Steve

Bass

, United Kingdom

Posted on
2020-02-22 20:02:29
“I became unable to work full time several years ago because of my Multiple Sclerosis – it effects me to different levels each day, i can never be certain when and if i will be able to do certain tasks. A few years ago my son introduced me to the world of model flying. He built his own quadcopter from scratch. I have always been technically minded – both mechanical and electrical, so i took great interest in the model he had built. He taught me to fly his model on the farm where i live, i was hooked, i soon wanted to build for myself. Since then i have built several models – from racing style quads, to larger hexacopters, right through to a couple of fixed wing aircraft. I like to fly a mix between fpv and line of sight, by that i mean i use a small screen on my transmitter to receive the view from the craft. My Multiple Sclerosis leaves me unable to wear fpv goggles due to causing me balance issues, but nevertheless i get an immense sense of freedom being able to see the birds eye views from my craft. Whenever my health allows, and whenever the weather is favorable i love to be outside flying. But flying is only one part of the hobby i get great enjoyment from. I get equal, if not a greater pleasure building the aircraft. I enjoy that immensely, it all helps me take my mind off of the constant pain, and the constant health problems i suffer due to my MS. The very thought that people like myself, but in the USA may have this taken away from them appalls me, it really saddens me that such an enjoyable hobby could be put at great risk by the proposals.For someone like me, being given the freedom of flight via my models, coupled with the great enjoyment i receive from building my rc models really as been a life changer for me. My disabilities limit greatly my ability to travel, the very though that a law could be past that would prevent me flying from my own rural location is, to say the least frightening. I feel the FAA are very much out of touch about what this hobby is about, the rc hobbiest is very far apart from the people that simply go out and buy a ready to fly hi-tec camera drone with no other experience of rc model flying at all – they will rely on the hi-tec drone to basically fly itself. This is a world apart from the rc hobby world. Like i mentioned earlier, i have always been technically minded, but i have learnt so much by being a part of this hobby. Can you imagine a child or teenager with no real technical experience becoming involved in this hobby? He or she will be learning so much – electrical wiring, soldering skills, craft skills, learning about the mechanics of flight, and learning a great deal about how the electronic items come together, and how to program them do the job they are supposed to do. This hobby could easily set someone up on the path of a great career in something technical, or it could easily set them up to want to become a pilot in later life. Passing laws that will basically put an end to the hobby as we know it, will almost certainly prevent an extremely large number of people from ever entering this hobby in the future. I would just like to add, that whilst i do not live in the USA, i feel compelled to have a say in how i feel, the internet has made the rc hobby community a world wide family – a world wide family of people that love to share their knowledge and experience with others around the globe. The USA must have one of the biggest rc communities in the world, i only hope that the FAA does not destroy it by rushing in with new rules without understanding the massive effect they will be having on so many people.”