FAA Panel Discussion at CES 2015...Video

[Bartman]

It looks like the participants are (left to right) Rich Hansen (AMA Gov't Affairs), Michael Drobac (Small UAV Coalition), Jim Williams (FAA sUAS/UAS), unknown AUVSI rep

I believe the grouping is realted to the FAA's recent safety video which was cosponsored by the groups present on the panel.

Posted by sUASnews.com

 

[keensg]

It is interesting that the FAA representative states ....."it is fairly established from past history that people who are being paid for a job are more likely to take risks in order to accomplish that job than those who are doing it for pleasure".

Maybe I am too close to the subject, but it would strike me that exactly the opposite is the case. Surely a professional with a professional reputation to protect and established safety protocols and subject matter expertise is much less likely to take risks than an amateur (though many of the risks taken on by an amateur may be unintentional from lack of experience).

So why would that opinion be stated by the FAA? I would think a better statement would be to say the FAA is bound by limitations of their jurisdiction and they are currently legitimately formulating rules and regulations for commercial use, and in the current system hobby pilots come under a different jurisdiction.

 

[Bartman]

the whole conversation was awash in half-truths and assumptions that won't prove to be accurate as we continue forward. it's frustrating to listen to.

one thing that i'm increasingly frustrated by is that the FAA refuses to adapt their language to the situation. sUAS/UAS will fit into the existing lexicon of the FAA no matter how badly damaged the industry will be when they're done.

 

[Old Man]

I have a differing view of professionals pushing the edge of the envelope to accomplish a task over an amateur, and there's considerable evidence if this from the small scale FBO operation all the way up through commercial transport leveraging labor and regulations to assure better profit margins. It is also evident to some extent in the Commercial Pilot flight test in extracting maximum aircraft performance over what is seen in the Private Pilot flight test. The FAA is complicit in much of this.

The amateur is reckless because they don't know any better while the professional can be reckless but understand how to conceal certain activities under other regulations, some if which could have been enacted for the benefit of profitability. I'll use hours of service versus flight hours as a prime example.


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