Dante

Cusolito

, Rochester

, Massachusetts

, United States

Posted on
2020-02-13 19:55:07
“Three years ago when I was 14, I was spending too much time on my phone (watching FT in fact) and my dad said that I needed to get a hobby. The obvious choice was RC, as I had cars and trucks prior, but had never built my own. I saved my allowance for months until I could buy a tiny trainer starter kit. I progressed in my flying ability, crashing the TT a multitude of times until it finally wore out. I then attempted to scratchbuild other minis, but the foam I used was too dense. I kept at it and finally built more and more planes. Over the past 3 years I have built probably close to 30 planes, most of my own design, rapidly prototyping by flying in my yard and my grandparents’ hay fields. I own a Mavic Mini, and have previously owned multiple inductrixes and a 2″ Blade FPV quad. I am now building my own first Multirotor the classic way- a KK2 Tricopter with hardware store parts. I have been affected by this hobby so much, that I intend to attend college for Aeronautical Engineering. I have been accepted to all 4 colleges that I applied to- WPI, RPI, Embry-Riddle, and Clarkson, in part due to lessons I learned through flight and building my own aircraft. I believe strongly that the FAA is making a grave mistake when proposing these regulations. My high school senior project is about the innovations that have been achieved by hobbyists, and the rift that Remote ID would create. I hope to educate my peers through this project and my tricopter, compared to my Mavic Mini, how far we have progressed from 2012, with David Windestal leading tricopter development, to 2020, where anyone can fly a drone from Best Buy. My project aims to highlight the advancements in tech that have been created by people in this great hobby. * * *”