“Flying connected my with my grandfather, a WWII pilot, as a child. He would take us flying when we visited. I joined the military as well and spent many birthdays and holidays deployed. I missed a lot of my kids lives when they were young. Getting into the hobby gave us a way to connect, learn about flight, and reconnect in ways that would be hard for a lot of people to understand. We would spend hours building our own planes from scratch, then taking them to the local school playground to have tons of laughs and generally just share quality time together. These times allowed me to share with my kids thoughts and insight into life, experiences, faith, and our futures. It helped me regain some of the lost time from when I served my country. We fly strictly small, lightweight electric planes and multi rotors. We are members of the AMA and fly safely at all times. The vast majority of hobbyists, and all those I’ve met, operate in a safe manner. There are a few people who do not-just watch YouTube and you’ll see them. Just as with criminal conduct, imposing regulations on those of us who operate safely will not deter those with no regard for others’ safety. Things that make sense to me: external ID #s on each aircraft, flying line of sight or with a spotter, flying within 400’ of the pilot station, not flying over crowds or in an unsafe manner. Violating them should subject you to a citation. Enforcing those citations is how you deter those who would fly otherwise. I also understand increased level of training/certification for those who want to fly beyond line of sight or use autonomous systems. We should encourage the innovative nature of the community while at the same time protecting public safety. Part 107 requirements for autonomous systems that are intended fly beyond Line of sight is sensible. Knowing and understanding the airspace is sensible. Filing flight requests via the online app to let people know you are operating a UAS using autonomous systems beyond line of sight makes perfect sense. With this technology comes an increases responsibility since you share the airspace with others and manned systems. Flying from a backyard, park, or school withIn a 400’ radius should have fewer restrictions because the pilots’ risk to others is so much smaller—much less so than driving a car on a public street. This country was founded on the principle that we are free, free to do what we like, within reason. I believe the general hobbyist who flies responsibly should be allowed to continue to do so. Please do not regulate the hobby that reconnected me to my sons away from law-abiding citizens. Sincerely, John Ayres, Lt Col, USAF (Retired) USAF Academy Class of 1993”