32 Vol.3 No.4 / April 2014
LIGHT PL ANE WORLD
WHEN THE FAA MODERNIZATION and Reform Act of 2012 became
law two years ago, it included a special provision for model air-
planes. Prior to that, model airplane operations were covered by
Advisory Circular (AC) 91-57, published 1981. The rapidly
changing technology of radio-controlled (RC) aircraft and the
tremendous interest in domestic drones are pushing the FAA to
deal with the dif cult questions of who can fl y dronelike aircraft
and where. It was important that hobby model fl ying not be
swept up into new regulations. The
special provision for the
fi rst time recognizes there is a place for model aviation in our
airspace system, provides a defi nition for model aircraft (includ-
ing a weight limit of 55 pounds), and specifi cally prevents the
FAA administrator from promulgating regulations covering air-
craft models, if they meet the defi nition.
The new law includes language requiring model airplanes
to be operated according to community-based standards and
"within the program of a nationwide community-based orga-
nization." The FAA retains the ability to conduct enforcement
actions against model fl iers who do not adhere to the require-
ments of the law. This January, the FAA and the Academy of
Model Aeronautics (AMA)
signed an agreement , moving one
step closer to formalizing the role of the AMA in establishing
safety guidelines and overseeing the operation of recreational
unmanned aircraft.
We have long recognized that the way to get youngsters
interested in aviation is to provide them exposure to airplanes;
in a time when airports are all protected by steel fences, that's
not easy to do. The EAA Young Eagles program, giving millions
of kids an airplane ride, has been going long enough to produce
results as these Young Eagles reach college age and consider
aviation as a career. However, the kids can't do much with real
airplanes until they are 14 years of age, and that's where model
aviation can help. EAA recognized the importance of models to
bring youngsters into aviation when it signed a
Memorandum
of Understanding
with the AMA in 2010.
The
AMA is the world's largest model aviation associa-
tion, with a membership of more than 164,000 and more than
2,400 model airplane clubs in the United States. The agreement
included the provision that each new EAA Young Eagle would
receive a youth membership in the AMA. Two years later, in
2012, the AMA exceeded 25,000 youth memberships with
10,000 of those coming from its partnership with
EAA and the
Civil Air Patrol
. Sean Elliott, EAA vice president of Government
and Industry Relations, is an avid aero modeling enthusiast. He
Kids, Airplanes, and Drones…
A look at model aviation
BY DAN GRUNLOH
Vendors along the south wall showcase the latest model products.
E A A E X P _ A p r 1 4 . i n d d 3 2 EAAEXP_Apr14.indd 32 3 / 3 1 / 1 4 9 : 4 5 A M 3/31/14 9:45 AM