Posted on 09/29/2011 12:54:00 PM PDT by hattend
It gets worse for hobbyists.
I just received this from Tower Hobbies (my online supplies source)
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Dear Tower Hobbies Customer,
Many people are concerned with new government regulations that are designed to limit our hobby industry. You've probably heard about the new FAA regulations limiting our use of R/C airplanes and proposed shipping bans for R/C batteries.
New regulations are being considered regarding model rocket motors. This may not immediately impact your particular hobby but it's just another step toward regulation of materials used in hobbies and deserves your attention.
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has recently advised that they propose to terminate a special permit under which model rocket motors and igniters have been shipped for the last 33 years. If the permit is terminated model rocket motors and igniters will no longer be able to be shipped as "Flammable Solids" and will instead have to be shipped as "Explosives."
In 33 years there have been no incidents involved in the shipping and transporting of model rocket motors and igniters.
Hobbyists need your support. Attached is a sample e-mail that we request you send immediately to express your support.
We believe that shipping model rocket motors and igniters as "Explosives" would only cause unnecessary concern for hobby shops, educators, youth group leaders and families using model rockets for educational and recreational purposes.
If you believe as we do, please send an e-mail to the Department of Transportation no later than October 10, 2011.
A sample email is below:
TO: specialpermits@dot.gov
Subject: DOT-SP 7887 Show Cause Response
Dear Associate Administrator,
The purpose of this e-mail is to request that DOT-SP 7887 be kept in force as written. The Special Permit, previously DOT-E 7887 has been in place since 1978 and is used by many of us who enjoy hobbies including model rockets, motors and igniters.
To my knowledge, there has never been an incident involving the shipping and transporting of model rocket motors and igniters. Further I believe that shipping these products as "Explosives" will create unnecessary fear and difficulty for those handling, transporting, receiving, storing, selling and using these products.
After 33 years of use, the termination of the Special Permit is unwarranted and possibly damaging to an educational and recreational product that has an excellent record. In closing, I again request the Special Permit be kept in place as written.
- Your Name and Address
I just sold my 108 inch scale Lancaster kit on ebay last summer.
Wish I’d kept it but I was unemployed.
The "explosives" were supplied by the FBI (can't have the ATF having all the fun)
I’m thinking it was likely WHAT he was going to put IN those *bombs*. You wouldn’t need explosives to damage a building — just the plane itself... Loaded with whatever you wanted to put in there (biological/chemical?). Low-life scum... I’m really glad they caught him.
I don’t do as much building as I used to. My job is in Alaska, my planes are in California.
Hopefully, that will change soon (still have at least a year left up here)
I have been building for close to 50 years (I’m 57) started with control line as a kid and then was big into free-flight through my teen years. Got my first RC at 18 and never looked back.
My first love are sailplanes, then sport scale. I only got into large scale planes when I had a friend who was unloading some of his stock. I have the Twin Otter, a 15 foot Telemaster and a big Corsair still in a box in the garage. I would have never had the time or room to build those.
I have a couple of build threads over on RCU:
Super Strikemaster
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_1538947/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm
and a Mig 29 propjet
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_2177564/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm
The RC jets Ferdaus was intending to use were 1/10 scale. I fly both RC airplanes and helicopters. Below is a recent video of me flying my electric powered 1/4 scale Extra 330SC, which has a wingspan of 72”, a length of 72” and weighs in at 10.14 lbs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6WjR4Sx9Bw
The 330SC could easily transport 2 lbs. of explosives. Sure, 2 lbs. of C4 won’t bring down the Pentagon, but it could still kill many people upon detonation. Also, one coule easily fly an RC airplane loaded with explosives into a crowd of people. The threat of using RC aircraft as a terrorist weapon is very real. However, my fear is that this incident will cause a knee-jerk reaction by the Obama Administration and/or Congress to heavily regulate the use of RC aircraft. Just as with guns, there are responsible owners and there are criminals.
NICE! My heart was always with scale. I fell in love with WW2 aviation when I was a kid...then I fell in love with the WW1 stuff....can’t put your heart into an ARF so I guess I gotta wait till I can build again. I do miss doing touch and goes on a sunny day though....biggest airplane I have is a Stinson with a small gas motor, G23 I think, 120 inch wing span...my first gas plane.
Isn't that the best? I love to try to hit the same spot every time. I tell young kids at the field how much skill a touch and go entails and they just look at me funny and off they go doing the hovering thing.
I still can't hover my planes for any length of time
My biggest thrill is landing my sailplanes directly at my feet without spoilers...just an intimate knowledge of how the plane flies and how well it glides.
Nice plane!
It's what I doooo... hehehehe.
The young kids fly vastly overpower airplanes...heck, so do alot of adults (lol). Kids don't understand how much finesse it takes to fly an underpowered Folker DR7 in a cross wind. That is what makes a pilot.....it's the best fun you can have as well...
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