“I fly almost exclusively racing drones/quads. FPV flight (in a manually controlled device) is like the realisation of the futuristic dream I had as a child to be able to fly, and experience the world in a new dimension. The technology appeals to me strongly, combining mechanical engineering, computer science and electronics all in one package. The racing and competition side to the hobby/sport has become a part of my identity, the social bonds we have developed within our club and with other clubs cannot be replaced. Educating new people into the sport is a passion of mine with both young and old people fascinated and eager to get involved and learn. The community is an overall positive one on the ground/ in person, and I am constantly told by new or prospective members that this is the most supportive community they have encountered when new to a sport, referencing snobbery and self interest in other RC sports. We have come a long way in 3-4 years, with much of the hard work and effort of development done by volunteers and enthusiasts. I dont think commercial RnD would have been economically feasible before the contribution of the hobby, and the continued development of technologies we use will not be viable in a tightly restricted setting. Volunteers will not apply for special permits and exemptions for testing of new software features, companies putting money into potential future hardware and video systems will not be able to justify the risk on investment if there is uncertainty of the market existing in 2 years time. The new developments and technologies will only make the space safer, and easier to behave safely. Those who indend to deliberatley flaunt the rules will always do so regardless of a tougher rule, and will drive the legitimate influences out of the hobby in favour of a ‘underground’ scene, like tagging and city skaters. It will become part of the culture to push extremes of breaking the rules. It is far more crucial to educate than regulate, on both sides of the argument. It seems many of these rule sets around the world are still targeted at the ‘smart’ or gps controlled systems yet blanket the manual controlled ones, while having a completely different effect on the ability to continue operating them.”