<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;color:#0000ff">Problem is when the FAA already holds your certification in their hands, what do you do? To stay out of trouble, I may register anyway. I couldn't afford to have the FAA pull my certificate for any reason, quite literally.</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><b style="color:rgb(51,51,255)"><font style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif" size="4">Scott A. McHarg</font></b><br><div>VSCL / CANVASS U.A.S. Research Pilot</div><div>Texas A&M University</div><div>PPL - ASEL</div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Dec 17, 2015 at 4:23 PM, Peter Vogel <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:vogel.peter@gmail.com" target="_blank">vogel.peter@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">Dear AMA Members,</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">Yesterday, the AMA Executive Council unanimously approved an action plan to relieve and further protect our members from unnecessary and burdensome regulations. This plan addresses the recently announced interim rule requiring federal registration of all model aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) weighing between 0.55 and 55 pounds.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">AMA has long used a similar registration system with our members, which we pointed out during the task force deliberations and in private conversations with the FAA. As you are aware, AMA's safety program instructs all members to place his or her AMA number or name and address on or within their model aircraft, effectively accomplishing the safety and accountability objectives of the interim rule. AMA has also argued that the new registration rule runs counter to Congress' intent in Section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, otherwise known as the "Special Rule for Model Aircraft."</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">The Council is considering all legal and political remedies to address this issue. We believe that resolution to the unnecessary federal registration rule for our members rests with AMA's petition before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. This petition, filed in August 2014, asks the court to review the FAA's interpretation of the "Special Rule for Model Aircraft." The central issue is whether the FAA has the authority to expand the definition of aircraft to include model aircraft; thus, allowing the agency to establish new standards and operating criteria to which model aircraft operators have never been subject to in the past.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">In promulgating its interim rule for registration earlier this week, the FAA repeatedly stated that model aircraft are aircraft, despite the fact that litigation is pending on this very question. The Council believes the FAA's reliance on its interpretation of Section 336 for legal authority to compel our members to register warrants the Court's immediate attention to AMA's petition. </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">While we continue to believe that registration makes sense at some threshold and for flyers operating outside of a community-based organization or flying for commercial purposes, we also strongly believe our members are not the problem and should not have to bear the burden of additional regulations. Safety has been the cornerstone of our organization for 80 years and AMA's members strive to be a part of the solution. </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px">As we proceed with this process, we suggest AMA members hold off on registering their model aircraft with the FAA until advised by the AMA or until <span><span>February 19</span></span>, the FAA's legal deadline for registering existing model aircraft. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">Holding off on registration will allow AMA time to fully consider all possible options. On a parallel track, it also allows AMA to complete ongoing conversations with the FAA about how best to streamline the registration process for our members. </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">In the near future, we will also be asking our members to make their voices heard by submitting comments to the FAA's interim rule on registration. We will follow-up soon with more detailed information on how to do this.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">Thank you for your continued support of AMA. We will provide you with more updates as they become available. </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">Kind regards,</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial"><br></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">The AMA Executive Council</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:13px"><font face="Arial">Bob Brown, AMA President<br></font>Gary Fitch, AMA Executive Vice President<br>Andy Argenio, AMA Vice President, District I<br>Eric Williams, AMA Vice President, District II<br>Mark Radcliff, AMA Vice President, District III<br>Jay Marsh, AMA Vice President, District IV<br>Kris Dixon, AMA Vice President, District V<br>Randy Cameron, AMA Vice President, District VI<br>Tim Jesky, AMA Vice President, District VII<br>Mark Johnston, AMA Vice President, District VIII<br>Jim Tiller, AMA Vice President, District IX<br>Lawrence Tougas, AMA Vice President, District X<br>Chuck Bower, AMA Vice President, District XI</p></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><div class="h5"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Dec 17, 2015 at 2:22 PM, Dennis Bodary via NSRCA-discussion <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank">nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">And now the AMA says hold off on registering your aircraft<br>
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<span>On Thu, 12/17/15, Scott McHarg via NSRCA-discussion <<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank">nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] FAA Registration begins December 21<br>
</span> To: "Ted Sander" <<a href="mailto:tedsander@comcast.net" target="_blank">tedsander@comcast.net</a>>, "General pattern discussion" <<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank">nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</a>><br>
Date: Thursday, December 17, 2015, 5:16 PM<br>
<span><br>
Sorry, that was page 36 for<br>
non-political individuals.<br>
<br>
Scott A. McHarg<br>
VSCL / CANVASS U.A.S. Research<br>
</span> PilotTexas A&M UniversityPPL -<br>
<span> ASEL<br>
<br>
On Thu, Dec 17, 2015 at<br>
4:13 PM, Scott McHarg <<a href="mailto:scmcharg@gmail.com" target="_blank">scmcharg@gmail.com</a>><br>
wrote:<br>
According to them.....<br>
<a href="http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/2015-12-13_2120-AK82_RIA.pdf" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/2015-12-13_2120-AK82_RIA.pdf</a><br>
<br>
"Benefits" start on page<br>
29<br>
Scott A. McHarg<br>
VSCL / CANVASS U.A.S. Research<br>
</span> PilotTexas A&M UniversityPPL -<br>
<span> ASEL<br>
<br>
On Thu, Dec 17, 2015 at 4:11 PM, Ted<br>
Sander via NSRCA-discussion <<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank">nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</a>><br>
wrote:<br>
Missing from the official<br>
publicity of all this is the “What is this going to<br>
do?”. Is there any “official” information about what<br>
registration hopes to accomplish (as opposed to the<br>
“they’re coming to get us” theories)? Even if it was<br>
a page of “Know before you fly” info during the<br>
registration process, I would be more supportive. But all<br>
I can speculate on is that it is to “Hope we find that one<br>
little part that has the registration number on it”. <br>
We’ve all seen RC mid-airs and crashes, and know that<br>
often full recovery of parts is very difficult. If<br>
something bad happens, the odds seem pretty low that even if<br>
there is a number, it will be found and traced to the owner,<br>
</span> even if there is one!It would perhaps be better to have<br>
<span> the FCC mandate registering receivers/control units that<br>
have and “squawk” a unique identifier, than this poorly<br>
thought out<br>
solution!<br>
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