matter whether it was making matchstick bombs, racing down main street, painting the water tower or whatever. Now be have a society intolerant of any risk, with national reporting of everything that happens, and a large contingent of lawyers, bureaucrats and legislators waiting to "fix" problems by writing something down on a piece of paper.