AMA IN ACTION Advocating for Members
Welcome to the Academy of Model Aeronautics' Advocacy Blog. As the FAA looks to regulate the use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) and as Congress and state legislatures consider legislation with potential impact on the hobby, this site will keep you informed of the latest news, events and industry updates, and serves as an outlet to let your voice be heard by AMA and key officials nationwide.
Deputy administrator Michael Huerta is now at the helm of the FAA following Randy Babbitt’s resignation. It’s likely a new administrator will not be appointed until after the 2012 election which means Mr. Huerta will be in charge throughout the sUAS NPRM review and Final Rule process.
Read more at the Washington Post
Continue readingBreathing life into the stalled FAA Reauthorization Bill… After meeting with his counterpart in the Senate on Tuesday, House Transportation Committee Chairman John L. Mica remains optimistic that Congress will break a stalemate over critical aviation funding before the current spending plan expires at year’s end.
Continue readingIt appears political posturing is ramping up as the stalled FAA Reauthorization Bill is once again headed toward a shutdown of the FAA. In a recent meeting of the Aero Club of Washington, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate’s transportation committee, accused the GOP of stubbornly holding up the bill in favor of one airline’s fight to stave off the unionization of its work force, and deemed it unlikely that Congress would resolve the bitter deadlock over long-term federal funding for aviation this year.
Continue readingMembers of Congress appear poised to bring to the floor a bill that will temporarily extend FAA funding through January 2012. The ease with which this tempoary measure is moving forward could pave the way for a resolution this Fall for the long-term FAA Re-Authorization Bill
Read the full article on Politico.com
Continue readingThe US Senate is urging renewed talks on the FAA re-authorization bill; however, progress continues to be is stymied over labor issues and federal subsidies for rural commuter air service.
Continue readingIn a bipartisan move, a deal was struck today to end the FAA shutdown… However, the long-term FAA re-authorization bill is still stalemated over labor issues and federal subsidies for rural commuter air service.
Continue readingShould I buy a Turbine? Will model manufacturing be curtailed as a result of the proposed sUAS regulation? These questions are best answered in a video clip from the AMA open membership meeting at Joe Nall Week, 5/12/2011. In response to a member’s question, James Sizemore from the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Program Office (UAPO) addressed these issues in his remarks.
Continue readingRead reports from USA Today and MSNBC about FAA funding and re-authorization stalled over labor issues and funding for rural commuter air service.
Continue readingAfter a two week spring break, Congress reconvenes this week and will take up the work of completing the FAA Re-Authorization Act. Both the Senate Bill (S. 223) and the House Bill (H.R. 658) have passed their respective houses and have been sent to Conference Committee for reconciliation. The Senate has officially called for a conference on the legislation and has named its conferees. The House is expected to respond to the request this week. The AMA remains hopeful that the model aviation exemption provided in the Senate version of the bill will be accepted and moved into the final bill.
Continue readingThe political process of creating legislation is more of an art than a science, and the fact that H.R. 658 does not include an exemption for model aviation (MA) does not necessarily mean there wasn’t support for such an amendment. Quite honestly there is a significant amount of backing in the House for our issues, and numerous Representatives have come forward with pledges of support and offers to assist in protecting MA from onerous regulation.
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