The European Aeronautical Safety Agency is one step closer to
outlawing our wonderful way of life on the hills.
The current draft ruling will mean that we will only be able to fly from club sites,
below 120 metres and with government registered models.
The only exclusion to this will be for gliders etc. weighing 250 grams or less.
The consultation period closes today 15th Sept 2017
EASA's email address is- npa@easa.europa.eu
ref- Notice of Proposed Amendment 2017-05 (B) and
Notice of Proposed Amendment 2017-05 (A)
proposal details can be found here-
The local MP for Thurnham is-
Please take the time to contact Mrs Whately (or your local MP) and make her aware of the
potential loss we are likely to suffer if (or more likely when) this legislation comes into force.
Don't just cut and paste, but maybe base you letter (or email) on the content below -
The European Aviation
Safety Agency is currently proposing extensive legislation to control the use of
commercial and recreational drones. Whilst on the face of
it this is a sensible idea, the current proposals will have far reaching
implications on the wider aero-modelling community of which I am a
part.
In fact the 'catch-all'
level of legislation currently proposed will destroy most aspects of the hobby.
This environmentally friendly activity encourages the development of
technical, design and constructions skills. It encourages physical exercise in
the countryside. It supports social interaction
between people from diverse
backgrounds and from a range of ages, from CEOs to plumbers and from children to
pensioners. It is a community that I have been part of for X years and have many long-standing and close friendships as a
result.
The area I have been
almost exclusively involved in is radio controlled gliding. Most of my flying
takes place on the North Downs at Thurnham just north of Bearsted
near Maidstone. This site is one of the premier locations in the UK and we have
a strong community of flyers who enjoy and support both the
activity, and each other. This location has been used for model flying for over
40 years.
We have an exemplary
safety record.
The new rulings aim to
control drones for reasons of safety and privacy (which I fully understand)
however if they come into force, they will be so wide ranging and
draconian it would become illegal for us to fly our gliders. The community based
around or hobby would disintegrate. The models that we
have painstakingly crafted
would become little more than match wood.
The European Union's
motto is 'Unity Through Diversity'. I can see little evidence of this within
these proposals.
Whilst I agree with the
spirit of what this ruling is trying to achieve, I see absolutely no reason why
models that use no autonomous or semi autonomous control systems, nor
carry cameras, should be governed by these
restrictions.
The safety record of
our activity speaks for itself.
All this legislation
will do is destroy a harmonious, environmentally friendly activity and the
diverse, enriching community that it has built up around
it.
Is there any way in
which you can help reduce the impact of their proposals? This hobby is a
harmless activity that means so much to myself and my fellow flyers. I
dearly hope that there is some way that we can continue enjoying it for many
years to come.
