Hobby Shop Notice

[Maingear]

I made a supply run at lunch to the local hobby shop and become speechless with the encounter. The employee helped me find the parts I was looking for (they stock parts for everything they sell), small talk was exchanged about the holidays.. I made a passing comment about the registration and the employee loudly asked the owner what I was talking about. He thought it was for quads with cameras, after explaining some of the details the came owner let me have it with both barrels...... I was informed that:

1. The FAA had stopped by, some day earlier, and demanded the "Know before you fly" poster be hung.

2. The AMA had sent her a notification that the store should ensure customers have an AMA number or a UAS Certificate of Registration before purchasing all r/c aircraft.

100% of their walls and windows are well stocked with merchandise so the poster was placed in a threshold area. I never noticed it before. Out of all the years I've known the owner, I've never seen this person without a smile on their face, true southern hospitality! I felt the unbridled pent up wrath towards the AMA! The owner explained that a good percentage of their purchases are made by family members as a surprise for the pilot.

Has anyone else encountered this? I'm not going to push my luck by going back in there and ask to see the AMA's e-mail. :black_eyed:

Justin

 

[Ron B]

whew eee

 

[razor02097]

How sad...yet another case of the government getting involved and only good people getting hurt in the process.

 

[bhursey]

I made a supply run at lunch to the local hobby shop and become speechless with the encounter. The employee helped me find the parts I was looking for (they stock parts for everything they sell), small talk was exchanged about the holidays.. I made a passing comment about the registration and the employee loudly asked the owner what I was talking about. He thought it was for quads with cameras, after explaining some of the details the came owner let me have it with both barrels...... I was informed that:

1. The FAA had stopped by, some day earlier, and demanded the "Know before you fly" poster be hung.

2. The AMA had sent her a notification that the store should ensure customers have an AMA number or a UAS Certificate of Registration before purchasing all r/c aircraft.

100% of their walls and windows are well stocked with merchandise so the poster was placed in a threshold area. I never noticed it before. Out of all the years I've known the owner, I've never seen this person without a smile on their face, true southern hospitality! I felt the unbridled pent up wrath towards the AMA! The owner explained that a good percentage of their purchases are made by family members as a surprise for the pilot.

Has anyone else encountered this? I'm not going to push my luck by going back in there and ask to see the AMA's e-mail. :black_eyed:

Justin

And now the death of the hobby shop is speed up. Sounds like all faa to me never herd of the ama ever demanding that. Why would the ama requier the uas registration when they were fighting it. Dosent make since

 

[razor02097]

I know if I walked into a hobby shop and they demanded to see my FAA number or AMA number before a sale I would just walk out. Even if I had the FAA or AMA number. It isn't their business to check whether I am registered or a member of the AMA. It is their business to sell stuff.

 

[The-One-Who-Never-Crashes]

Oh my gosh... I had no idea that it would go that far.

 

[bitogre]

I would love to see this letter that was sent to the store by the AMA. I do not want to judge the AMA before reading it. For all we know, the AMA was just giving a suggestion that the store owner misread due to the prior interaction with the FAA. I am pretty sure it has no ability to enforce the suggestion.

As for the FAA demanding the store display its poster, that sounds like typical government overreach. I do not think they had the authority to make such a demand. However, I do think it is best to advise your customers about things like the "Know Before You Fly" to minimize people flying RC Aircraft without even knowing basic rules.

I suspect the next few months are going to be rough with more incidents like this while the AMA and FAA duke it out.

 

[razor02097]

The poster would have made a dandy floor mat. I seriously doubt the FAA has ANY authority over retail stores of any type.

 

[BobK]

FAA/AMA...same thing..they both want your money.

-Bob

 

[kacknor]

Oh my gosh... I had no idea that it would go that far.

TOWNC, you live in LA and are surprised at how far Government can go? Shocked, SHOCKED I tell ya! I grew up In Hacienda Heights. Never looked back because I could see it coming out there!

The hobby store is just an example of how mis and bad information will run out as this settles in. FAA demands a poster, AMA demands that they issue a card. Neither one has been mentioned yet, in public, as a requirement for purchase. Doesn't mean I trust the AMA though. I fully expect that this recent letter of theirs is a chip to get their AMA card to substitute for the FAA registration. Sub, not stop. They see it as another path to the money, and the USG will encourage us to pay it.

JD

 

[kacknor]

FAA/AMA...same thing..they both want your money.

-Bob

Yes! Yes indeed!

 

[The-One-Who-Never-Crashes]

TOWNC, you live in LA and are surprised at how far Government can go? Shocked, SHOCKED I tell ya! I grew up In Hacienda Heights. Never looked back because I could see it coming out there!

The hobby store is just an example of how mis and bad information will run out as this settles in. FAA demands a poster, AMA demands that they issue a card. Neither one has been mentioned yet, in public, as a requirement for purchase. Doesn't mean I trust the AMA though. I fully expect that this recent letter of theirs is a chip to get their AMA card to substitute for the FAA registration. Sub, not stop. They see it as another path to the money, and the USG will encourage us to pay it.

JD

I know just how far the government can go, but to require a poster, a card, etc....

 

[mjcp]

FAA/AMA...same thing..they both want your money.

-Bob

The LHS also wants your money... some enterprising guy/gal will find a way to sell and AMA membership at checkout to the well meaning relative, much like they sell warranties to the seniors at the local electrical store...

Big smiles all round as now the AMA will love the fact they can flog 2 x memberships, the LHS gets a kick back and FAA has more details.

mjcp

 

[BobK]

The LHS also wants your money... some enterprising guy/gal will find a way to sell and AMA membership at checkout to the well meaning relative, much like they sell warranties to the seniors at the local electrical store...

Big smiles all round as now the AMA will love the fact they can flog 2 x memberships, the LHS gets a kick back and FAA has more details.

mjcp

All the LHS's around here, that sadly are not here anymore, were ran by people like you or I, people that started the shop for the love of the hobby. Not one of them got a "kickback" from the AMA..and the AMA didn't do anything to help keep them in business. The AMA is just another union. I do not see LHS's benefiting at all from this.

 

[RAM]

I remember when the government was going to save us all from big tobacco. They caught them red handed. A legacy of pushing a product as addictive as heroin on our youth. Knowing all along that the product causes cancer. Thankfullly the government stepped in and glommed onto the cash flow, otherwise you would still be paying half a buck a pack. Go go government regulators.

 

[Capt_Beavis]

I don't believe it.

 

[cranialrectosis]

So the FAA paid a house call on a hobby shop?

Really?