Martin

Shaffer

, Winter garden

, Florida

, United States

Posted on
2020-02-23 0:52:51
“I have been building and flying model aircraft for 33 years. In that time myself and thousands of other aviation enthusiasts have been safely integrated into the national airspace without the need of fixed flying sites, transponders, licenses, tests, regulations or registrations. As I recall over this same period of time there have been thousands of people killed by commercial and general aviation accidents. In addition billions of dollars in property damage and lawsuits. All of this occurred while the FAA made regulation after regulation to make the skys safe for travel. Safe to commercialize and monetize. These regulations were necessary to improve the aircraft and prevent the accidents that killed so many and cost so much. In the context of model aviation ask your self these questions, over the past 30 years how many people have been killed by model airplane accidents? How much were the costs of property damage and lawsuits caused by model airplane accidents. Does it make sense to apply the rules that parallel regulations crafted for full size aircraft to balsa wood, foam and paperboard airplanes? This hobby has been by far the safest form of aviation during the past 50 years by any standard without the need for intrusive regulations. Recognizing that these aircraft have been safely Integrated into the National airspace for 50 years without the need for intrusive regulations raises serious questions about the true intentions of the FAA. 1. Does the FAA really know so little about this hobby? 2.Why would the FAA not know after 50 years? 3.Do they know so little about the aircraft built and flown by hobbiests that they would apply large scale aircraft regulations to this hobby? 4. With the fact that in the the past 50 years of the hobby it has been the safest form of aviation, how could it suddenly become such a grave threat and to who or what is it a threat? That I suspect is the key question. Model aircraft being the safest form of aviation is only a threat, not to full size aircraft, but to commercialize drone use. The type of commercialized drone use proposed by Amazon, Uber, UPS and many other venture capitalists seeking to seize the airspace below 500ft for their own profitable use. I see The FAA as doing the bidding for these corporate entrepreneurs while purposefully ignoring the rights of the existing model aviation community. This raises is another very concerning question. What lobbyists or corporations have now forced the FAA to propose such unrealistic and ridiculous regulations on balsa wood, foam and paper board airplanes for the sake of monetizing commercial drone usage? So let’s be honest. If the FAA doesn’t know the details of an aviation hobby That has been around for 50 years that raises some startling concerns about their competency. If the FAA does understand the hobby and is trying to force it out of existence or into a neatly contained box for the purposes of clearing the air space for commercial drone flights, the FBI and congress will need to investigate corruption within the organization to determine the depth of the coercion. I have a simple solution. As long as those who fly model aviation aircraft are not interfering with the flights of man aircraft as they have for the past 50 years, Let the pilots govern themselves. They have a proven track record of being safer then any other form of aviation. In the context of “Drone technologies” require that the manufacturers of the drones sold within the United States not be allowed to fly above 400 feet AGL. Man aircraft are not allowed to fly below 800 feet AGL Unless on approach or takeoff within 1 mile of an airport. Beyond line of sight would be required to have a transponder for any aircraft. I would argue the point that the FAA has more pressing things to be concerned with. I was on a flight back from Washington and took a picture of an airplane passing under the aircraft that I was on. These did not appear to have proper separation in my opinion. Especially because both airplanes are traveling in excess of 500 miles an hour ,have hundreds if not thousands of gallons of aviation fuel and upwards of about 600 people combined in the air. Before trying to regulate out of existence the flights of model aircraft, the safest form of aviation developed my man, stop these kind of things from happening so no one else has to die by accident. Attached you will find a picture of a real threat to a commercial aviation . Not a model aircraft. Model aviation enthusiast are not stupid and we see this for what it is. A power grab for an air space that we have been using for 50 years. We demand the FAA to protect our rights. Thank you”