“Flying has for me always been a way to connect with like minded people, and to de-stress emotionally and physically after a long week. For me and many others, flying our models at the local field or even a park is a way to escape the cares of the world, if even for a moment. At parks, it’s a way to connect with the younger generations and our community as a whole, since model planes are so much more exciting than many other hobbies out there. With the creation of such models as what DJI offers, it’s also been a way to bring in my passion for photography and find creative new angles to approach the world. I have gone through the 107 certifications, and have an active one, but regulating non commercial models of a hobby community so long standing and tightly knit is uncalled for governmental overreach. While there have been some bad examples that maybe put modelers in a bad light, I feel the FAA is approaching the coming possibility of drone deliveries from companies like FedEx and Amazon from the wrong angle. Rather than impose extra regulations on the general public, they should be imposed on the delivery companies, since they currently have no history of long range unaccompanied flights, safe or otherwise, whereas the modeling community has been striving to be as safe and compliant as they can. After all, we were flying first.”