The FAA on Wednesday updated its 34-year-old Advisory Circular on personal model aircraft, issuing safety and airspace rules similar to the ones it has issued on consumer drones. The new version, which triples the length of the original 1981 AC(PDF) to three pages from one, limits model aircraft to 55 pounds unless certified by a recognized aeromodeling organization. Model aircraft must give way to manned aircraft and comply with restrictions for TFRs and other restricted airspace, according to the document. The AC also states that operators flying within 5 miles of an airport must notify ATC or the airport operator, unless flying from a “permanent location” such as areas designated by some airports for model flying. “The guidance also makes it clear that model unmanned aircraft operations that endanger the safety of the nation’s airspace, particularly careless or reckless operations and interference with manned aircraft, may be subject to FAA enforcement action,” the FAA stated. Collision-avoidance issues gained additional attention Wednesday amid reports of a possible drone-airplane collision in Illinois.
The Academy of Model Aeronautics, an FAA-recognized organization that sanctions model aircraft competitions and flying clubs nationally, told AVweb in a statement that it’s reviewing the updated AC. “We are currently reviewing the advisory circular in more detail to ensure that the rights and privileges of the model aircraft community are upheld,” said Dave Mathewson, executive director. “Hobbyists across the country have long followed voluntary safety guidelines, which are constantly evolving to accommodate new technologies and new modeling disciplines.”
