Can someone read over this and break it down I am just too tired  ... I know there will be interest here.

https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20180924/HR302.pdf

This is the entire bill, search for drone and/or UAS to get to the impact on us.
Starts here:
Subtitle B—Unmanned Aircraft Systems

FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 & Drones

Gimpy Posted at 2018-9-22 18:08
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 & Drones

thank you

sounds like someone from within one of those commercial drone alliances that hates hobby pilots (same people wish to do drone deliveries for amazon and google)  somehow paid enough money to people to push a bill in for approval...  

just skimming over it its asking for more more localized enforcement against drones, asking for people get taxed for flying, shrinking part 107 protections, while at same time opening up a "non restrictive" (no oversight) section of "research and development" basically proposing FAA can't touch them/enforce non compliance over them for at-least 6 years until studies are completed and they this section is highly restrictive who can join it...

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2018-9-22 18:41
sounds like someone from within one of those commercial drone alliances that hates hobby pilots (same people wish to do drone deliveries for amazon and google)  somehow paid enough money to people to push a bill in for approval...  

just skimming over it its asking for more more localized enforcement against drones, asking for people get taxed for flying, shrinking part 107 protections, while at same time opening up a "non restrictive" (no oversight) section of "research and development" basically proposing FAA can't touch them/enforce non compliance over them for at-least 6 years until studies are completed and they this section is highly restrictive who can join it...

yep that is what I was getting from it. I saw a youtube vid on the fight the commercial drone alliance was putting up to restrict hobbyist.  

One thing that I did learn on the line of sight is that you can have have an observer "extend" the visual line of sight. How practical that is to the hobbyist I don't know.  

Packer Backer Posted at 2018-9-22 18:52
yep that is what I was getting from it. I saw a youtube vid on the fight the commercial drone alliance was putting up to restrict hobbyist.  

One thing that I did learn on the line of sight is that you can have have an observer "extend" the visual line of sight. How practical that is to the hobbyist I don't know.

a lot of current rules are fairly impractical.. and new stuff in this bill makes it worse.  


the thing i hate the most:

these alliances are basically false marketing as well..reading the name and their description what they wanna achieve..they sound like good for everyone, in reality they wanna crush our hobby (or for some of us, our careers) to make money sending packages and doing "research" .  in reality i can't imagine why they need an unrestricted level of access for "research" ... either they have no idea what they want to do with it.. or they know exactly what they want to do and they just want a get out of jail free card..

and for packages, well not sure about that, package delivery by drone to a single house on a hill, sure... a package delivery to inner city apartments...going to be a lot of theift.. hell i used to live in a typical looking american suburb neighborhood and people stole from each other all the time...mostly people form outside of the neighborhood watching UPS and Fedex trucks and jumping on freshly delivered boxes..  going to be a whole new sport for those people!

If (45502.a.2.A.ii) is meant to include drones  - "“(ii) ensure that any civil unmanned aircraft system includes a sense-and-avoid capability**;" it will raise costs of future drones and could block flying of current drones.

** The term ‘sense-and-avoid capability’ means the capability of an unmanned aircraft to remain a safe distance from and to avoid collisions with other airborne aircraft.

Problem with such Bills is proposed language, is usually tweaked before Bills become Law, and from there Big Brother gets to decide what language of Law meant.  
Meaning, you may be in compliance of Law, but you will spend a fortune proving it.  

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2018-9-22 19:19
a lot of current rules are fairly impractical.. and new stuff in this bill makes it worse.  

I am not sure why the hate from them towards hobbyist, I have tried to think of every "business reason" and other than unauthorized deliveries being attempted which is the farthest from my mind or possibly a PR issue should hobbyist have an accident. I don't see why it would benefit this with more restrictions on us.

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 2018-9-22 20:28
If (45502.a.2.A.ii) is meant to include drones  - "“(ii) ensure that any civil unmanned aircraft system includes a sense-and-avoid capability**;" it will raise costs of future drones and could block flying of current drones.

** The term ‘sense-and-avoid capability’ means the capability of an unmanned aircraft to remain a safe distance from and to avoid collisions with other airborne aircraft.

I thought I read that it would only apply to manufactures/drones after a  created after a certain date. But I could be wrong. And I am not sure if a China plant as to abide by that other than proving that it does have obstacle avoidance. What I did not like (and I don't know if this was previous language) but about the drone being limited to the the FAA rules i.e height, distance and NFZ.

Packer Backer Posted at 2018-9-23 16:32
I am not sure why the hate from them towards hobbyist, I have tried to think of every "business reason" and other than unauthorized deliveries being attempted which is the farthest from my mind or possibly a PR issue should hobbyist have an accident. I don't see why it would benefit this with more restrictions on us.

im not sure either, but these alliances getting backing from google and amazon and other companies so must be a financial reasoning to them not wanting hobbyists.  

they dont word it like they dont want hobbyists either but they make it so impractical to the point hobbyists are the ones that really cant enjoy drones.

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2018-9-23 16:50
im not sure either, but these alliances getting backing from google and amazon and other companies so must be a financial reasoning to them not wanting hobbyists.  

they dont word it like they dont want hobbyists either but they make it so impractical to the point hobbyists are the ones that really cant enjoy drones.

welp I guess I better get my study glasses out and get that 107 not that it will change anything ..  

Packer Backer Posted at 2018-9-23 16:56
welp I guess I better get my study glasses out and get that 107 not that it will change anything ..

im just going rouge and continue to enjoy what i do,  if they kill the hobbyist side of droning,,

My guess would be that the goal is to have drone expressways that are to be used only be drone delivery services. Eventually, taking a huge chunk of the hobbyist skies away for the all mighty dollar.  

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-9-23 17:01
My guess would be that the goal is to have drone expressways that are to be used only be drone delivery services. Eventually, taking a huge chunk of the hobbyist skies away for the all mighty dollar.

problem is, stealing.. the moment this goes into effect for deliveries to cities and suburbs... whole new fun sport for those people that like to grab packages after following UPS/Fedex guys.  

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-9-23 17:01
My guess would be that the goal is to have drone expressways that are to be used only be drone delivery services. Eventually, taking a huge chunk of the hobbyist skies away for the all mighty dollar.

Amazon is currently working on a delivery service funded by Amazon but acting as a contractor. I don't see the "drone" delivery ever really taking off. Directly to the customer that is. There are way too many ifs involved. And all of those if's = to too much money being lost as in liability.  The reason Amazon is creating contractors is to avoid liability.

I mentioned Amazon because they are the ones, Walmart included that would have the sales traffic to warrant the endeavor.  I just see too much hi-jacking opportunities for thieves out there. I work part time at Amazon to pay for all of my hobbies and even as advanced as they are I don't see where drones would expedite any shipping vs the potential liability.  Now the drone delivery service in other countries could help but those deliveries would have to be to secluded areas.  

There are just too many ways to take down a drone for drone delivery to be a reality in my opinion. These specialty companies whose soul focus to take down drones will ensure that any new tech to protect a drone would be quickly dealt with.