FAA cancels its old 91-57 - Model Aircraft Operating Standards

Good Kebo

Junior Member
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/Cancellation_Memo_AC_91-57.pdf

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/th...the-1981-document-that-legalized-hobby-drones

Anyone know what this means to us? What are the rules or "guidelines" now? What is the status of the "interpretive rule" is it a law?? I thought congress said in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, no new rules on model aircraft hobbyists.

I am again very disappointed with the FAA. I feel like I am being personally bullied by these people. Uhg.

From memo:"This memorandum is to request cancellation. of AC 91-57 Model Aircraft Operating Standards.

This AC is superseded by statutory language in the FAA Modernization and Reform. Act of 2012, Section 336. The FAA has issued an interpretation regarding the scope of the special rule and the FAA’s enforcement authority over model aircraft as affirmed by the statute. The new interpretation also provides guidance to the model aircraft industry. Therefore the guidance in this AC is no longer applicable. A new AC is under development and will be coordinated with the appropriate offices."
 

Tritium

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM
This means that they are preparing to control ALL Airspace to ground level and below if they can get away with it. Too many Big Boys with BIG MONEY want the airspace for commercial "Drone" traffic.

The FAA sidestepped Congress and the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 by making up their own Definitions.

Thurmond
 

Epitaph

Ebil Filleh Pega-Bat ^.^
Mentor
Tritium doesn't seem to have too much to worry about according to his stated location hehehehe
 
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Tritium

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM
No I actually have the "blessing" of the FAA officer (in print) from the nearest FAA office location 80 miles distant IF I stay below 500' and don't "shoot" down any aircraft by accident with my model rocketry. ;)

Thurmond
 

FAI-F1D

Free Flight Indoorist
The FAA has now officially taken a cyanide pill. Good riddance to them...

The "interpretive rule" will not hold up in court. Given that the FAA has now gone to the point of erasing its only other regulatory standards regarding unmanned flight, we've got the Wild West going on now. Or do we...

The FAA has already had long standing standards for "unguided rockets". So Free Flight models will, for the purposes of litigation, get dumped into that category, which will serve actually to protect that discipline, since the low power rocketry regs are pretty minimalist (and no altitude restrictions).

For the R/C community, guess what? Your weight limit just went from 55 lbs to 254 lbs. You're flying an ultralight. Provided it's not for commercial activities, you need not registration, insurance, licensure, approval, whatever, and provided you practice see and avoid, you're effectively legal to go to touch and goes on the runway at the local airport (wouldn't recommend that, but the point remains).

Commercial UAS operation no longer requires a waiver under such a situation. It does require a 100 hr inspection by a licensed mechanic as well as a commercial pilot's license. Flights carrying cargo would have some greater degree of regulation, but whatever.

Bottom line: if we capitalize on this regulatory void, by the time the FAA figures out how big of a mistake they've made, there will be sufficient large scale UAV activity that a court would side with us and against them. So let's make it happen!
 

SnowRocker88

Amateur pilot and builder
Hey, start writing your congressmen people. This is the time when new law will be written and you want it to represent you not repress you.
 

bitogre

Member
The FAA just cancelled it cancelling? Said it was a mistake to cancel the Model Aircraft Operating Standards? Huh?

http://www.suasnews.com/2014/10/31829/ac-91-57-cancelled-in-error/

The way I read the article, it sounds more like that they still plan on canceling it at some point in the future. Specifically, "the announcement was premature and the cancellation notice on the FAA webpage was posted in error." But "FAA does plan to cancel AC 91-57 in order to reconcile the outdated AC with current sUAS policy" which "will occur at a later date and will be accompanied by additional information and an explanation as to the reason for the cancellation."

So, do not rejoice yet. This was just a preview of what we can expect to come in the future if our fight to stop it is not successful.
 

Tritium

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM
Hey, start writing your congressmen people. This is the time when new law will be written and you want it to represent you not repress you.

If you write a paper letter it gets delayed for up to 3 months in a holding facility while it is scrutinized for biological and other potentially harmful contaminants. This has been the case since shortly after 911.

Thurmond
 

SnowRocker88

Amateur pilot and builder
If you write a paper letter it gets delayed for up to 3 months in a holding facility while it is scrutinized for biological and other potentially harmful contaminants. This has been the case since shortly after 911.

Thurmond

Emails are quicker and don't cost you a stamp, envelope or paper...
 

FAI-F1D

Free Flight Indoorist
Wow...just, wow...

So the FAA accidentally let it slip what they're up to. Egg on their faces, and they deserve it.

It's worth noting in their statement that the AMA does not advocate adhering to the "Special Rule" but rather to the safety code. It's also worth noting that the FAA's "Do's and Don'ts" handout says nothing about FPV. And the usual sewage about not flying for hire to remind us that our insect overlords own our lives.

By the way, the AMA safety code is hopelessly out of date. It also contains several quite ridiculous statements, at least for the purposes of modern flying. The safety standards are beyond the pale of ridiculous for micro-electric systems. Also, since the AMA has by definition cleared rocketry activities to occur under AMA sanction in addition to NAR, why has the AMA never taken the time to include rocketry safety standards, which require graduated safety margins according to launch energy and so on?
 

Tritium

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM
The FAA and the AMA have been in bed together for many years but now the FAA has found a new mistress and she has MONEY to offer!

Thurmond
 

jhitesma

Some guy in the desert
Mentor
If you write a paper letter it gets delayed for up to 3 months in a holding facility while it is scrutinized for biological and other potentially harmful contaminants. This has been the case since shortly after 911.

Thurmond

3 month delay or not I've lost faith in writing to my representatives. The last 3 times I sent very clear messages encouraging them to not support something and explaining in clear plain language why they should oppose it....I got nice form letters back thanking me for my shared support of the things I was writing to oppose.

Yep, they sure listen well.