By Tyler Dobbs, Government Affairs Director | tylerd@modelaircraft.org
SINCE 1936, AMA has led the model aviation industry in both innovation and safety in the National Airspace System (NAS). Because of this dedication to safety, our members and organization are well respected among both the UAS and full-scale aviation industries.
In addition to respect, our longstanding safety culture is the reason that AMA has recently been granted altitude and Remote ID exemptions for our sanctioned events, high-altitude authorizations in controlled airspace, a high percentage of FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) approvals, and alternative FAA processes for denied FRIA sites in sensitive areas.
AMA continues to work with Congress, the FAA, national security agencies, and industry partners to reduce many of the burdens that have been placed on our hobby. Although there is still much work to be done to reduce the unwarranted and unnecessary laws, we are much less restricted than we were in 2018. AMA continues to educate members of Congress about our hobby, and we remain optimistic that additional restrictions will be removed in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization Act because of our advocacy.
To maintain our status in the industry, it is important that we continue to follow AMA safety programming, as well as local, state, and federal laws. Continuing and building upon AMA’s safety culture will result in fewer and fewer restrictions on our community. AMA is happy to assist members and clubs with any safety-related questions, The Recreational UAS Safety Test, and/or navigating the FAA registration process.