New Guy saying hello and what the heck is with the FAA and their crazy new rules?

[Dick Dastardly]

Hello Flite Testers.

Here is my short story:

I'm new, really new. About 5-months ago I bought a small cheap 2-channel indoor heli and drone. A week later I bought a flight sim, and a used-like-new Rise racing drone RTF from Tower. I flew it 6 or so times at a local park. However, it's been too wet for weeks. I already shorted an esc landing it in the wet grass, $30 lesson learned.

I then bought a T-Rex 190 heli and a Spectrum 8 channel radio with future plans for planes and a larger heli. I don't have the room to fly the mini rex indoors too much, but again, the grass is too wet. I just crashed it inside, breaking a servo which just happens to be on back-order. So, the baby rex is grounded for now too.

Then in late November, I bought an FMS Super EZ trainer. I haven't flown it yet. It's 48 inch wingspan makes it a little too big to fly at the local park, so I set it up, but have yet to fly it. After realizing the size, I bought an E-flite UMX Timber. Again, I have yet to fly it. The long wet grass and wind will present a landing danger for my new $130 plane, especially in the hands of this newbie. So, I bought floats thinking they will make wet grass take-offs and landings possible and may protect the prop. I know it will make flying more difficult, but the plane has AS3X stability control capacity, which may help. I may be compelled to try flying the float-able Timber in the swamp-like-grass if I can get a near windless day. But I fear I will crash it expensively.

So, last week I found FT, and am awaiting delivery of a spitfire without power-pack and the mini mustang/Corsica combo with a single F-pack. I planed on building and crashing the minis as sacrificial lambs; let them take the crashes and help me learn building basics. I thought I would try to let the "factory-planes" sit for a while. I find building anything to be fun.

I came to this form to find building tips and incentives on how to do my first build, the mini mustang. In the process, I found out something that seems to have changed everything. That being these new crazy registration rules for aircraft over 250g. I don't know if I want to essentially become a pilot. For me, these are like toys, a hobby; but now it seems the !$%^*%^ government has ruined it. Someone must be fighting for more reasonable rules, from what I have seen, they seem to be out of control oppressive. They have essentially criminalized much of the hobby that existed before 12/17/2017.

These rules mean I need to register everything I have except the mini heli and the Timber, which is under 250g even with battery and floats. No wonder why it is selling out constantly. Even the FT minis are overweight it seems.

So, are there any plans to bring in a mini under 250g? Certainly, I am not the first to consider this. New plans for non-outlaw minis?

Is there any way of shaving weight from the current FT minis so they don't need a government number? I'll fly outlaw if I need. The plane police aren't keeping me on the ground, but I would rather not be forced into a life of crime.

Thanks, I hope I don't sound ridiculous, but I can't help it.

- Dick

 

[rockyboy]

Welcome to the forums, and our new RC hobby reality of the last several years.

We've mostly gotten over the registration outrage around here and just got on with flying. The registration is $5 - they take your name and address and you answer like 4 questions and promise to be a good little scout - and it's one per pilot so you get one number to put on everything that's over the weight limit. I put it on all my batteries so no matter what I'm flying, it's in there somewhere and I don't have to remember to do anything with it until I buy new batteries.

 

[rockyboy]

Welcome to the forums, and our new RC hobby reality of the last several years.

We've mostly gotten over the registration outrage around here and just got on with flying. The registration is $5 - they take your name and address and you answer like 4 questions and promise to be a good little scout - and it's one per pilot so you get one number to put on everything that's over the weight limit. I put it on all my batteries so no matter what I'm flying, it's in there somewhere and I don't have to remember to do anything with it until I buy new batteries.

 

[PsyBorg]

Ohh thats a great Idea Rockboy.. I been thinking how to label my 5 inch quads. I will be putting my FAA and AMA numbers on my batteries but there is no way in H@#$ I am adding my address to anything. Too many nutbags in society today if they see that would be thinking hrrm quads are expensive. Maybe I should go to that address and see what else is there.

To the OP sadly its a way of life now. By the way the FAA aint joking. You could potentially get smacked with up to a 28000 dollar fine should they want to press the issue. for now it seems they are using complaints about RC issues as more teaching and talking point moments if the people they have to contact are cool and dont freak out. Only moronic Phantom owners being extra stupid have been hit with the harder of the wrist smacks that I have heard of which is where most of the issues forcing the need for Govt to step in came into play.

 

[cranialrectosis]

I suggest the warbirds like the Corsair and Spitfire are not very beginner friendly.

The FT Tiny Trainer is a gentle plane to learn on and should be slower and simpler to learn to fly on.

 

[sprzout]

Welcome to the forums, and our new RC hobby reality of the last several years.

We've mostly gotten over the registration outrage around here and just got on with flying. The registration is $5 - they take your name and address and you answer like 4 questions and promise to be a good little scout - and it's one per pilot so you get one number to put on everything that's over the weight limit. I put it on all my batteries so no matter what I'm flying, it's in there somewhere and I don't have to remember to do anything with it until I buy new batteries.

I didn't even think about putting the sticker on the batteries! that makes a heck of a lot of sense! I've been sticking it inside the battery area on a sticker, but your suggestion makes a ton of sense. Only issue is if the battery gets ejected from the plane upon crash landing, and if that's the case, it's probably going to be a pretty messy crash.

 

[Ray K]

I must be behind the curve again (as usual). I thought the weight was 50 pounds. No?

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

I must be behind the curve again (as usual). I thought the weight was 50 pounds. No?

Nope.

You see, this is the FAA we're talking about here, and keeping the 55 lbs restriction would make too much sense. ;P

 

[Ray K]

Nope.

You see, this is the FAA we're talking about here, and keeping the 55 lbs restriction would make too much sense. ;P

Yep, been dealing with those guys for over 50 years. Very little about them ever changes. I think the American Indians said it rather well: "White man speak with forked tongue."

 

[JimCR120]

Hello Dick and thank you for the good intro.

Welcome to the forum.
-Jim

 

[jack10525]

Wow nice intro. I live in South Florida and fly at a semi abandoned baseball training camp. There are several ball fields here for local junior and adult teams but they are way off from where I fly. I have a pretty good sized field with light poles spaced about every 250-300 ft. I've had cops drive by and watch me fly but no one has ever told me I can't fly here. Also Homestead Air Force base is about 2 miles to my east. I have some recent flight videos of planes flying over as I am flying. Still never had a problem with any authorities. Hopefully it stays that way.

 

[skymaster]

So do we need to register with the FAA and can you get away with not submitting your address like PsyBorg said. I dont want unwanted visitors at my place. I'm thinking that the # should be written on something that in case you loose the aircraft over time it could disintegrate.
And what if some one see's my # and uses it. am i being paranoid , i don't mind the registration it's just like plates on my car, but the difference is that only law enforcement has access to it.

 

[sprzout]

So do we need to register with the FAA and can you get away with not submitting your address like PsyBorg said. I dont want unwanted visitors at my place. I'm thinking that the # should be written on something that in case you loose the aircraft over time it could disintegrate.
And what if some one see's my # and uses it. am i being paranoid , i don't mind the registration it's just like plates on my car, but the difference is that only law enforcement has access to it.

Ok...According to the FAA's rules, the only thing you have to put on your plane/quad/heli/etc. is your registration number.

That said, my club goes one further and asks us to put our name and phone number with our registration number. This is so that if our plane goes down in what we refer to as "the jungle", which is a mass of trees, brush, and tall weeds. Many times, people have gone in to this morass to recover their plane that went down and they come back with other planes that they've found, and generally the planes are held on to at the field's charging station for identification, or they bring them in to the meeting. If there's a phone number, though, you can pick up the phone and call the person who owns the plane and let them know.

Is the name and phone number required by the FAA? No, it's just required if you're flying at our club's site. Does the club check? Ehhh....Yes and no. If you're new, they let you know, they expect you to put it in the battery box or on the tail or something, but it's generally not a big deal. Think of it as more common courtesy and a way to recover your plane if it goes down.

Ideally, what the AMA wants is that you can just put your AMA number inside the plane, rather than the FAA registration number, and that'd be good enough, but the cynical side of me says that FAA wants a way to tax us a little bit for flying, so, you gotta pony up the $5 for the couple of years registration and use that same number across all of your aerial vehicles.

 

[Bricks]

Welcome to the forums If you want to fly when it is wet as I fly a couple of 250 size quads and my planes all winter in the snow I use Corrosion X on all my planes motors and pretty much soak the wholes quads. I have buried them in 2 feet of snow if it wasn`t for the hole they left in the snow I would not of found them. Going on 2 winters and not a problem with anything ever burning out.

There is a video someplace around here they made about Corrosion X I cannot seem to find it maybe some one else has a URL to it.

 

[cranialrectosis]

This one I think.

 

[skymaster]

Well i have been thinking and it's no big deal about the registration. but if you go to the FAA's website and there is a place where is says, to look up a number does that give you the persons info. if it works with the AMA number and your phone # i think that should be enough. I think that it also says that it is good for 3 years, or am i wrong.

 

[Dick Dastardly]

Thanks for all the positive responses. I started this post just after attempting to decipher the FAA website. I was agitated and later came to regret my angry rant of an introduction. I was expecting to get flamed a bit. Thanks for being gentle.

I'm going to build minis under 250g and fly them responsibly at my local park unless or until confronted. The minis shouldn't elicit any negative reactions. I can also fly at the dunes by the beach, but it's usually windy. I may even fly the full size FT planes there. I'm unlikely to receive a complaint flying at the dunes under 48in wingspan. If confronted, I'll play dumb and compliant. From that point on, I will surely follow all rules.

I know the mini mustang isn't the best trainer, but it will be my first speed-build. I also bought a box of foam, so I can make 2 dozen minis if I want. I also bought two Lemon stabilizing receivers to make the minis a little less twitchy and more stable in the wind. If I find the mini mustang too difficult, I will fly the UMX Timber. I have enough sim time that the sticks are feeling natural on 4 channel virtual planes. So, I'm going to ,perhaps over-confidently, bypass the mini trainer. I can always go back and build a trainer without shame.

Thanks for the waterproofing info. I have a 1/5 scale car and I use silicone gel and marine grade shrink on all connections, but full waterproofing seems like the way to go particularly in the pacific Northwest.

I'm sure to follow with a bunch of noob questions like a folding prop on mini belly-landers, or laminating with "newstuff" or Monocoat.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I hope I don't become too much of a pain in the arse.

 

[PsyBorg]

Be aware of one thing specially if you are using Corrosion X. It is extremely messy, its a literal dirt magnet, and it needs frequent re-coating to truly be effective.

As far as being a pain..they let me stay hehe

 

[sprzout]

Thanks for all the positive responses. I started this post just after attempting to decipher the FAA website. I was agitated and later came to regret my angry rant of an introduction. I was expecting to get flamed a bit. Thanks for being gentle.

I'm going to build minis under 250g and fly them responsibly at my local park unless or until confronted. The minis shouldn't elicit any negative reactions. I can also fly at the dunes by the beach, but it's usually windy. I may even fly the full size FT planes there. I'm unlikely to receive a complaint flying at the dunes under 48in wingspan. If confronted, I'll play dumb and compliant. From that point on, I will surely follow all rules.

I know the mini mustang isn't the best trainer, but it will be my first speed-build. I also bought a box of foam, so I can make 2 dozen minis if I want. I also bought two Lemon stabilizing receivers to make the minis a little less twitchy and more stable in the wind. If I find the mini mustang too difficult, I will fly the UMX Timber. I have enough sim time that the sticks are feeling natural on 4 channel virtual planes. So, I'm going to ,perhaps over-confidently, bypass the mini trainer. I can always go back and build a trainer without shame.

Thanks for the waterproofing info. I have a 1/5 scale car and I use silicone gel and marine grade shrink on all connections, but full waterproofing seems like the way to go particularly in the pacific Northwest.

I'm sure to follow with a bunch of noob questions like a folding prop on mini belly-landers, or laminating with "newstuff" or Monocoat.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I hope I don't become too much of a pain in the arse.

Just as a word of warning on the UMX Timber - DO NOT try to fly it in anything more than a gentle wind.

My dad got one a few weeks ago, and let me fly it. I'm a decent pilot, according to the guys at my field; I'm no 3D pilot who can pirouette down the runway or fly knife edge with perfection, but I can get my planes around and do some nice basic aerobatics, and recover from what a lot of other people would have crashed on, according to the "pros".

I put the UMX Timber up in what was calm weather - no breeze, everything was going well - and then, out of nowhere, we started getting weird gusts of wind. The sock next to the runway would be completely limp one minute, and 3/4 to full the next. Everyone was bringing their planes down, and I struggled with landing that little Timber in those gusts. I managed to get it down in one piece, but it's not something I'd recommend trying to pull off.

 

[skymaster]

So i know this is a dumb question, but is it official that any thing that is .55 and above has to be registered with tha faa.