AMA News: View from HQ

comAs we enter the new year, we know it’s going to be a busy one for AMA.It’s almost a certainty that the long-awaited small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) will be released in 2013. From what we know now, that’s not likely to happen much before the latter part of the second quarter. However, there’s no guarantee that it will be released then.As many of you know, the NPRM is nearly two years past its original release date. Since that original date, the release of the NPRM had been delayed a number of times. And, in spite of what the public had been told about the certainty of the previous dates, the release hasn’t happened. The US Department of Transportation issues monthly reports concerning the progress of significant rulemakings. You can find these reports at www.dot.gov/regulations/report-on-significant-rulemakings. Once there, scroll down to Access the Report and click on the latest monthly report. AMA continuously monitors the status of the NPRM and will continue to keep its members updated.If you’ve been following the FAA sUAS regulatory process for the last five years, you know that the intent of creating proposed regulation is to ensure safety in the national airspace. However, a new challenge that recreational model aviation may face has emerged. In approximately the last six months, the media, the public, and even Congress have been debating privacy issues involving sUAS. By the end of 2012, there were approximately eleven bills or amendments introduced in Congress addressing privacy and civil liberties issues raised by the advent of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the United States. Although most of the legislative proposals address the use of unmanned aircraft by government entities for surveillance purposes, all limit the use of sUAS to some extent. In addition to the actions of Congress, public resistance, and that of organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, opposition to the use of unmanned aircraft for any type of surveillance is expected to grow in 2013. How does all of this affect recreational model aviation? For years, modelers have enjoyed using model aircraft to take pictures from the air for personal use. We’ve all seen pictures of our fields taken from an RC model flying overhead. However, in some cases, the public sees little difference between what we do and that of commercial, public-use UAS conducted for law enforcement surveillance or for commercial use such as taking pictures for real estate. That line gets further grayed when we see video taken by someone flying above a neighbor’s backyard, invading the neighbor’s privacy, and taking still pictures or video without the neighbor’s permission.Our best bet is to always remember that what we do as aeromodelers can be interpreted in different ways by different people. We should all consider how our actions will impact the decision makers and those who are involved in the regulatory process. The goal of all of us should be to do our best to make sure that recreational model aviation doesn’t get caught up in the black hole of regulation intended primarily for commercial, public-use sUAS. The AMA Foundation is on track to officially launch sometime in the first quarter of 2013. The primary purpose of the foundation is to help manage an endowment that will support AMA programs including the Charles H. Grant Scholarship Program and support for the National Model Aviation Museum. AMA is fortunate to have thousands of members who donate to help support AMA programs each year. The foundation will manage these donations to help grow the endowment as permanent funds in which the principal is preserved and invested. Earned returns are then distributed to support AMA programs in perpetuity (programs that are now supported by membership dues). More information on the AMA Foundation is available by calling AMA Public Relations and Development Director Chris Brooks at (765) 287-1256, ext. 276. Congratulations to newly elected AMA vice presidents Randy Cameron, District VI, and Mark Johnston, District VIII. I have had the opportunity to meet both Randy and Mark and I believe they will be fine additions to the AMA Executive Council.And, finally, thank you to outgoing vice presidents Charlie Bauer and Jim Rice. Both have invested thousands of hours in support of AMA and its membership. Although they may no longer be representing their district membership on the Executive Council, both have offered their continued support to AMA President Bob Brown in helping the organization in any way they can.See you next time!