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It is a DGI Phantom 2 quadcopter. It is the most popular quadcopter made and has brought the RC flying hobby to thousands who have never flown before.

This is a toy which he bought at a Hobby Shop. About a $400 toy but a toy all the same. The FPV equipment and the GoPro camera were extra of course.

The FAA has allowed model aviation for decades and the hobby is overseen by the hobby group the AMA. This hobby includes not only quadcopters but fixed wing planes, helicopters, control line planes, gliders, electric engine and gas motor planes and seaplanes.

This is a very creative hobby and it attracts dynamic people. This hobby has been the gateway for many who have gone into aviation, engineering and the space program. It is essential for cultivating inventors and growing the next generation of people who will build great things in America.

This is why the FAA is proposing new rules to shut down decades of the aero modeling hobby as we know it. The socialist beast does not want anyone to be exceptional and to excel. We need to fight to protect this hobby and our nation.

The FAA has always been of the mindset that they regulate all the airspace over the U.S., the only question is what within that airspace needs to be regulated... the answer to that lies in what aircraft are deemed to be a public safety hazard. About 15-20 yrs ago (can’t specifically recall), I had an FAA official tell me that the FAA would regulate a frisbee if they thought it represented a safety hazard. I do not believe RC flyer have ever had a carte blanche to operate over congested areas at any altitude. The AMA has done an excellent job of self-policing over the decades, and the recent crop of new entrants into the hobby has led the FAA to consider them a safety hazard... a few morons (or terrorists) fly a quadcopter into the approach path of a major airport, and it is clear the breed has become a safety hazard. A few bad apples are ruining it for the vast majority of those with common sense and without ill intent.

This is a very creative hobby and it attracts dynamic people. This hobby has been the gateway for many who have gone into aviation, engineering and the space program. It is essential for cultivating inventors and growing the next generation of people who will build great things in America. This is why the FAA is proposing new rules to shut down decades of the aero modeling hobby as we know it. The socialist beast does not want anyone to be exceptional and to excel.

Sadly, true. As a kid in the 70's I had a great time flying R/C powered and unpowered aircraft. R/C gliders are a blast to fly when you hit a thermal and ride it up, up, up!

FedGov is on a mission to squeeze the last drops of joy out of living. Give it a few more years. They'll have our activities so regulated, smiling will be a crime.