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So, where do model
airplanes fit into all
of this?
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Anyone
who has been listening to the news on the radio, watching it
on television, or reading the newspaper during the last year
or so is aware of the recent effort that has been taking
place in research and development in the small unmanned
aircraft system (sUAS) arena. UAS is the latest abbreviation
that has replaced the better-recognized UAV which stands for
unmanned aerial vehicle. The change, which I'll explain
shortly, is small yet important.
The unprecedented increase in involvement from military and
commercial entities entering the sUAS market triggered the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to commission an
Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to address its concerns.
The purpose of the ARC is to provide a regulatory basis for
the operation of sUASs in the National Airspace System
(NAS). The ARC comprises roughly 20 members from throughout
the sUAS community, representatives of the military, several
commercial entities, the US Department of Defense, the US
Department of Justice, and FAA Air Traffic.
Additionally, there are several associations with seats at
the table including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association (AOPA), the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA),
the Remote Control Aerial Photography Association (RCAPA),
the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI),
the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP),
the Helicopter Association International (HAI), and the
Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA).
The FAA has made it clear that it controls everything that
flies in the NAS. This includes sUASs which, by their very
nature, include model airplanes. And this brings me back to
the abbreviations.
The abbreviation was changed from UAV to UAS because the
scope of UAV limits the focus to the airborne vehicle only;
UAS expands that focus to cover the entire system including
the airborne vehicle, the ground-based control systems
(including the radio link), and even the human element,
which typically includes the pilot, observer, and ground
personnel used to launch and recover many of these sUASs.
So, where do model airplanes fit into all of this? It's
become clear that there will eventually be some changes to
the way things operate in the NAS. These changes will likely
have at least some minimal impact on model airplanes.
Our primary goal right now is to differentiate between what
we do as model aviation enthusiasts and the military and
commercial-type sUASs that I believe the FAA is most
interested in; however, we intend to work closely with the
FAA to help find reasonable solutions for any concerns they
may have. This will be done initially as part of our
involvement on the ARC.
The ARC is currently identifying all of the safety issues of
sUAS activity in the NAS. When the committee believes it has
identified these concerns, the members will work to draft
recommendations to address the matters. The recommendations
will be sent to the FAA for final consideration and
implementation.
Rich Hanson, our Government and Regulatory Affairs
Representative, is our voice on the ARC. Additionally, Rich
is chairperson of the model-aviation workgroup. In his
position he's working to make sure that members of the ARC
have a good understanding of model aviation and how it
differs from military or commercial sUASs.
Two of the ARC workgroups, including representatives from
most of the entities I mentioned earlier, met for three days
at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, in early September.
On the first day, the ARC's sUAS Operations workgroup met;
days two and three focused on specific issues with which
Rich's Model Aircraft workgroup is dealing.
This provided a great opportunity for any members of the
group who lacked true modeling experience. They had the
opportunity to get a firsthand look at what we do as
modelers and then be able to compare that with some of the
other types of sUASs that the ARC is involved with.
As a bonus, after the second full day of meetings, we took
members of the workgroup out on-site and put several of them
on a buddy box. From comments made the next morning, it
appears we may have created a couple of new modelers.
In my last column I mentioned the AMA election process.
Members have from the time they receive their
ballots—generally mid to late September—until the first week
in November to vote for the candidate of their choice. This
means, of course, that if you're reading this and haven't
voted yet, it's likely you still have time.
One of the modifications we made this year to try to improve
the voter response was to include ballots with membership
renewal notices. This allowed us to include campaign
statements in the mailing. The other big change is that the
ballots are postage-paid and won't require a stamp.
If you have not yet taken the opportunity to vote, please
consider reviewing the statements of the candidates and vote
for the one you best feel can help our association and
aeromodeling move in the direction you feel it should go. MASee you next time ...
Dave Mathewson, AMA president
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