Mica: Answer Is Not More Regulation

While some may call for an increase in regulations following the uncovering of a plot to attempt to use model airplanes to attack the Capitol and the Pentagon, the chair of the House Transportation Committee which oversees the FAA says regulating hobbyists is not the answer.

Confiscated F-86 Model, DOJ Image

According to a report on Forbes.com, both counter-terrorism experts and those who fly model airplanes agree that it would be very difficult to mount a large-scale attack using model planes. Academy of Model Aeronautics technical director Greg Hahn told Forbes that the idea of inflicting significant damage to a building like the Pentagon using model airplanes is "kind of a joke." An explosives expert said that while the models could carry enough explosive to inflict "serious damage" to something like a car, getting it to detonate correctly would be "hugely difficult."

And while FAA is devising new rules for model airplanes and other UAVs to prevent collisions, both the prosecutor who handled the case of Richard Reid's attempted shoe-bombing and the chair of the House Transportation Committee say increased regulations for model airplane enthusiasts is not the answer.

Representative John Mica (R-FL) told Forbes.com that better intelligence is the key to stopping such potential threats, not regulations on "hobbyists and their toys."

But Massachusetts prosecutor Gerry Leone said law enforcement might "want to be more vigilant" about the purchase of model airplanes.

FMI: www.faa.gov