President's Perspective - 2010/04

Model aviation has faced its share of
challenges throughout the years.
Urban sprawl threatening good,
established flying sites; the scrutiny that model
aviation, as well as a number of other activities,
came under after the attacks of 9/11; and the
decades-long battle to obtain and retain
frequencies set aside for aeromodeling are all
examples.
AMA has risen to each of these challenges
and continues to work diligently to ensure that
these types of potential threats to model
aviation remain minimal.
In the next few years, model aviation may
be facing its greatest challenge. The
proliferation of companies in the United States
developing small unmanned aircraft systems
(sUAS) has grown exponentially. The result of
these companies’ efforts to build sUAS for the
public-use commercial environment has
resulted in the FAA’s need to create regulations
governing how sUAS will interface with the
National Airspace System (NAS).
This regulatory process began in early 2008,
when the FAA acting administrator issued an
Executive Order creating an Aviation
Rulemaking Committee (ARC). The ARC
comprised more than 20 members, and AMA’s
government affairs representative was selected
to represent model aviation and the Academy.
The charge of the ARC, as outlined in the
Executive Order, was to draft recommendations
that would be used as a basis to regulate the use
of commercial sUAS in the NAS. Additionally,
in its only reference to model aviation, the order
instructed the ARC to “define a model aircraft.”
The ARC completed its work in March
2009 and submitted its recommendations to
the FAA. Despite the straightforward
directive established in the Executive Order,
the administrative interpretation and
execution of the order went well beyond
simply defining model aircraft. The ARC
report included recommendations that would
potentially regulate the operation of model
aircraft in the NAS.
President’s Perspective
AMA President Dave Mathewson
M
… model aviation may be facing its greatest challenge.
Mission Statement
The Academy of Model Aeronautics is a world-class association of modelers organized for the purpose of
promotion, development, education, advancement, and safeguarding of modeling activities.
The Academy provides leadership, organization, competition, communication, protection, representation,
recognition, education and scientific/technical development to modelers.
At the January 2010 AMA Executive
Council meeting in Muncie, Indiana, two
representatives from the FAA attended to
update the council on this ongoing process.
Attending were James Sizemore, acting
manager of the Unmanned Aircraft Program
Office (UAPO), and Steve Glowacki, who is
the sUAS rulemaking lead and also works out
of the UAPO. The men provided a lengthy
overview of where the regulatory effort stood
and then answered a number of questions from
council members.
James and Steve sincerely want to integrate
model aviation into the new regulations in a
way that will have a minimal impact on what
we do as model aviation enthusiasts. They have
a difficult job to do and it’s apparent that, in
some cases, there will be no easy answers.
However, a simple analogy that became
evident during their presentation was that we
may be trying to put the square peg of model
aviation into the round hole of trying to
regulate public-use commercial sUAS. This
approach won’t work. It could potentially harm
aeromodeling and have a damaging effect on a
larger-than-perceived industry that is part of
the model aviation community.
The primary visual flight rule under which
all aircraft, including model aircraft, operate in
the NAS is “see and avoid.” This premise has
worked well. Using this as our principal
guideline, model aviation has an impeccable
safety record. Based on the number of
estimated flight hours flown by model aviation
enthusiasts, model aviation is one of the safest,
if not the safest, activity that takes place in the
NAS.
So what has changed? What has occurred
that has now drawn attention to model
aviation—a purely recreational activity? The
answer is simple: public-use commercial
sUAS. However, there are some huge
differences between the two types of aircraft.
Those of us who enjoy flying model aircraft
do not fly them in the middle of large
metropolitan areas for the purpose of taking
pictures to sell to a real estate firm. We don’t
want to use our models as surveillance vehicles
as law enforcement wants to do. We don’t
want to use our models in any commercial
venture in order to generate an income.
There’s nothing wrong with doing any of
this. It’s just not what we do. We want to
operate our models within the confines of a
model aircraft flying field, whether that is at a
local park, a soccer field, or at a facility
established specifically for model flying. We
shouldn’t be affected by the collateral impact of
the FAA’s need to regulate commercial sUAS.
April 2010 5
There is one other glaring difference
between model aviation and commercial sUAS
and it comes back to “see and avoid.” Publicuse
commercial sUAS are generally
autonomous vehicles. They purposely do not
intend to operate using see-and-avoid
techniques. The best they may be able to do is
use “sense and avoid,” and that technology,
while close, is still being perfected. Even when
it is perfected, sense and avoid still will not
meet the standard set by see and avoid.
AMA agrees that modelers have an
obligation to operate safely in the NAS.
AMA’s safety guidelines have helped ensure
the excellent track record we currently have.
We will continue to work closely with the FAA
to ensure that model aviation remains a safe
activity, just as it has for more than the last
seven decades; however, the best way to do
that is to find a way to modify the round hole
so that it fits the square peg, not the other way
around.
As the regulatory process evolves, AMA
will continue to keep our membership updated
on its progress. For those who would like to
learn more, we have created a section
pertaining to this issue on the AMA Web site at
www.modelaircraft.org/news/ama-faa.aspx.
During the last two-plus years, AMA has done
much to improve its effort to advocate for our
members. We recently took another giant step
in that endeavor. AMA has engaged the
services of a political strategist in Washington
DC.
AMA, as a non-profit, member-based
organization, is allowed to lobby but needs to
work within some tight restrictions to maintain
its 501(c)3 status.
The firm that we have contracted comes
highly recommended and works for entities in
the aviation and communications industries.
This was important to AMA because much of
our efforts are placed in working with the FAA
and FCC. The relationship we’re building will
help position us in the legislative arena and
help address any legislative issues that could
impact model aviation in the future. MA
See you next time …
Dave Mathewson
AMA president
[email protected]
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