VIEW FROM HQ - 2012/05

134 Model Aviation MAY 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
ama news ama news ama news ama news ama news ama news ama news ama news ama news ama news
It looks as though
the FAA Notice
of Proposed
Rulemaking
(NPRM) pertaining
to regulations for
the operation of
small unmanned
aircraft systems
(sUAS) in the
National Air Space (NAS) has been
pushed back yet again. The release
date for the NPRM has slipped several
times since it was originally set to be
published in 2010.
The last date the FAA established for
its release was late April or early May
2012. It now appears that we may not
see the NPRM until at least sometime
in the later part of July 2012.
As the process evolves, we’re asking
all of our members to continue to be
vigilant and stay informed about the
progress of the rulemaking effort.
The release of the NPRM will trigger
a 90-day public-comment period
where all US citizens are afforded the
opportunity to respond to the proposed
rule.
AMA will immediately petition
for at least one 30-day extension to
the comment period. After we have
had an opportunity to see and review
the proposal, we will be drafting our
response. We will also ask our members
to review and submit their responses to
the proposed regulations.
Your responses to the NPRM must
be specific. Simply objecting to the
stipulations in the proposal will carry
little weight. An appropriate response
should point out what you believe to be
a flaw in the rule, why you believe it is
flawed, and offer an alternative solution
that will address the specific concern of
that particular stipulation.
The FAA is required by law to read
and reply to every response it receives.
We have been assured by the staff of
the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Program
Office (UAPO) that this will be done.
Many of you know, from following
the regulatory process, that the primary
UAPO staff members interfacing with
AMA during the last approximately 18
months have been James Sizemore and
Lynn Spencer.
Lynn came onboard in 2010 at a time
when things were not going as smoothly
as we had hoped. Lynn’s presence
quickly resulted in an improvement.
With her guidance, we again began to
make progress in refining our guidelines
that, when completed, will serve as the
improved foundation for AMA’s safety
program.
Lynn has recently transitioned to
another department within the FAA
and will no longer be working with
AMA in her role with the UAPO. It’s
safe to say that Lynn and AMA were
not always in agreement about the
issues, but there was a professional level
of respect she always exhibited in every
discussion.
I think everyone who had an
opportunity to work with her would
say that she was an asset to the effort.
We wish her the best of luck in her new
role.
Responses to the recent changes to the
AMA website have been extremely
positive. The big change on the
homepage is the new section that
features current news about AMA, our
members and clubs, as well as items of
interest from the modeling community.
New items are added nearly every
day, making the AMA website a good
resource to keep abreast of things
happening in the world of model
aviation. If you haven’t visited in a
while, stop by www.modelaircraft.org
and take a look.
A number of AMA officers and staff
attended the recent annual Westchester
Radio AeroModelers (WRAM) Show.
The new venue at the Meadowlands
Exposition Center in Secaucus, New
Jersey, was a huge improvement over
where the show was previously held in
Westchester, New York.
The attendance all three days seemed
higher compared with previous years.
Saturday was packed and nearly
everyone who stopped by the AMA
booth had good things to say about the
show. Most vendors indicated that it
was a successful show for them as well.
January’s AMA Expo in Ontario,
California, had similar results.
Attendance again set a record for the
second time in three years.
The real test will come in Toledo
when the Toledo Weak Signals hosts its
annual trade show (which will be over
by the time this issue of MA reaches
you), but if the trend continues it might
be a good sign that model aviation is
beginning to dig its way out of what
has been a weak economy for the last
several years.
As we have done for the last several
years, the AMA will hold its general
membership meeting at the annual
Joe Nall Fly-In in Woodruff, South
Carolina. The meeting will be Thursday
night, May 17, 2012, beginning at 6:30
p.m. in front of the main hangar.
This is a great opportunity for
members to meet with AMA leadership
and discuss important issues facing
model aviation. As in the past, we will
have a cookout immediately following
the meeting and all members and their
families are invited. Hope to see you
there!
See you next time.
Your responses to the NPRM must
be specifi c
AMNAews
Announcements, news, and information from the Academy of
Model Aeronautics and the elected district representatives
davem@modelaircraft .org
VIEW FROM HQ by Dave Mathewson, AMA Executive Director