“I have always wanted to fly, pursuing manned flight lessons 15 years ago. Gas planes and helicopters were price inhibitive and hard to get information and flying help on. Later with the onset of electric and small craft I had some small hobby and toygrade helicopters and a plane. Then about 7 years ago I really started paying attention and through a little YouTube channel called Flitetest (you know who you are) I started coming back around into getting more seriously into the hobby. 6 years ago I started building quadcopters and tricopters, bought FPV gear and moving onto fixed wing and have found a draw and passion to taking to the skies. I help others get into the hobby and try organizing get togethers and events whenever possible. It is something that my 6 year old daughter wants to do. It is something I want to get my nieces and nephews excited about. Since the FAA first brought their attention to reviewing model aircraft regulation and the medias constant feed of potential (yet non-existent or documented) danger in the skies, it has been a hard subject to win over with people who have only what they have seen in the media as a representation. That made it hard enough to be confronted and made to feel that we are involved in some illicit activity when my friends and I are just trying to fly formations and chase each other. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to be involved with a group that’s goal was to break and set the Guinness World Record for highest radio controlled flight. We flew form Spaceport America and had FAA exemption, FAA certification for the aircraft, everything in place, yet gaining attention and backing for the mission was hard because of peoples current views on RC flight, specifically because the views on flight have been tainted by recent bad press. I also cannot help but feel that since there have been no actual events that have proven flying rc unsafe that it is a way to clear out hobbyists for the great Amazon and Google delivery experiment. I would just like for flight and the love of flight to be allowed the freedoms it always has been allowed, or I fear innovation will be left no longer to the children, the dreamers, but left to entities with lobbying power to sway a government entity. I understand that there should be more education and knowledge available, but with no way left to fly for fun and sport that where will our youth have access to it.”