Interim CEO?
- Thread starter tomlogan1
- Start date
First off, Thank You Dave for being on the forum. It is always nice to see someone from Flite Test reading the concerns and the thoughts from the community.
Curious minds need to know if the FTCA is going to change ?
Dave please keep posting your thoughts and insights.
Curious minds need to know if the FTCA is going to change ?
Dave please keep posting your thoughts and insights.
DaveM
CEO Flite Test
Alan, I have been running FPV Freedom Coalition for 5 years. FPV Freedom Coalition is mostly focused on multi rotors but we also welcome FPV wing fliers and we also get involved a lot with part 107. We have been primarily a governmental affairs organization, pressing the FAA to make it easier for us to fly recreational sUAS (that includes RC planes). I am also a member of the ASTM Remote ID working group who wrote the spec which complies with the FAA Remote ID rules. Now that FTCA also falls under my stewardship, we will continue to share governmental topics from FPV Freedom Coalition with FTCA as appropriate. In other words, when it makes sense, the FTCA will take the cue from FPV Freedom Coalition on topics like encouraging Congressional Representatives and Senators to vote one way or another on a bill. I am keenly aware that this is not necessarily what FTCA members signed up for so we will keep the requests to a minimum.First off, Thank You Dave for being on the forum. It is always nice to see someone from Flite Test reading the concerns and the thoughts from the community.
Curious minds need to know if the FTCA is going to change ?
Dave please keep posting your thoughts and insights.
The FTCA was also formed to ensure individuals could fly together easily. To this end, Josh coined the expression, "FRIA First". That captures our goal of making life easier in this time of RID regulations. I'm the one submitting FRIA applications for FTCA (in addition to some for FPVFC) and the FAA is now approving FRIAs more quickly and they now ask for clarification if there is an issue with an application. This is a huge improvement of what was happening early in the FRIA process. This approval will continue.
Next, when the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023 gets passed, primary and secondary schools will be able to have students enjoy 44809 (Recreational exception to part 107) rights to fly. Right now, a school must be a chartered organization of a CBO. We can make that happen if a primary or secondary school wants to do this before the Reauthorization of 2023 is passed. For those reading closely, you might ask: Why isn't the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023 already passed? It is because the House has stalled most major authorization bills and is passing Continuing Resolutions which keep the Agencies etc. funded and running but under prior Authorization Acts.
The FTCA then is here to provide a minimum of red tape to enable and facilitate individuals to fly easily and at the a low costs and comply with regulations. I worked closely with Tritium Electronics on the FT EZ ID to provide a low cost way to comply with regulations.
What else would this group like to see from the FTCA? We are making a lot of changes inside Flite Test to provide the planes and drones we feel the community is asking for. Our goal is to welcome and encourage newcomers to the hobby and that most definitely includes girls and women. The FTCA and Flite Test share these goals to welcome and encourage newcomers.
Thanks for the kind words. I welcome comments.
Dave
DaveM
CEO Flite Test
LB, yes I have. Last Thursday, this was mentioned several times by Dallas Brooks, Co-Chair of the Drone Safety Team with Jeffry Vincent, Exec Director, UAS Integration Office, FAA. The rulemaking committee for BVLOS is at work and we won't know for sure but it appears a part 108 or something similar to what we proposed in the BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee is likely to happen. I am a huge supporter of part 108 as it reinforces the delineation between commercial and recreational. We want recreational operators to continue to be able to comply with Remote ID with just broadcast remote ID while Congress has mandated the FAA create new rules requiring Network remote ID.
Dave
DaveM
CEO Flite Test
Emails? I have to send emails too?
It reminds me of the meme of a mother with her head in her hands and she says, "The want dinner...again." Seriously, would this group want to see an email now and then? We are doing a LOT at Flite Test. Much of it is changing internal processes and the desired result is numerous changes that are starting to become visible. My thought process spans Flite Test and FTCA and that includes our growing STEM initiatives.
Getting back to the FTCA monthly update email would be nice.Emails? I have to send emails too?
Thanks for the response...and the information.Emails? I have to send emails too?
I think some form of communication would be good, whether that is an email, website blog/post/forum post, youtube, etc.
Transparency, at least on the FTCA side, is important. Even with regards internal processes.
Emails? I have to send emails too?
Hello Dave,
Do you have any idea about when the FTCA site will be updated ?
Al
DaveM
CEO Flite Test
Please allow me respond to the transparency comment. I have over four decades business experience including twenty five years on the board of a bank. I have spent the last five years leading FPV Freedom Coalition, an all-volunteer, not for profit, advocating the FAA for your rights to fly.
As a result of working hard for four decades, I can do what I want My motivation to work at Flite Test is the people who make up Flite Test, the volunteers of Flite Fest and the larger community.
I feel my motivations and experiences are important guides to transparency. We are open and share how we got to decisions when we can. Some decisions are personnel related and we will keep those confidential Through respect for individuals and the law. We listen carefully to what our community needs and wants and we watch what the competition is doing. I also spend a fair amount of time keeping up with news from the banking industry, global tech as well as national and global politics. Openly sharing political views is not something most people want to see or listen to.
i hope this helps provide a little insight into how we strive to be transparent. I hope you see that to me, at the center of transparency is honesty and trust.
Al, We are trying to determine what we need to do to update the site. We are putting a lot of energy into the FT app. And, we are working on a Plans Plan. That is, how do we offer plans for new designs and still keep things equitable for FTCA members who have had a discount for the 13 available sets of plans. And, FTCA still benefits from the close relationship with FPV Freedom Coalition which provides the only governmental affairs effort for recreational operators other than the AMA.
With respect to the FTCA's role of managing FRIA applications, I've taken that on myself. Within FPV Freedom Coalition, two of us submit most FRIA applications so I know the process. And, the FAA has improved the application process quite a bit so our success rate is very good.
I have also recently started monitoring and responding to the general Flite Test and the Flite Test Community Association fora. My comments don't substitute for the numerous moderators who have been diligently working on the fora since they were created. Much of my following the fora benefits my view of if we are on the right track in what we're doing with products and services to the community.
What updates to the FTCA website would you like to see?
Dave
The first update to the FTCA site that I would like is regarding the plans discount.
The most recent discount code, now expired, was in October of 23, some 6 months ago. Are FTCA members going to continue enjoying a discount on plans? Or is this a perk that we once had but will no longer enjoy?
I would very much like to see the FTCA to offer liability insurance as a perk of membership. Similar to the liability coverage of my membership in another RC related association. The FTCA once spoke about offering this coverage but there had been no update, no news just crickets.
Thank you for your continued engagement with the forums, it is very much appreciated.
DaveM
CEO Flite Test
Merv, Yes, FTCA members will continue to receive discounts on plans. We are working on the details of announcing updates to our program around Flite Test plans.
The discount codes. I understand this one. We will fix the discount codes. My apologies this has lapsed.
Liability insurance. Not likely. I looked into this in 2019 for FPV Freedom Coalition. We studied what AMA does (largely secondary insurance) and we also researched options for sUAS (RC, drone...) operators. We found Skywatch.ai which offered a range of insurance from liability to property to hull insurance and their premiums could be based on an annual payment, monthly, weekly or hourly. We ended up recommending SkyWatch.AI to our members. I have not discussed this with the other FTCA Board Members. I can do that.
Dave
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