"Keep Calm and Fly On."
Coming up on September 16th, 2022 we are entering a new regulatory phase of the R/C hobby.
Remote ID in the USA will be in effect for pilots and manufacturers.
What you need to know : How will things change?
For DJI Drones : Not much will change. Remote ID is already in the flight controller software.
Currently you can turn it on and off. We will see if a naughty firmware update comes out!
Bind and Fly drones : Most of us buy bind and fly drones. The current BNF will have to change to PNP "Plug N Play" to comply with the "homebuilt" FAA aircraft description. This means manufacturers won't have to add a Remote ID module to it. That is good news. The pilot will be responsible for adding a Remote ID module. So sales will not stop of FPV Drones! You would just have to likely solder a receiver on it. So add a remote ID or not. If you buy a remote ID enabled drone. It may not take off or arm until you have registered it.
Some things have changed for the good. If there is any good to this?
Originally there was "Broadcast" and "Network" requirements. Network has been eliminated as a requirement. So that means you don't have to have a constant internet connected aircraft. Just local Broadcast option. Meaning local authorities will have information registration number id, location, pilot location, speed, and altitude information.
Will you get in trouble if you fly without Remote ID?
99% Chance not likely. There is no drone police regulation force!
But for the 1% of dummies out there who fly in places that are restricted and get a visit from a policeman. Watch out. Don't be stupid. I know that will be hard for some people. I always recommend flying places where you know you won't get in trouble. Private property, outside of town, away from airport and restricted airspaces.
Where will I be able to fly?
FAA Approved FRIA Fields = No Remote ID.
Outside the FRIA = Remote ID required.
Where are FRIAs going to be located?
Local AMA Fields, Flite Test probably, educational institutions like colleges, etc. And you may apply for a FRIA to have a permanent fly space for no remote id.
Our Feelings on Remote ID for the future. - We are not doomed!
I feel that Remote ID will slow down the hobby. But I do feel that 90% of people in the hobby will keep flying as they have for the past 50 years. Most guys I have personally had conversations with at RC meetups, fields, and other places are all against it. Truthfully as Americans we all loathe the over reach of government authority in what many feel is a recreational right. There are groups in place who are legally challenging Remote ID.
Fpv Freedom Coalition website here. You can sign up and become a member!
This article in no way is a statement from me saying. Do what you want. I am saying that since the FAA relaxed some of the manufacturer regulations that the hobby will go on. FPV pilots are a niche crowd. We are not millions of people in the USA. We are a small community. FAA did state they are not looking to kill FPV.
The Remote ID regulation reminds me of a modern version of when the FCC decided they would require all USA Truck Drivers to register and pay for their CB Radio use. The FCC felt that since their airwaves were being used for commercial purposes of communication that they would make people pay. Truckers basically said F that. And to this day not a single driver ever paid the FCC.
When I was at the Wright Brothers Memorial a few years ago in Kitty Hawk. I saw a Sticker with the Wright Flyer on it and it said, "Keep Calm and Fly On". That's how I feel about the whole remote id thing. Keep them flying guys. Our hobby is not over. And we are not doomed. As long as I can build. I will be in the air living the dream as a pilot. It's who I am. Who I have always been since I flew my first balsa airplane. And I am continuing to pass that love of aviation on to my own children. And millions around the world.
Keep Calm. And Fly on.
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Article by Justin Davis of Drone Camps RC on Youtube. ® Rights Reserved 2023.
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