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Alert! CALL TO ACTION: FAA threatening new regulations!!!

-Rick-

100cc
Snoop. I have telemetry in a few planes for height. I have reasonably good eyesight, not prefect but good. If you take something like a funcub to 400 feet you will have a hard time controlling it. For fun last year I took my 70cc Vertigo up to 700 feet, only reason I could fly it up there was because I was controlling it and knew what I was doing on the sticks. ( It was fun bringing it back down, 25 inverted flat spins )
 

AKNick

640cc Uber Pimp
Snoop. I have telemetry in a few planes for height. I have reasonably good eyesight, not prefect but good. If you take something like a funcub to 400 feet you will have a hard time controlling it. For fun last year I took my 70cc Vertigo up to 700 feet, only reason I could fly it up there was because I was controlling it and knew what I was doing on the sticks. ( It was fun bringing it back down, 25 inverted flat spins )
Ok I agree the 400 ft is joke. But let’s face it who is going to be able to measure that. Small plane flying around in 3 dimensions there is not and instrument that can lock on and do all the math to figure that. Only if you are with in the airspace of a major air port with radar. And you need to be with in 3 miles and fly a lot higher than 400 ft for it to pick you up.

Only if it's reported by a manned aircraft operating at the same altitude or lower. Or picked up by radar... but then you are way to close to controlled airspace.
I flew a 1.5m F5K glider up to 300ft to an active thermal (birds were in it) turned the motor off, and continued to climb to just over 1,000 feet. It was very hard to see with mostly blue skies (the rudder is hi-viz glass covered foam core so it's a beacon on sunny days). I was using a futaba pressure altitude sensor. 600feet in a 1.5m glider is more than enough for fun. I normally hand launch to 130ft on average, if I ever get to 400 it's a great flight, 600 it's a long ways off... now my 35-70cc planes can break 400 in a few seconds from ground level (Futaba GPS sensor). 400 is low with a big plane. Mind you where I normally fly has spruce trees 100+feet agl... The 400' was an advisory due to the fact that aviation guidelines want planes to normally fly at a minimum altitude of 500ft in rural areas or 1,000ft in urban areas for safety. (FAR) Part 91.119
So in theory there is a 100ft separation with model airplanes and manned aircraft. When this was adopted into law for uncontrolled airspace it made me quite angry.
It's entirely possible to get your/our FRIA's amended to a higher altitude provided a FAA risk and safety assessment is performed. I think 750feet should be the most reasonable although the glider guys would disagree.
I just so happen to have a very good friend of mine who is in a drone department with an enforcement agency. No body cares unless there is an official report and violation with data. He mentioned there is a guy down in the states who flies his drone around commercial airlines (yikes right!?) and has been caught, and fined... but refused to pay the fine, and he's still doing it. The fact is they cannot do much of anything (yet) But its jerks like that who are ruining it for us obviously.
Here's to hoping model aviation's safety record will help create FRIA's that will allow a higher and safe altitude cap. It's hard to watch corporate greed and blanket regulations destroy the hobby we've known for so long.
 

AKNick

640cc Uber Pimp
From social media, a post not from me but very informative.


“Please be vigilant when it comes to keeping the hobby going, today this dropped on all MAAC members north of the boarder. It sucks to say the least, my field in Kelowna may never be used again and there is currently nothing we can do about it. The following is why we need to have open minded leaders in the hobby who will work to keep it a hobby.

February 25, 2023
Dear Member, In the January 23 eBlast, we outlined a plan to reauthorize outdoor flying that was suspended in December on a site-by-site basis. By January 31, we had reauthorized over fifty sites. A few days later, on February 3, Transport Canada called a special meeting with MAAC’s Transport Canada Advisory Group and senior management. At that meeting, we were advised that our Exemption from Part IX of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CAR) is no longer in effect due to breaches of exemption condition 3, sanctioning fields in controlled airspace without the required written agreements. Transport Canada indicated that the written notification would be sent to us and initially asked us to wait until it was issued before making any MAAC-internal announcement. They also recognized that our recently reauthorized members might continue flying until MAAC was notified. Because of ongoing delays in processing the Transport Canada notification, we reached an agreement with them this week to notify our members. Effective immediately, all MAAC members operating Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) must comply with all Canadian Aviation Regulations, including CAR Part IX. Since the February 3 call, MAAC and Transport Canada have been actively engaged in ongoing discussions to ensure our members can again enjoy the hobby responsibly under a new exemption. We are also working on ways to make life under Part IX as easy and flexible as possible for the members. More information on legally flying RPAS in Canada can be found on the Transport Canada ‘Flying your drone1 safely and legally’ webpage. What does this mean? 1. All MAAC members flying Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) outdoors must now have a minimum of a Basic Pilot certificate and comply with all Canadian Aviation Regulations, including CAR Part IX regulations. 2. MAAC RPAS sites that are either indoor or have been issued a Site Operating Certificate may continue to fly. All outdoor operations must comply with all Transport Canada CAR Part IX regulations. New Site operating certificates will be issued reflecting Part IX restrictions. 3. Altitudes are limited to 400 feet above ground level (AGL), and higher altitude limits on either a Site Operating Certificate issued this year or on Altitude Waivers issued last year are rescinded. MPPD-15 Altitude Limit Policy is withdrawn. 4. Where RPAS flying can happen, so can events. We are still assessing what changes might be needed for fun-flys and contests, and we will ensure that club executives are fully informed as soon as possible. 5. International RPAS operators are now required to obtain an RPAS Basic Pilot certificate and obtain a Transport Canada Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) to operate an RPAS in Canada. 1 The Canadian Aviation Regulations is a legal document that only uses the term RPAS and does not use ‘drone’. The Transport Canada web site uses the word ‘drone’ in many of its pages and subsites. These terms are equivalent for MAAC purposes. Loss of TC Exemption from CARs Part IX 2 | Page Model Aeronautics Association of Canada MD2302130649E Operational Impacts The Safety and Transport Canada Advisory Groups are working with the board of directors to determine how and in what sequence we can release MAAC outdoor flying sites for operations under CAR Part IX. We are working on getting an announcement out on this in the coming weeks. The fifty or so outdoor RPAS sites that have been granted a Site Operating Certificate for the resumption of operations must comply with all Transport Canada CAR Part IX regulations, which means that pilots must be able to produce an RPAS Pilot Certificate, be limited to operating below 400 feet above the ground, be able to display a TC issued registration number on their RPAS and produce the certificate of registration, use and maintain a ‘Flight’ and a ‘Maintenance’ log for all parts of the RPAS – this includes the RPA (model) and the ground station (transmitter). For sites in NAV CANADA controlled airspace, it is unlikely we will be able to resume traditional RPAS flying in 2023. Military airspace remains an unknown at this time. While MAAC and the regulators and controlling agencies want to work towards allowing safe operations in controlled airspace in the future, those clubs should consider non-RPAS activities for the season and/or start searching for new sites in uncontrolled airspace. Insurance coverage for members, clubs, and field owners continues to be in force for all operations, provided you comply with all CAR Part IX regulations, where applicable, and the MAAC Safety Code. While we work on reconciling the MAAC Safety Code to reflect needed changes, any and all references to our Exemption NCR-011-2019 are no longer valid. You will notice that many Safety documents have been temporarily removed from the maac.ca site. Getting your Drone Pilot Certificate The Transport Canada website has the current information on getting a drone pilot certificate as well as a link to their drone pilot study resources. Our experience shows that MAAC members should be able to get their Basic Drone Pilot Certificate with minimal review and studying. For the majority of MAAC activities, the Basic Certificate would be adequate. An Advanced Drone Pilot Certificate may open up more opportunities and flying locations but requires more general aviation knowledge as well as a practical flying test administered by a Transport Canada Authorized examiner. We are working with the RPAS Centre - a cross-Canada Part IX Compliant RPAS Training company - to provide discounted Part IX training to MAAC members who feel the need for more test preparation. RPAS Centre can also provide Advanced Certificate test preparation and flight tests at a discount to MAAC members . We hope to have more information on this soon. Loss of TC Exemption from CARs Part IX 3 | Page Model Aeronautics Association of Canada MD2302130649E Why did this happen? MAAC’s internal approval controls failed to identify that several flying sites were approved inside controlled airspace without an agreement with NAV CANADA. These approvals were in breach of our Exemption from the CAR Part IX regulations and in breach of an operating agreement we had with NAV CANADA. As a result of these breaches, Transport Canada considers our Exemption to be no longer in effect, and NAV CANADA has revoked our operating agreements. It is important to note that at no time did these administrative breaches result in incidents that put aviation safety or the safety of the public at risk. What is MAAC Doing About This? MAAC volunteers and staff are working to adapt our rules, procedures, and policies for member and club operations under CAR Part IX, and to develop Part IX-related support materials. We will also continue to advocate for our members with Transport Canada, NAV CANADA and Innovation, Science & Economic Development Canada. We apologize more information could not be released more quickly, however, this continues to be an extremely challenging, complicated, and dynamic situation to maneuver through. Transport Canada has asked that we handle all inquiries on this issue internally, so please contact your zone director with any questions so they can forward them appropriately. We will keep you advised of our work on your behalf. Sincerely, Mike Anderson President”
 

AKNick

640cc Uber Pimp
Yup, just got that email from MAAC. We are already talking about going private.

All because a zone director couldn't be bothered to do his job.

I wish I could swear here!!

Hate to say this is where the AMA is going as well. They do care about the hobby by working with the FAA to create a cute little name for themselves as a CBO in the regulations to be able to stay afloat. Obviously without this they wouldn't have been able to help create the opportunity as a means to orchestrate new and legacy fields with the FRIA process. All thanks to our membership fees...
Cannot help but think they have been fighting for themselves so they can switch gears and fight for us. I just hope it's not too late as once laws are written and passed; they are not so easily reversed by a minority.
I fear that in order to maintain a FRIA with a CBO such as AMA that their guidelines will become scrutinized rules through the FAA. Rules that kill legacy model aviation and divert young people getting involved.
FliteTest seems to be our best advocate, I hope that they grow and become as big or bigger than the AMA
 
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Snoopy1

640cc Uber Pimp
Yup, just got that email from MAAC. We are already talking about going private.

All because a zone director couldn't be bothered to do his job.

I wish I could swear here!!
Rick if you find a way to go private please let me know how. This has all become nuts, I am so mad if I did not have so much invested and like flying as much as I do I I would just chuck everything into the garbage .
 

-Rick-

100cc
I feel the same way snoop. This entire mess is Bull $h!t. We are looking into a private solution. I will keep you in the loop.
One problem for our club is we are 2.5nm from a airfield so our members would need to get the RPAS advanced. Not the basic.
 

-Rick-

100cc
Hate to say this is where the AMA is going as well. They do care about the hobby by working with the FAA to create a cute little name for themselves as a CBO in the regulations to be able to stay afloat. Obviously without this they wouldn't have been able to help create the opportunity as a means to orchestrate new and legacy fields with the FRIA process. All thanks to our membership fees...
Cannot help but think they have been fighting for themselves so they can switch gears and fight for us. I just hope it's not too late as once laws are written and passed; they are not so easily reversed by a minority.
I fear that in order to maintain a FRIA with a CBO such as AMA that their guidelines will become scrutinized rules through the FAA. Rules that kill legacy model aviation and divert young people getting involved.
FliteTest seems to be our best advocate, I hope that they grow and become as big or bigger than the AMA
And maybe they could replace MAAC in Canada as well.
 

AKNick

640cc Uber Pimp
I would imagine there is going to be a movement in Canada to step away from MAAC to another organization or become permitted privately. I've been reading a lot of posts on social media about this issue. My take home is the last 15years of leadership has reconstructed itself to a dictatorship that has disregarded the input of it's leadership board resulting in poorly made decisions including the stand to shut down all model airplane activities to show NAV Canada and TC that they are in control (which was not requested by either entity, thus an unprofessional and childish strong arm act). Doing so led to the self disclosure that their flying fields are in violation within restricted airspace (even though clubs were told to keep flying - but MAAC failed to file the necessary paperwork with NAV Canada). People are suggesting to ask for membership refunds for 2023 due to the fact that MAAC has failed their membership services by shutting down all model aircraft use in Canada. MAAC has failed it's members plain and simple.
If I was a Canadian right now I would be asking private entities about membership services and/or exceptions. MAAC's exception was temporarily pulled because of their stunt. TC has made it's rules and they are very stipulated, much like FAA safety's drone zone. There is so much gray areas that I cannot believe the disregard for traditional model aviation from both governments. Insanity... I feel so bad for our youth. They are breaking several LAWS just by wanting to fly a model airplane. This is so wrong and it disgusts me.

Heres a good recap on whats happenign in canada
 
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