“I am 59 years old and I fell in love with aviation when I immigrated to the United States at the age of 6. My first flight was on a Douglas DC-6, my family was being exiled from our homeland in Cuba and flown to Florida. We were forced to leave our homeland because of the Totalitarian Communist Castro regime. On our flight to exile, I sat on a window seat and marveled at how effortless, but loud our assent to the heavens was in that metal tube. My life was forever impacted with a love for aviation. I was blessed to have a father that encouraged and fed my passion. He worked two jobs for us to make enough to have a decent life. As a child, he bought me and I built hundreds of plastic model airplanes. When I was 8 years old, my father would take me to the local RC field and we would watch in amazement all the airplanes and their incredible acrobatic maneuvers. For my 9thbirthday, I begged for my first model RC Airplane. My father took me to the local hobby shop and bought me my first RC plane. It was a Falcon 56 from Goldberg designs and my father and I put it together. I learned to fly RC and my passion for aerodynamics and flight grew further. I went on to study Aerospace Engineering at (ERAU) Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, became a licensed pilot and have been building and flying RC Airplanes (since I was 9 years old), Helicopters (since my early 20’s) and FPV Quads for the last 5 years. Aviation is my profession, my livelihood and a passion; model aviation is my hobby and emotionally has always carried me through the most difficult and trying times in my life and has always been my safe heaven. It provides me pleasure and a sense of accomplishment like no other, I design and manufacture (I have a CNC machine and 3d printers) aircraft, helicopters and FPV quads solely for my use, I do not sell or use my hobby or skills for commercial gain. The changes which the FAA wants to impose would be life changing for me and many others like me. I believe the FAA should apply their resources and efforts solely to Commercial Drone Operators. The large multi-national firms that enter the commercial drone sector, should respect and understand that they are sharing the airspace and cannot own it, or restrict law-abiding citizens from their recreational enjoyment. It is sad, that politicians and financial interests are attempting through the FAA and their lobbyists to impose radical measures practically destroying the hobby while hiding behind “safety concerns” without any supporting data. It is an attempt focused on benefitting a few entering the commercial drone industry at the expense of the hobbyist. A. Mason”