Terry Dunn shares how 2016 is going to be a pivotal year for our hobby in his latest Tested.com article. The current situation is still very fluid as regulations are still being hashed out. The article discusses the community-based organization model, altitude limits, trends in retail, and how some proposed […]
Continue readingFAA More Accurately Characterizes Drone Sightings, But More Analysis Needed
AMA is pleased to see the FAA more accurately characterize its recent drone data as ‘sightings’ and ‘reports’ rather than the more inflammatory terminology that was used last summer. When the agency previously released this data in August 2015, AMA completed a detailed analysis of these reports. We found a […]
Continue readingAMA Working with Senate on FAA Reauthorization Act 2016
We want to provide you with an update on recent congressional action on the new FAA Reauthorization Act of 2016 (SB 2658). Last week, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the FAA, sent SB 2658 to the Senate floor for consideration. While the proposed […]
Continue readingComparing bird strikes in the airspace
The US national airspace is home to almost 10 billion birds, a very large number compared to the number of model aircraft which is estimated at a million or less. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University analyzed the data of bird collisions with full scale aircraft. The article then […]
Continue readingMaking enhancements to the Special Rule for Model Aircraft into law
The AMA began its work to pass the Special Rule for Model Aircraft years before it was passed into law in 2012. Countless negotiations, revisions, and eventually mobilizing our membership to write Congress resulted in this special rule becoming law. The Special Rule for Model Aircraft was intended to prevent […]
Continue readingAIRR Act passes Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
We have good news to share. Thursday, February 11, 2016 the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the House of Representatives passed the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act, which preserves and strengthens the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. We would like to thank Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, Chairman […]
Continue readingDrone Registration Scam Sites
As previously mentioned, shortly after the drone registration task force announced their recommendations to the FAA, fake registration websites began to appear. These sites are scamming model pilots to register in an attempt to steal personal and credit card information. Many of these fake sites look credible or appear to […]
Continue readingSafe Modeling Resumes in DC SFRA
We are pleased to announce that AMA members in the Washington, D.C. metro area can resume model aircraft activities inside the D.C. Special Flights Rule Area (SFRA). After weeks of working closely with the FAA to find a resolution, the 14 AMA-charted clubs in the DC metro area can now […]
Continue readingNew Draft of the FAA Reauthorization Bill
Rep. Bill Shuster, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced a new draft of the FAA reauthorization bill, titled the “Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act.” This bill is critical to preserving our voluntary, community-based approach to the model aviation community across the country. While we are […]
Continue readingAMA on the Hill
January 27 and 28, a dozen AMA members, staffers, and executive councilmen descended upon DC. The visit granted the AMA the opportunity to meet directly with members of Congress and their staff to advocate on behalf of our members for the protection and enhancement of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. […]
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