Drone Legislation: Should we get involved?

It will be much better to have people who have intimate knowledge and understanding of the myriad of issues rather than be upset when the legislation comes with nutty rules or requirements.

 

Yes, it would be great to be involved. Finding the time and energy to do it is the hard part, and so this is why the big corporations that can hire armies of lobbyists will probably get their way.
How many uav AP/AV outfits are there really in the US? 2000? 1000? 500? I'm guessing the numbers are very small, and even if 50% of them make a big stink about it, will that really counter the main stream media's constant demonization of The Evil Drones?

 

Two things:
1. Having every police department putting eyes in the skies is orwellian and we definitely need legislation preventing this regardless of their benign rationale. ( e.g.: 'Patriot Act 2'...gosh I am for whatever civil rights I am about to lose cuz I wanna be a patriot! ) This deserves demonization and all citizens should be concerned. Unfortunately the lobbyists from Lockheed and such see this as a big fat market and will lobby against banning of these drones.

2. The number of hobby and private professional (us) UAVs is large and will continue to grow. There definitely needs to be some laws enacted to protect privacy, protect the public from spinning carbon fiber blades falling on their heads, AND to protect legitimate service providers - like all of us. Right? Unfortunately the FAA has not gotten out in front of this so there is no baseline yet.

The benefit of being proactive is to prevent well intentioned but ill informed lawmakers from acting stupidly - like banning all aerial photography. nutty.

 

I say go for it, we need a voice!
This is why one should never post any specific info about any jobs, job related videos, clients or site info in the forums when there are questions regarding the legality of what your trade is

^ we need to make that comment a sticky

 

Andy
I do not see any downside. If you/we do not present a perspective then all they are going to know about small multirotors is the crashes they will surely find. That is the unwanted side effect to avoid.

There is nothing to hide and nothing to hide from. Legislation is coming, like it or not. It is better to represent the positive legitimate uses of OUR multirotor system and to articulate the safety and reliability of a highly engineered product and the need for properly trained and licensed commercial operators.
Who wants to call themselves a "professional" yet be a scofflaw and be constantly concerned about being caught by The Man?

Perhaps it is time for us to form COPA ( Cinestar Owners and Pilots Assn ) so that Andy can represent a legitimate organization. A credentialed scientist representing a serious organization will carry credibility in these public hearings. Presenting as a hobbyist or a 'forum moderator' will not be as convincing. ( don't be offended Andy, we consider you a god ).

I am more than willing to help you craft a presentation, and if you would like to put up another poll - who would like to see us organize as in COPA? Or some other name - that was just the first to come to mind.

 

I understand the concern for both options Andy....

Here is a long story that has gotten me to thinking a lot lately about the future of our industry....

My father owns an HVAC cleaning company in Montana. Awhile ago a few guys got together and formed NADCA (National Duct Cleaning Association.) The problem that the industry faced was that there was really no way for customers to check the quality of work that duct cleaners were doing. Of course there were plenty of duct cleaning companies that did a great job, but also a bunch of them that would show up at a house, hook a hose to the furnace, sit there and wait 2 hours, and tell the home owner that there system was being cleaned automatically. How would a home owner know if the whole system was being cleaned or not? Without getting into the details a system obviously can't be cleaned just by hooking up a high powered vacuum to the furnace.

NADCA now has more than 1,000 member companies from more than 20 countries. NADCA serves as the focal point of the global industry.

So NADCA was formed to create a legitimate way for home owners and businesses to know if the duct cleaner they were hiring would do a good job.

What does NADCA do?
1-Creates certification programs and testing.
2-Hosts a large trade show every year where the testing takes place.
2-Provides a directory of NADCA certified duct cleaners throughout the world.
3-Website with updates on industry trends.

My father runs his business with his NADCA certifications front and center and has created a very successful business. New customers really trust him and his certifications.

Wouldn't it be beneficial for our industry to have such an organization that would provide these same services. It's a proactive way to police ourselves. When a problem does arise or new legislation is being looked at we would have an organization like Joe is talking about that is already out in front confronting these issues and may already have policies in place that the government may look to adopt when creating there own policies.

Of course my father does pay yearly fees to be a member and it is not cheap.

http://www.nadca.com/

Ryan

 

I think its better to get involved in as much of the legislative process as possible. The FAA sure is dragging their heels on this. I think it will be good if they here the advantages to commerce and the economic opportunities of commercial use of these aircraft, especially from someone as yourself.

I would through out your FAA creds so that way your not just an RC hobbyist. I imagine ALPA will be there and they will be screaming at airline safety with "Drones" in their airspace. I would point flight safety and a safety culture involved in these operations, just to name a few.

Shaun

 

Andy I don't think you should go I think we need someone that would be thorough! Just kidding. I am in favor of you representing us as you speak about as logically as anyone I know. I can't think of a better person for the job.

 

or as Groucho said: "I would never join any club that would have me as a member."

 

Andy, someone once told me that "It's always much easier to stay out than to get out", and I've found that the crawl - walk - run metaphor also applies.

Euphemisms depleted, undoubtedly, you are the best person based on proximity and well, character and intellect. But perhaps it's best to start out as a concerned citizen, get a lay of the land and then measure your (and our) future participation.

My 2 cents.
-m

 

Proud to have you as our bus driver Andy. And BTW....Thank you!

 

You might try getting in touch with the Boeing "INstitu" arm out in your state. They is the primary for the Scan Eagle UAV I know they are a completely different industry than us, but a conversation with one of their PR team or legal guys might have some insight on how they are going to proceed. I am guessing they will be in attendance at this hearing.

Just a thought