District I — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
High-profile incidents involving sUAS/drones/model aircraft in recent months have prompted a new wave of legislation introduced in New England. I have received calls and emails from AMA members concerned about the status of bills that, if passed, would prevent or severely restrict model aircraft flying.
Bills tracked
- Rhode Island: H5293, H5292, H5453
- Connecticut: HB5380, SB797, SB971, SB974
- New Hampshire: HB602, SB222
- Maine: HB482
- Vermont: HB302, SB18
Proposed bills in Massachusetts have died in chamber.
Most of the legislation deals with privacy restrictions and warrant requirements for state law enforcement and public agencies. Other bills establish task forces to study drones or create standards and penalties for drone operations.
New Hampshire — HB602
On February 6, 2015, I was contacted by Jay Francis, secretary of the Granite Quiet Flyers in New Hampshire, regarding HB602, which would regulate the use of drones by government agencies and individuals.
Section 644-A:4 Airport Prohibition states, “No government or person shall operate a drone at an altitude below 400 feet within 5 miles of any airport in this state.” Jay created a map of all the airports in New Hampshire and I compared GPS locations of AMA-chartered flying sites to determine that nine of 29 sites in the state would be closed. Losing a third of the state’s flying sites is unacceptable.
Actions taken:
- Wrote individual letters to all the bill’s sponsors and to members of the Executive Departments and Administration Committee providing reasons for opposition to the airport prohibition.
- Explained that the affected clubs had been flying at these sites for years without incidents endangering people, property, or manned-aircraft operations.
- Described how several hundred of the more than 2,450 AMA clubs nationwide operate within 5 miles of an airport and are longstanding, responsible tenants who protect and maintain their site areas.
- Noted that airport managers and security personnel have reported that the presence of AMA clubs deters careless or reckless operators and provides places for newcomers to learn safe flying in accordance with AMA’s Safety Code.
AMA’s approach to safety has been “educate before you regulate.” The letters described how AMA works collaboratively with the FAA to evolve safety standards and mitigate risks as new technologies emerge. Because AMA members have maintained an excellent safety record, model aviation regulations for AMA (a community-based organization) were exempted from FAA regulation and signed into law on February 14, 2012, as Public Law 112-95, section 336(c).
The letter urged legislators to allow AMA clubs and members to operate as Congress provided in the exemption criteria for model aircraft by amending HB602 to include the following exclusion provision: “Nothing in this bill may be construed to apply to model aircraft as defined in section 336(c) of the Modernization and Reform Act of 2012.”
Several days later we heard that the bill would not move forward and would be retained by the committee for further study until January 2016. This was a win for AMA clubs in New Hampshire that resulted from the combined efforts of AMA members who joined Jay and me to speak to New Hampshire legislators.
Rhode Island — H5453
Rhode Island’s H5453 is the most troublesome because it creates registration requirements and restricts locations for flying near airports, public buildings, and schools. Letters of opposition have been sent to all of the legislators. I will let you know how things turn out.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
