Waiting for Congress to act
At the time this article was written, AMA was waiting for the House to pass its version of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, titled the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act. The House preserves our voluntary, community-based approach to managing the model aviation community.
The House bill also provides a clear definition of a community-based organization and tasks the FAA with developing a process for recognizing such organizations, both long-overdue tasks for the agency. Additionally, the bill expands protections to allow model aircraft to be used as a teaching tool for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) initiatives, as well as aeronautics.
After the House version passes, it will join the Senate version, SB 2568, and head to the Conference Committee. In the Conference Committee, the bill might undergo a new round of revisions and changes.
Eventually the bill will go to another vote in the House and Senate and will then be signed into law by the president. Please continue to monitor your email, www.modelaircraft.org/gov, and information from your club(s). We might ask for your help in shaping this legislation.
Education
AMA applauds the FAA for making it clear that students can use UAS, including model aircraft, for educational purposes. For years, model aircraft have been used as an aid to teach STEM education without burdensome requirements on teachers and students.
In recent years, AMA advocated that new regulations for sUAS not encumber this important educational process and, most recently, asked Congress to clarify educational use in the next FAA reauthorization bill.
The AMA strongly believes that model aircraft serve as aviation’s stepping stone. The late Neil Armstrong, as well
as aviation pioneer Burt Rutan and astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson—both of whom are lifelong AMA members—are just a few examples of this promising career path. We have no doubt that STEM education programs across the country will benefit from improved access to this technology.
Additionally, we are pleased that the FAA has announced a new drone advisory committee to work on UAS integration alongside the agency. Because AMA participated in both the UAS registration task force and the Micro UAS aviation rulemaking committee, we understand the need for a diverse set of voices to advise the agency. We believe it is critical for the hobby community to be well represented. We look forward to continuing our work with all of the stakeholders to ensure the safety of our skies.
FAA drone sightings report
In March of this year, the FAA released a new list of 582 “drone sightings” covering the period of August 21, 2015, through January 31, 2016. This new data followed the release of 764 sightings in August 2015, covering the period from November 13, 2014, to August 20, 2015.
We are pleased to see that the FAA more accurately characterized its recent drone data as “sightings” and “reports” rather than the more inflammatory terminology that was used last summer.
In a continued effort to better understand what’s occurring, and what role the AMA could play to help advance safe flying, AMA analyzed the 582 new records. Additionally, we looked at trends in all of the 1,364 reports made since November 2014.
Similar to our analysis with previous FAA reports, the majority of the reports are simply sightings. Many of the sightings seem to involve people flying responsibly and within the FAA’s current recreational guidelines. Other UAS or drone sightings in the report appear to be birds or balloons.
It is worth noting that, despite estimates that as many as a million drones were sold during the 2015 holiday season, the number of sightings actually decreased. Ongoing educational campaigns, including “Know Before You Fly,” AMA’s partnership with retailers such as Best Buy, and the FAA’s “No Drone Zone” initiative, appear to be having a positive impact—confirming that education, not regulation, is the best way to ensure safety in the airspace.
By the time this article is printed, we should have our complete analysis posted in our blogs and at www.modelaircraft.org/gov.
—Chad Budreau
chadb@modelaircraft.org
Public Relations & Government Affairs Director
