District VI — Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri
Randy Cameron, Vice President
As I write this, it looks as though Mother Nature may allow a break in the cold weather and begin to warm up. But of course, as is normal in March, it will be windy. I hope everyone is wrapping up their winter projects and, by the time you read this, is out flying every chance they get.
Area events will be starting to get underway. Be sure to take lots of pictures and send them my way. I'll try to get them into my column.
Missouri House Bill 370 would have restricted all UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) from flying within 5 miles of any airport and would have prohibited flights above 300 feet. This would have severely restrained our hobby. Additionally, it would have made flying outside the prescribed parameters a Class D misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of at least $100 but not to exceed $500. Thank you to Dan Smith of Eldon, Missouri, for working with Representative Ken Wilson to have House Bill 370 withdrawn. Modelers in Missouri remain able to fly without these restrictions because Dan engaged with Representative Wilson and provided information showing that we already follow a set of safety rules provided by AMA, our community-based organization.
The next step for each state in the district may be to get the AMA recognized as a community-based organization that provides safety guidelines for recreational flying of model aircraft. This was recently accomplished in Alaska. I can see this plan benefitting modelers in every state.
February 7, 2015, was a great day to hold the Kansas City Radio Control (KCRC) Association's Swap and Shop. I think it was nearly 70°F. I was able to talk with many members from the area at the swap meet. Many people are concerned about drones or multirotor devices; some referred to them as toys and not a true form of modeling. Few were familiar with the Know Before You Fly campaign (knowbeforeyoufly.org). This is a joint effort between:
- AMA
- the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)
- the Small UAV Coalition
The FAA has approved it every step of the way. This is only one of the ways AMA is working cooperatively with the FAA to keep flying safe. Thanks to Duane Hulen and KCRC for putting on the event. It is the best swap meet in the western portion of District VI.
I was happy to award money to three clubs in the district through the Take Off And Grow (TAG) grant program. Each year $2,000 is available for each district to award to clubs. This is the first time in the three years I've been in office that we've had any applications. I understand this may be because the form was changed and is not as complicated to complete. It was my pleasure to distribute the entire $2,000 to deserving clubs this year. The clubs that received award money are:
- Kansas City Northern Knights
- Farm Friendly Flyers
- Louisville Area Soaring Society
At this time I am aware of only one Flying Site Improvement Grant request for our district. We have typically had more in the past. Check out the program (Document 712) at www.modelaircraft.org/documents and make plans to apply next year.
If you fly within five miles of any full-scale airport, please send me an email to let me know which airport and what your club sanction number is. I would like to have this data for our entire district.
Happy flying!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
