RC Aircraft And Drone Hobbyists Rally Against Remote ID NPRM

A rally organized by a community of RC hobby aircraft and drone pilots is taking place today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) in Hancock Park, Washington, DC, against new FAA rules for RC model hobby aviation.  

According to the group "Help Save Our Hobby", the RC aircraft community has safely operated for 100 years. Including people of all ages: parents, children, and grandparents. They often design and build their own aircraft. They solder the electronics, bolt together the frames, program the flight-control software, fix them when they crash, and they upgrade constantly.

The FAA's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Remote Identification for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (RID-UAS), docket number FAA-2019-1100, will destroy the hobby, the group says.

These rules dictate individuals buy prebuilt aircraft from an FAA certified manufacturer, register it, have a "remote ID tag license number," and ongoing connection to the internet via cellular that reveals location of both pilot and aircraft. The owner has no Right to Repair their own aircraft, that must be done by FAA certified companies.

You cannot fly your RC aircraft in your own backyard without the above requirements. The rules apply to any craft over 250g/0.55lbs. That RC helicopter you just bought at Wal-Mart for your kids? Illegal to fly.

Manned flight organizations including the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) have spoken out about these rules being unnecessarily restrictive of not only where UAS may fly but who may manufacture them.

Modeling organizations such as the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics), an 83-year-old organization, asked their 200,000 members to tell the FAA how unfair these proposed rules are.

A not-for-profit, FPV Freedom Coalition, working with the FAA's Drone Advisory Committee, has been organizing the UAS community to respond before the March 2, 2020 deadline.

An independent group of pilots and creators, The UFDA CREW, waged a successful information awareness campaign to encourage commenting and information gathering about the rules.

(Source: Help Save Our Hobby news release. Image from Help Save Our Hobby YouTube video)

FMI: www.helpsaveourhobby.com