FTCA Membership information
- Thread starter FTCA Director
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You're right! Gotta be careful to not hurt the feelings of all those that don't understand the situation, and complain....regularly.absolutely. and let's not discuss potential shortcomings, lest we hurt someones feelings.
joelspangler
Active member
I wanted to throw in another opinion here. The plans are getting more detailed, with lots of slots for alignment, etc. It's getting to the point where cutting them by hand is very difficult, or possibly even impossible by hand. Unless you have a laser or needle cutter at home, it's just WAY easier to buy the kits. The FT brown paper foam is super ugly, but it's also way less susceptible to water damage than the dollar tree stuff. I've had better luck with painting it without de-laminating from the foam too. The build process and final product is no doubt better with these new, more detailed plans, but at home/manual cutouts are also just getting too difficult. At this point the plans are not very useful to me as I get overwhelmed looking at all of those cutouts.
I'm a FTCA member, mainly to support the team's efforts in lobbying for our hobby. For those who say this is a worthless membership, please realize that once the new rules for flying sites go into effect, Flitetest needs a community association in order to register new flying sites. That's almost certainly WHY they created it. A Youtube channel and RC product store wouldn't give them that ability. I'm also an AMA member, but many AMA sites are not "foam friendly" and if you aren't flying at $3,000 model aircraft, the guys at those fields pretty much shun you. I've unfortunately experienced that. Since AMA isn't always a great option, there needs to be another choice, and FliteTest is trying to make that happen.
I'm a FTCA member, mainly to support the team's efforts in lobbying for our hobby. For those who say this is a worthless membership, please realize that once the new rules for flying sites go into effect, Flitetest needs a community association in order to register new flying sites. That's almost certainly WHY they created it. A Youtube channel and RC product store wouldn't give them that ability. I'm also an AMA member, but many AMA sites are not "foam friendly" and if you aren't flying at $3,000 model aircraft, the guys at those fields pretty much shun you. I've unfortunately experienced that. Since AMA isn't always a great option, there needs to be another choice, and FliteTest is trying to make that happen.
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PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
One other thing you guys seem to be forgetting... Once the new laws and rules come in to play they want to start gearing up for only aircraft made by proven AND certified manufacturers will be legal. The option to build your own stuff will be disappearing should the F.A.A. be mandated by congress to put into action.
Companies like DJI, Redcat , as well as others beyond the Googles and Amazons are all lobbying (pronounced bribing) congress for their exclusivity to be certified manufacturers and sellers. Why do you think DJI came out with that DJI racer POS. Redcat (Chad Kapper involved) wants that piece of the pie with their version of remote ID electronics.
FT might have knowledge of things coming down the line that put them in place for them to carry on under those rules somehow. There is a bigger picture of the over all circus effecting a lot of the decisions being made everywhere in the RC community. Its not hard to search out the players and what they are doing on the interwebz.
Companies like DJI, Redcat , as well as others beyond the Googles and Amazons are all lobbying (pronounced bribing) congress for their exclusivity to be certified manufacturers and sellers. Why do you think DJI came out with that DJI racer POS. Redcat (Chad Kapper involved) wants that piece of the pie with their version of remote ID electronics.
FT might have knowledge of things coming down the line that put them in place for them to carry on under those rules somehow. There is a bigger picture of the over all circus effecting a lot of the decisions being made everywhere in the RC community. Its not hard to search out the players and what they are doing on the interwebz.
JasonK
Participation Award Recipient
unless something changed, that is true for part 107, but not hobbyists.
Hobbyists could fly self built stuff under 250g, put a remote ID module on their craft, or fly at a FRIA.
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
Well I am pretty sure most of the free plans everyone is crying they can not get are well over 250g mate. After 2023 they are not planning to allow ANY home made aircraft under 250g or not BECAUSE of the 250g limit. That is why manufacturers would have to be approved and certified should they get the rules in place they want.
JasonK
Participation Award Recipient
Did you miss the option to put a small module on your self built craft?
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
Did you miss the part "UNTIL the tech is in place to make it mandatory for EVERYTHING by an approved manufacturer"? The wording used infers that everything from the original NPRM WILL be put in place over time. Which means no more scratch builts, nothing without RID and the phasing out of FRIAS within 3 years after implementation. We did not win ANYTHING in the first round of comments about NPRM. They are moving forward with their master plan regardless.
Why do you think I am so negative and against ANY regulation to unite under one banner of ZERO regulation. Then after that is shut down people can form up clubs under the FTCA or relic'd AMA or even worse more ridicules ruling if you can get enough people to form a club under that type of rule and keep telling people that is the ONLY way to keep the hobby alive.
JasonK
Participation Award Recipient
searching just for the word "until" here, I can't find anything to the effect
https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2021-08/RemoteID_Final_Rule.pdf
maybe it is in a different document that you see that?
https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2021-08/RemoteID_Final_Rule.pdf
maybe it is in a different document that you see that?
CappyAmeric
Elite member
I assume @PsyBorg is referring to the natural inclination of government to always take more than they give with regard to liberty. The FAA will always require more… the camel has its nose under the tent, and eventually wants to own the tent.
JasonK
Participation Award Recipient
sure, the argument that the FAA will keep reaching for more and more is a reasonable one to make, I thought we were talking about the current version of the rule/proposal not a theoretical future version.
If the current version has verbiage similar to what was indicated, that is definitely a concern and would appreciate to see that pointed out and made clear.
I am concerned with the rule/proposal as written, I feel that even as written, it is over reaching.
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
Watch this whole video its pretty eye opening if you don't actively keep up on what is going on. BUT.. look starting about 5:40 mark where he references the "At this time" quote in the documents. Save me a whole lot of cut n paste and typing not to mention since its not coming from me MAYBE people will actually believe it......
JasonK
Participation Award Recipient
That was specifically about the network component, I don't think that bit alone is sufficient to say the document means that all scratch built stuff goes away. Scratch built stuff was there in the initial draft. The draft document does screw over part 107 pilots who build their own stuff (so DJI pilots who use them for fly around for real estate and property damage inspection might be ok, but not action pilots).
I also tend to be a bit cautious about Bruce's videos on stuff like this as he tends to find the worst possible way to interpret things and sometime push the words even beyond that.
I also tend to be a bit cautious about Bruce's videos on stuff like this as he tends to find the worst possible way to interpret things and sometime push the words even beyond that.
CappyAmeric
Elite member
Having worked closely with (and mostly under the thumb) of the FAA for over 40 years as a professional pilot, it is a self-sustaining monster, and although there are some really good people working there (hmm, does that sound like the F%B%I% ?), it is power hungry. When Congress gives it an opportunity to create regulation, they will always over regulate - and it will never be positive for personal liberty, or freedom in general.
Plus, since it is made up of government employees, some of them not only lie, they lie for a living.
CappyAmeric
Elite member
18 months ago, I might have been inclined to agree with you… but who could have imagined then what encroachments we have now seen into our liberty by bureaucratic “experts” who lack basic common sense? Now I can almost envision unmarked black SUVs following some vehicles after after they pull away from Dollar Tree stores.
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
Most people get into politics with good intentions but they surely do not STAY in politics or governmental positions because they are honest people. The whole system is broken and it all needs to reboot. ALL of it. The over reach in nearly every aspect of life now is way past acceptable.
They failed reading comprehension just like 80% of the internet. Governing a people is NOT Ruling a people they seem to lack that simple understanding.
JasonK
Participation Award Recipient
things have changing over time, so I don't know what the exact experience you would get. There were a few free plans released, but most of them cost some $ (and I believe that is going to be the plan going forward).
in the FTCA portal, there is a list of plans, all of them have a price greater then 0, except the simple stick when I check them today (I am aircrew).
RossFPV
Well-known member
I checked and the simple stick plans are free for me and im spectator
