Looks Forward To The Integration Of The Aircraft Into The National Airspace

Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) president Bob Brown has released a statement congratulating the FAA on its release of a "Roadmap" for the integration of UAVs into the National Airspace System (NAS).

"The completion of this important project puts us one step closer to enabling a regrettably restrained domestic industry that is poised to infuse tens of billions of dollars into the US economy," Brown said in the statement. "The agency’s roadmap illustrates a necessary and comprehensive process for integrating highly sophisticated unmanned aircraft into the national airspace alongside manned aircraft operations. However, FAA’s plan speaks minimally to the recreational use of small unmanned aircraft (model aircraft) and the emerging community of amateur personal-use UAS enthusiasts.
 
“Model aircraft operations are managed by AMA’s community-based safety program, and modelers have operated their aircraft safely and harmoniously in the NAS for decades. However, recent advancements in computerized microelectronics, brushless electric motors and light-weight high-capacity batteries have fostered a new segment of small UAS enthusiasts.
 
“The Academy of Model Aeronautics has worked cooperatively with the FAA for the past several years developing and updating AMA’s safety guidelines governing the aeromodeling activity. The AMA is now prepared to extend its community-based programming and lend its experience and expertise in support of this growing amateur personal-use community.”

FMI: www.modelaircraft.org/