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PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR FLYING CLUB MEMBERS NOW.  I have already spent several weeks creating a comment for the FAA's NPRM and am now working to send this email to all the clubs in the country that I can reach small or large.  Please at least take the time to forward this important message to your members and to others it may concern.

As an advanced aerobatic and scale model aircraft pilot, I am writing to you concerning the recent NPRM, FAA 2019-1100.  Until now, we in the RC sport have put up a weak fight at best in the face of new legislation regarding sUAS flying.  In the end, we have ended up accepting it and letting the government have their way very easily.  We need to educate our government on the topic of model aviation so that they have the tools to make good decisions.

NOW is the time to leave a professional, well informed comment on the NPRM.  We cannot afford complacency now.  We are currently facing the end of our rewarding and rich sport if we do nothing.  Many face the end of their livelihood.  The deadline to comment is March 2, 2020, and sadly, most have still done nothing.  To those who cite that the FAA will grant recognized flying sites, I would like to point out that the NPRM clearly states that the FAA intends to eventually revoke all of those by various means.  Do you trust the FAA to let you continue flying at your current field?  This is about much more than model airplane flying.  It is about our youth and our families.  It is a fight for basic rights.  Let us not be complacent and refuse to defend the rights that countless men and women have died not only to defend, but to secure in the first place.

To those who defend their refusal to leave a comment by claiming it will make no difference, I would like to point out that your failure to leave a respectful, authentic, and well informed comment makes all the difference in the world.  Your failure to act will allow the FAA to point out that only a small percentage of AMA members, FPV Freedom Coalition members, and others commented, meaning the majority must favor the NPRM.  To not comment is to endorse the NPRM as written.  Please do not harm our sport in this most dishonorable way.

There are many resources available to help you create a comment.  It may be as brief as you like, but please make it factual.  I spent several weeks writing a paper in response to the NPRM, and it is attached to this message.   While you do not have my permission to copy and paste any of that content, you absolutely may use the resources and ideas I have used.  This alone should be enough to help you make a comment, but below are some other resources for you to look at.  We must be careful to not take a bargaining approach.  For our within visual line of sight, non-autonomous aircraft, the special rule for model aircraft had no problems.  There were not accidents and people were not injured and killed.  We need something like the special rule for model aircraft back, not a dumbed down version of the current NPRM.  For example a clever car salesperson might intend to gain at least 5,000 dollars for a car and price it at 7,000.  You as the buyer will see this as unacceptable and will bargain the price down.  You may settle at 6,000 dollars.  The seller will be happy because he got away with an extra 1,000 dollars.  Meanwhile, you in your ignorance will believe you have saved 1,000 dollars.  Let us not take this fateful approach with the NPRM.  Keep this in mind when you call for solutions in your comment.

Some model airplane enthusiasts have already pointed fingers at the drone community saying it is all their fault.  This is not the time for fighting within the aviation community.  In fact, I have seen far more comments and videos in protest of the NPRM from drone pilots than I have from the model aircraft community.  Once you have read my comment which is attached, and have seen the resources below, you will easily be able to create an effective comment.  Remember to suggest solutions. Do not just point out problems.  Thank you for your time and for your commitment to our sport.

Sincerely,

Scott Eshelman

AMA Member 867702

SAMPLE COMMENT HERE

Comment here:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/12/31/2019-28100/remote-identification-of-unmanned-aircraft-systems

Representative Greg pence facebook post and letter to the FAA

https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/2019/11/19/u-s-representative-greg-pence-and-senator-todd-young-support-model-aviation/

Commit to calling your state representatives on a weekly basis.  THIS MAKES A DIFFERENCE.  Even if the FAA does not listen to our comments, NPRM cannot become law without these people.  More comments will show our representatives that this is an important issue.

Motion RC’s opinion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVKBJVrvqdw&t=7s

RCinformer’s opinion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQfGx4BbHJk&t=1862s

RCgeek’s opinion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrdcY5izUtE&t=315s

Flite Test was recently invited to meet with FAA representatives in Washington DC.  You can leave comments on their website that Flite Test will present to the FAA in a way they cannot ignore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmUQV549-TI