Local City banning hobby drones to their own backyard.

[N017RW]

While I agree with you N107RW that some people with quads "fly stupid" (it drives me crazy when I see it), there is also the problem that our city officials are misinformed and biased against RC aircraft. We need to help them understand that the responsible pilot should not be punished because of a few stupid operators.
Senator Dianne Feinstein's bill will kill the whole drone industry AND hurt enthusiast fliers if passed.
As American people (if you are one) it is our duty to make sure that our representatives actually represent US.
So have respect for others when you fly, AND make your voice heard.

No Senator will kill the industry.
Money talks and she ain't got enough.
So many feel this way.

It's all about the $s.

 

[jmc67]

Garfield drone law will have to be rewritten

 

[andy_k]

Garfield drone law will have to be rewritten

To correct a typo - that's not going to change the vote is it? Plus as that news story is a week old it's probably happened already

 

[Journey]

If you think it's illegal then rather than ranting about what you would do if you were just a bit closer why not put your money where your mouth is and challenge it?

The FAA has granted towns/cities/communities the rights to set their own rules for recreational (not commercial) flyers - the FAA regulations states recreational operators must abide by "a community-based set of safety guidelines" - laws can be set locally. It's not about overriding federal law because it's already in federal law.

Good luck with your legal challenge. Just as an aside...when you've finished with that court case - make sure there's some money left in the pot as you may need to take a look at Franklin Lakes as well

"Community-based set of safety standards" refers to those types of hobby/recreational organizations such as the AMA. It was the AMA that got this inserted into the legal language. It does not refer to local governments establishing safety standards.

 

[Journey]

No Senator will kill the industry.
Money talks and she ain't got enough.
So many feel this way.

It's all about the $s.

Canada sure put a dent in it. The bill doesn't immediately "kill" the industry as if it became outlawed. All bills like this are passed on the basis of the "common good", "safety", "community standards", "local control", etc. Not enough feel like us. Most would say, "that seems reasonable". Once passed, they are never rescinded. If they cared about the industry, make the bill require that any community that restricts recreational flying establish an adequate area free from restrictions within their jurisdiction. Not that it would be sufficient, but I am just saying...they don't care. Name one activity the government has made 'less' restrictive. Want to bet it won't pass?

 

[N017RW]

Having flown r/c aircraft for 4 decades none of this surprises or disappoints me.
I've seen all number of aircraft failures and injuries. But those injuries were limited to participants who accepted the risk and most importantly the responsibility.

Yes the govt will step in where/when the minority endangers the majority.
So who's fault is that?, the minority IMO.

If you disagree that's OK. My flying is more about flight than photo and my enjoyment is not threatened by local-yocals.
To one of your points... my city's Commissioners voted down our Park & Rec. Directors push for restrictions. There's room for everyone to do what they enjoy safely.

Funny to see how folks who have had an r/c aircraft for a year or three all up in arms about new laws. Saying they're killing the hobby or industry. I'm sure some of them are the very ones responsible by thier self-entitled, narcissistic, and inconsiderate actions.
How about the folks doing so safely for years, decades, now being swept up in this?

I would never consider operating in the places and manners we read about where problems have occurred.

If affected by all this I hope you and your community can find the equilibrium between the hobby and the safety of others and their property so you can enjoy it for decades too.

 

[andy_k]

"Community-based set of safety standards" refers to those types of hobby/recreational organizations such as the AMA. It was the AMA that got this inserted into the legal language. It does not refer to local governments establishing safety standards.

But nobody is flying by AMA rules are they? (aside from their members) - initially (I think) it was suggested that these guidelines would require membership to the organisation - just how many drone flyers are AMA members?

Local authorities have the mandate to create local laws on several grounds (discussed above) - out of interest, how many of these local laws have the FAA challenged?

 

[Journey]

Having flown r/c aircraft for 4 decades none of this surprises or disappoints me.
I've seen all number of aircraft failures and injuries. But those injuries were limited to participants who accepted the risk and most importantly the responsibility.

Yes the govt will step in where/when the minority endangers the majority.
So who's fault is that?, the minority IMO.

If you disagree that's OK. My flying is more about flight than photo and my enjoyment is not threatened by local-yocals.
To one of your points... my city's Commissioners voted down our Park & Rec. Directors push for restrictions. There's room for everyone to do what they enjoy safely.

Funny to see how folks who have had an r/c aircraft for a year or three all up in arms about new laws. Saying they're killing the hobby or industry. I'm sure some of them are the very ones responsible by thier self-entitled, narcissistic, and inconsiderate actions.
How about the folks doing so safely for years, decades, now being swept up in this?

I would never consider operating in the places and manners we read about where problems have occurred.

If affected by all this I hope you and your community can find the equilibrium between the hobby and the safety of others and their property so you can enjoy it for decades too.

I've been flying RC for as long as yourself. Besides a couple prop cut fingers, I have seen very few injuries. The last time I checked, the AMA stated that, since they have been keeping records, only four people have been killed by model aircraft and only one was a spectator. The most recent death was a helicopter that the pilot got to close to. The current issues surrounding sUAVs have come about solely by the advent of drones that are not restricted to a dedicated flying site where you see very few "objections" by the public and other users of the NAS. Unfortunately, the minority always make it hard on the rest. The drone represents an "in your face" intrusion that wasn't the case with R/C airplanes because of the nearly limited places they can be flown and without the pier pressure to be safe that you get at dedicated local flying site. Now that the FAA has its nose in the tent, it will only become more restrictive. The current Senate version of the new Airport/Airway Appropriations bill illustrates that....registration is back and pilot training may be required. No surprise. Like yourself, I never fly my drones in my neighborhood or any place where the may annoy someone. Most of those places aren't fun to fly at unless you just want to be noticed. Perhaps that is what you meant by "narcissistic". The problem for R/C planes it that their are no kids learning to fly. The flying sites are only used by old coots like myself. The kids have left the video sims and are flying drones...only requirement/limitation is a credit card and knife to open the box. And the AMA, in part to try and grow their dwindling membership, have embraced drones. For lack of interest by the youth and the intrusion by the government, the future for building and flying R/C planes is not good and the restrictions on drones will only grow.

 

[Jthomp]

The problem that I see is that new-to-the-hobby drone operators tend to feel like they can fly just about anywhere they want to because of the flight characteristics of the drones themselves. The liquid-fueled R/C aircraft of yesteryear practically demanded a large, fairly flat piece of real estate, not only for take-off and landing operations, but for noise abatement as well - nobody wanted either of those in their neighborhood. It was fairly easy to get the operators, the city administrators, and the public "on-board" with the idea that, "yes, we need to provide a place where these things can be flown."

We haven't seen that kind of cooperation when it comes to drones.

First of all drones are so cheap and so easy to fly that parents go out and buy them for little 10-year-old Johnny, and where do they let him fly it? In the back yard, of course!

Secondly, even some of the under-$50 drones have cameras on them, so what do the neighbors think is happening to their privacy when they see one of those drones pop in in the air from the yard next door?

Thirdly (is that really a word?) who in their right mind wants some drone driver putting his precious piece of hardware up in the air where it can be hit by - here it comes - a real, people-occupied airplane?

Let's face it - these are all valid concerns, not only of "the public" but also of we drone operators.

What we need is a discussion on how to best go about getting with our community leaders to address the issue of where (and maybe even when) drones can be flown in the areas those people are responsible for. We need to know what has worked before - maybe even taking some advice from those who helped get designated flying areas for R/C aircraft in the past. Who did they contact? How did they present their "pitch" to "the powers that be"? How did they interact with the general citizenry who are not enthusiasts of the R/C aircraft hobby? How were citizen's fears or negative opinions dealt with to the point that they became more receptive to the idea being proposed of having a designated area which satisfied the people involved?

We should not wait for someone to make rules about this issue - we should be on the forefront of getting involved NOW with our local governments to help shape those rules so that our hobby in accepted by the public instead of it just being banned outright.

Oh, oh, the wife just pulled the soap-box out from under my feet. Gotta go for now....