FAA Interpretive Rule - AMA's latest

Visioneer · Aug 21, 2014

Clearly the AMA considers this rulemaking move by the FAA to be a serious threat ... enough so that they added the following cover sheet to the latest edition of their magazine.

If you object to the FAA running roughshod over our hobby, please make a comment on their website ... even if it does no more than point out that their proposed rulemaking is an attempt to circumvent the protections Congress intended for aeromodeling in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012.

To comment on line go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!home and search for FAA-2014-0396. This is not rocket science and shouldn't take 5 minutes of your time. The following is from the case's comments folder - the count hasn't moved much of late.

Related threads - viewtopic.php?f=4&t=23132 , viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19035 , and viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18824

Visioneer · Aug 21, 2014

Once on the government site and in the model aircraft case (http://www.regulations.gov/#!searchResu ... ue;ns=true), click on Open Documents Folder and you'll be able to read the comments that have been posted. Some provide very well reasoned arguments against the proposed rulemaking, others are mostly "me too" entries, but they all should count.

Visioneer · Sep 3, 2014

From the AMA

AMA Files Petition for Review of FAA’s Interpretive Rule

Today (8/22/14) the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) filed a Petition for Review in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the FAA’s Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft published in the Federal Register on June 25, 2014.

The AMA believes that the FAA’s Interpretive Rule is contrary to the text and intent of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Public Law 112-95, and violates Congress’ specific prohibition on any new rules or regulations regarding model aircraft that are operated pursuant to a community-based organization’s standards. The FAA’s purported interpretation effectively establishes an array of new regulations that model aircraft enthusiasts have never been subject to in the past, and poses an immediate and direct hardship on model aviation.

“Model aviation is a wholesome family recreational and educational activity,” said AMA Executive Director Dave Mathewson. “Aeromodeling has been a steppingstone to careers in aviation and aerospace for many young people in this country, and AMA is concerned that the FAA’s interpretation of the law will diminish our ability to continue to be the pipeline for young talent that will become the next generation of engineers this country so sorely needs.”

Although AMA has worked cooperatively with the FAA in the past, and hopes to continue to do so, the AMA has filed its petition for review within 60 days of the issuance of the FAA interpretation, by necessity, in order to assert its legal rights.

“The AMA has worked collaboratively and in good faith with the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office for many years and will continue to do so as we attempt to work through our differences concerning the interpretive rule,” said AMA President Bob Brown.

To learn more about the AMA’s advocacy efforts, and how you can help, visit: http://www.modelaircraft.org/aboutama/gov.aspx.

View the full press release online:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/AMAF ... veRule.pdf.