Regulations clear on private drone use
To the editor:
In the Feb. 11, 2015 Star-Herald there was an article on drones, page 7, where Mr. Duplessis shared his love of drones and did a great job of informing his audience of what they could do. He made slight mention of regulations currently being developed for commercial drones, but no mention of the regulations covering private use of drones.
As the safety officer for the Aroostook County Flyers RC Club, I’d like to inform him and his audience that flying of drones is causing a lot of concern in the FAA and there are regulations on the books now that cover them. I suggest that Mr. Duplessis, his audience, and anyone interested in flying drones or model aircraft go to the Academy of Model Aeronautics web page, www.modelaircraft.org.
This site has a great video concerning drones and model aircraft, government policies in the works and those already on record. Go to the “About AMA” section and you can see all the trouble drones have caused since their inception, actions being taken by our organization, i.e. AMA, and their dealings with the FAA.
Model aviation has been alive since the late 1930s, and our organization and clubs affiliated with AMA have fair but strict rules governing models of all kinds. We are mainly interested in radio-controlled planes, but welcome you to come and join us or just watch at the flying field on the Lathrop Road in late spring. We would appreciate you calling if you have any questions. Call me at 455-4492, or our president, Ralph Steeves, at 764-4963.
Frank Smith
Washburn
