In the near future, hobbyists and drone operators will no longer have to notify every airport within a five mile radius before an operation. When this provision is removed, it will be replaced by a new requirement that operators in controlled airspace will be required to seek authorization from towered […]
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FAA Establishes Additional Restrictions on UAS Operations over DOJ and DOD Facilities
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), at the request of security partners, recently announced additional airspace restrictions over certain facilities to address national security concerns. These new restrictions, outlined in NOTAM FDC 9/2586, apply to all model aircraft, sometimes referred to as drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The restrictions begin Tuesday, February 26, […]
Continue readingFAA Issues New UAS Airspace Restrictions
Beginning in April of 2017, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began establishing airspace restrictions over military facilities across the country to address national security concerns about unauthorized unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations. The FAA used its existing authority under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) § […]
Continue readingTake Action Now! Tell Congress to Vote “NO” on FAA Reauthorization
Congress just released a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. This bill is the result of closed-door negotiations between leadership of the House and Senate and includes significant modifications to the Special Rule for Model Aircraft, also known as Section 336. While some […]
Continue readingGovernment Affairs Update, July 30, 2018
As the U.S. Senate focuses on FAA reauthorization legislation, members of the AMA Government Affairs team have met with senators and their staff in Washington D.C. in recent months to share the importance of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft (Section 336). This past weekend, we traveled to Oshkosh, Wisconsin […]
Continue readingFPV IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C., SPECIAL FLIGHT RULES AREA (SFRA)
For decades, AMA members have enjoyed our hobby under our programming, whether it’s soaring, aerobatic, or FPV. Although AMA provides robust safety programming to enjoy our hobby, there are situations in which operators might be required to comply with additional rules, such as in the Washington, D.C., Special Flight Rules […]
Continue readingUAS Stakeholders Launch Initiative to Educate Public on Drone Laws, Call for Enforcement
Today, the nation’s leading unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) stakeholders, led by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), launched a new initiative to educate the public about the existing drone laws they must follow and the consequences if they ignore or break the law. The new advertising campaign – Even the […]
Continue readingFourth Quarter 2017 Government Relations Update
As the New Year begins, the AMA Government Relations team would like to take a moment to update you on our work during the last few months of 2017 to represent and protect our hobby at the federal, local and state level. Federal Government Relations Over the past few months, […]
Continue readingEnforcement is Needed for Airspace Safety
You may have seen coverage of a hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday about emerging uses for UAS, as well as an FAA report released this week about drone airborne collisions. Some in Washington have responded to these developments by calling for more regulation and blaming hobbyists generally. We’re writing to share with you our […]
Continue readingThird Quarter Government Relations Update 2017
Over the past few months, the AMA Government Relations team has been hard at work representing – and protecting – the model aircraft hobby in Washington, D.C. and across the country. We wanted to share with you some of our work and progress during the third quarter of 2017. Federal […]
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