US House of Congress Aviation Subcommittee

[electrotor]

With the FAA dragging its heels on new regulation the US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has submitted a well worded statement at a hearing of the above committee on 10 Dec. Of particular interest to hobbyists are their thoughts on recreational use which are sensible, well measured and constructive and the number of reported encounters.

Additionally, AOPA is concerned with the rising number of reports from our member pilots and the media detailing unsafe drone activity near airports and aircraft. It is clear that many of the people flying UAS have little or no knowledge of the rules under which other airspace users operate. It is also clear from online videos that operators are flying near airports, in the clouds, and in congested airspace. Since the beginning of the year, the FAA has received pilot and air traffic controller reports describing 193 UAS encounters. UAS operations are of two primary types: 1. Recreational operations flown by hobbyists and 2. Commercial operations flow in support of a business interest. The problem is compounded by the two primary types of UAS operations: (1) recreational operations flown by hobbyists and (2) commercial operations flown in support of a business interest.
Radio-controlled model aircraft have been around for decades and most radio-controlled aircraft hobbyists have been flying small aircraft safely and responsibly in accordance with FAA guidelines (Advisory Circular 91-57) and model aircraft industry best practices.
With the proliferation of low-cost, multi-rotor aircraft that require little or no skill or training to operate, however, existing guidance is no longer sufficient. One reason the technology has become so significant in such a short time is because the "Go-Pro" generation has embraced these multi-rotor aircraft as the preferred platform for capturing video images from a perspective not possible just a few years ago.
The FAA advisory (AC 91-57) was drafted in 1981 and in its current form, falls short on addressing the kinds of operations that are happening today.

Full statement : http://www.aopa.org/-/media/Files/AOPA/Home/News/AOPA_UAS_12112014_testimony.pdf

[wgt40w]

It must seem unbelievable to a lot of us that the opinions above have had to be actually pointed out to the FAA.
Are the FAA so stuck in the past that they themselves are / were not aware of the multicopter developments and trends ?
Why are they so slow to react reasonably - without going over the top.

It strikes me that, for once, America does not 'lead' the world - on this subject they are somewhat backwards in coming forwards.