Bill S.223 passed Senate. AMA membership mandatory!

[dbcisco]

Senate passes bill requiring the flying of RC model aircraft to require AMA membership. If the House of Representatives passes it you will have to send a check to Muncie every year or not fly anything outdoors.
Contact your US Representative now.

"(g) Special Rule for Model Aircraft.--

(1) IN GENERAL.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law relating to the incorporation of unmanned aircraft systems into FAA plans and policies,, including this section, the Administrator shall not promulgate any
rules or regulations regarding model aircraft or aircraft being developed as model aircraft if such aircraft is--

(A) flown strictly for recreational, sport, competition, or academic purposes;

(B) operated in accordance with a community-based set of safety guidelines and within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization; and

(C) limited to not more than 55 pounds unless otherwise certified through a design, construction, inspection,

flight test, and operational safety program currently administered by a community-based organization.

(2) MODEL AIRCRAFT DEFINED.--For purposes of this subsection, the term ``model aircraft'' means a

nonhuman-carrying (unmanned) radio-controlled aircraft capable of sustained flight in the atmosphere, navigating

the airspace and flown within visual line-of-sight of the operator for the exclusive and intended use for sport,

recreation, competition, or academic purposes."

[SteveM]

Nothing about this requires AMA membership, though AMA membership would meet the requirements. I have yet to find a place I can fly without AMA membership so its really only putting ink to paper of the facts as they stand (though I don't care for the facts such as they are).

The only impact I can see for me is if someday I am fortunate enough to own enough land to fly on then no one is going to tell me I need anyone else's approval to fly, unless of course an NOTAM/TFR is issued like it was earlier today.

[dbcisco]

A few million RCers that are not part of the AMA's 140K current members are going to be forced to join.

"within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization"

"within" requires membership and the AMA is the only federally recognized "nationwide community-based organization"

Do you really think the AMA isn't going for the Billion Dollar money grab?
They kept this hush hush until it passed the Senate. Why do you think they did that?

[SteveM]

~140k people are in the AMA
~Millions need to be in a "nationwide community-based organization" similar to the AMA

You have two choices, the millions join the tiny AMA or they take their far greater collective numbers and create a new organization that puts the AMA out of business. I confident that strongly anti-AMA people such as yourself will be key in forming that alternative.

[dbcisco]

I am working on that contingeny.

Anyone interested in a $5 membership fee for a national CBO for model aviation?

[dbcisco]

The AMA is betting that millions will join the AMA.

[BillParker]

when they force me to make a choice, I ALWAYS pick the wrong one.

I ain't joining shit.

[dbcisco]

I am so ashamed to be a member of the AMA.
I hope there is a silent majority of members that find the current AMA board's activities despicable.
They were doing this all along and the AMA President and his lackies kept saying "We don't know much" and "We are bound by law to keep silent".
They could have let their members know this was happening long ago.
All they did was prove me right that they were lying through their teeth.
They are supposed to be working for all model aviation not just the AMA.
They ought to have their tax free status revoked. Instead they will have a billion tax free dollars instead of the current ten million.

Always ends up being about the money.

[ranarc]

Just wondering if this is happening all over the world. The AMA site of India is at http://www.amai.in/index.php. However, Aero Club of India seems to be the apex body in India. Their site http://www.aeroclubofindia.org/ is under construction.

Regards, Rana

[dbcisco]

It seems other some countries defer law making to private entities.
In the USA we prefer having people we can vote in or out of office laws, not a private club run by a few self electing amateurs.
The real issue is giving one group exemption from laws.

We had that once, it was called segregation.
I wonder if the AMA can deny membership based on relifion like the BSA does. Maybe they could deny by race too. They get to write their own laws so why not?

Make laws for everyone, don't give one special priviledges.
Does the NRA get exempted from gun laws?
How about letting the KKK be exempt from hate crime laws?
AAA members don't have to obey speed limits or pay tolls?

Complete discrimination is what is in this bill.

[dbcisco]

While this bill would turn over all recreational RC aircraft to the AMA, it leaves out Control Line, Tethered and freeflight recreational model aircraft.

Yes, those are all sUAS From the FAA:

"Unmanned Aircraft: An aircraft (as defined by 14 CFR 1.1) that is intended to navigate in the air without an onboard pilot.
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS): An unmanned aircraft and its associated elements related to flight operation which may include Control Stations, data communications links, support equipment, payloads, flight termination systems, and launch/recovery equipment."

That would make control line and freeflight subject to the FAA and if the FAA does not address them they could become illegal!

I know what you are all thing, "never going to happen".
Everyone thought the same thing a few years ago when I said the FAA was going to start regulating model aircraft, the AMA was going to try to make themselves the USA regulatory body with forced membership and the American modelers were in for a rude awakening.

Yup, I was crazy back then too, sadly I was also correct.

[dbcisco]

.... I confident that strongly anti-AMA people such as yourself will be key in forming that alternative.

I am not anti-AMA. I do think the people running it have run it far from what it was, and intended to be, a few decades ago.
It used to support all modelers, member or not. Now it is little more than a front for an insurance company IMHO.

I do have a contingency plan in the works though.

[uavdb]

The gov't can pound sand.

[cliffm]

I am one of the last people to support any gov'mt agency getting it's nose into our hobbies,please no, what a mess they could make of our so far undiluted sanctum. But, the first time someone uses an r.c. for a civilian delivery system of death or destruction that brings us into a negative public view we will be treated no less than a bunch of potential terrorists. This would bring a deluge of registration,background checks, licensing, and restictions to no end. Kiss away your mail-order delivery to the doorstep.

[dbcisco]

Based on the FAA/ARC document, the proposed regulations weren't that bad, unless you have a plane over 55# with a turbine engine flying over 100MPH at altitudes in excess of 400' in controlled airspace (1200' in class G airspace) and away from airports.
However, instead of makng sane regs for everyone , the AMA pushed for exemptions for themselves and threw everyone else under the bus.