“For over 15 years I have enjoyed model aviation. It has provided me with a gateway to grow and explore many opportunities within aviation that I could not dream of affording with full scale aviation. Learning the basics of aerodynamics and what it takes to get a plane to fly was the beginning. Learning how the electronics work together and can create intricate systems and finding the balance between performance and weight was next. Then came the design aspect of creating something from nothing and watching it take to the skies only to come right back down seconds later, and having the motivation to try again. Then on the next new aircraft to see it go flawlessly the first time as I had learned from my previous mistakes. Or even seeing an aircraft that I downloaded and printed on my 3D printer take to the skies for the first time. There is a sense of amazement every time that never gets old. Model aviation has spurred my interest in engineering and allowed me to bring my love of aviation with it. I can say that without a doubt I would not be in the college graduate level of research that I am in today without the RC hobby as I currently know it. It also helped tremendously when I was fighting stage IV cancer. During treatment I was unable to go anywhere with people due to a weakened immune system, but my RC field was always there ready for use and saw few enough people that I didn’t have to worry about getting sick. It was a light in a very dark time in my life and one of the few things that I enjoyed and could still do at the time. The remote ID proposal imposes too many restrictions on model aviation that it will choke out those kids who are currently where I was years ago. They want an affordable avenue to explore aviation, or an outlet to let loose with creative designs. It will affect people like me who take advantage of large empty farm fields miles from the nearest controlled airport in cell phone dead zones. Being a Part 107 pilot as well, I can see the value in having a test for people new to the hobby. Education, to me, sounds like the best way to prevent adverse consequences, so long as the topics covered are relevant and current and scale appropriately with the capabilities of the pilot. A 14 year old won’t necessarily be able to pass the same test as a 24 year old, but there are building blocks of proper flying etiquette that can be established until they are ready for the more challenging information and have aircraft that will take advantage of it.”