Michael

Rollins

, Virginia Beach

, Virginia

, United States

Posted on
2020-02-20 21:37:25
“I started flying in 2016. FPV flying quickly became my primary hobby. It led me into other disciplines, such as electronics, photography, videography and video editing. In the intervening years I have helped several local schools with their STEM programs w/re to electronics, flight and signals. I eventually brought my oldest two children into it. They have now learned the basics of electricity and electronics, how to solder and build their own equipment, how to fly, under what conditions they should avoid flying, how to manage their own equipment and many other skills that they will never touch in the curriculum at school. In the last year I have started a small business with a focus on FPV flying. I now make on average $300 to $600 per month off of this business. It is a good source of income that allows our family to do extra things we would otherwise not be able to do. I would ultimately like to make this into a full-time business for myself. As a small business owner having my own business, which I control and which I get to make the decisions on is empowering. If the FAA regulations pass, my children will miss out on further education in all of the skills I mentioned above, as well as the opportunity to excel at something unusual. If you’ve ever had pre-teen and teenaged children, then you know that having something that sets them apart is a valuable tool to teach them they have immense worth. If the FAA regulations pass, I will ultimately have to shutter my nascent business. The FAA regulations will put an extraordinary damper on the businesses that have sprung up around FPV. It will stifle innovation in a field that America needs to lead in. It will destroy the opportunity for the children that come behind us to learn the joys of flight and being free in the sky. Finally, I would like to address the mental health and chronic pain impact that FPV flight has. For those of us with either mental health issues or chronic pain FPV represents a cessation of our symptoms not just during flight but for a short time afterwards. While I have not seen any studies done yet, anecdotally I have heard the same story from many, many people: “I suffer from (mental health/chronic pain) issues. When I fly FPV they go away completely for 2 minutes at a time (the time it takes for a complete flight with FPV aircraft). As I land, the issue stays at bay for a while. If I have 8 or more batteries available I can be free of my issue for more than an hour.” This nation has both a mental illness problem and an opioid crises that has grown out of the need to treat chronic pain. Why would we take away a coping tool from the very people that may need it the most?”