Tim McKay is back with some more terrific Remote ID advice. In this video he explains how a $39 ID module that weighs only 10 grams can get your RC aircraft compliant. It’s still pending FAA approval, but the FCC and CE approvals are already complete.
Remote ID Too Expensive? Think Again …
I’m not participating in such overreach. If everyone refused they would have to change it.
…not when air safety is in the mix. I’ve dealt with the FCC and FAA for 40+ years. Safety is a priority that only gets over rules by $$$$.
I agree Jared. The FAA or any other alphabet agencies do not have Constitutional or legal authority, as unelected bureaucrats, to legislate. I will not be participating either!
Your congress representatives passed legislation that the FAA is following which makes it a law. Your choice to follow or not but it IS a legal statute.
I’m sorry but your wrong. They won’t have to change it, but they can make enforcement a burden that you and I don’t want to bear. I would direct you to look at the FCC’s enforcement policies. They don’t have to be heavy handed ,because we tend to comply, but the penalties for non compliance are very stiff. Also you can ask any licensed pilot about the FAA and the penalties for non-compliance with regulations.
Do you feel the same about speed limits? They don’t seem to have changed despite many people ignoring them.
Correct and you will have a difficult time ignoring the fines when you are cited for speeding. The FCC is noted for issuing huge fines for violating their rules; i.e., operating illegal transmitters.
The first person caught will probably be made an example of. If the fine is ‘out of your mind high’ the hobby will lose members. There is not enough interest in RC aircraft to force the FAA to change it. Josh Bardwell has an interesting YouTube video rationally discussing this issue.
Would be a great idea if they didn’t have two months to go before the law and still no FAA approval! And as far as others getting into field, again, if they had been given two years head start, yes, there would be competition for this. But everyone is going to be too late for major push to buy.
This whole thing is rushing to a finish line with no idea how to get it done.
I agree Jared!
While interesting, this seems to be basically just a Bluetooth broadcast module. A little more research would reveal that it doesn’t have GPS, so by itself would be no benefit to a conventional RC airplane setup.
Exactly, it wouldn’t work for traditional RC airplanes that don’t have a flight controllers.
The Remote ID module mentioned in this video requires a flight controller to connect to. So, it will work on multirotors, but not on traditional RC airplanes.
Chuck
Module doesn’t have built-in gps, and is not standalone. I understand that it’s meant to be connected to an Ardupilot controller
Not a stand alone unit. You need an autopilot with this unit, making it several hundred dollars to implement in an existing say eflite model airplane.
Amen. Not happening on my end either.
I have hit every fly-in I could this year, reason, I believe this is my last year in the hobby, I don’t plan on complying either,once again overstepping by people that don’t have any idea what we are doing,this is based on the new drones, not us, but we all suffer! I will not be building, assembling, or buying after the deadline. I think in these times gun collecting would be a better hobby!
Tim, That module is not a standalone module for fixed wing model aircraft. This is misleading information and you and Model Airplane News should publish a retraction ASAP. There are no RID standalone modules available for under $299 and those are currently sold out.
First they want to track you by issuing a Social Security Number, then your car by issuing license plates, then your cell phone use, your guns, what schools your kids go to, what church you go to, what you buy on the internet, and now just one more way to track what you do. This is total government overreach! If they have a problem with stupid people flying drones in restricted areas, then deal with them, not the hobbyists who have been flying model airplanes for decades without issues. If I want to go to the park to fly my 24″ foamie, then I’m going to do it. Let them come find me.
Amen!! You said it very well Dave.
This is government baloney. Who will monitor it ? Further who will judge it ? This would take a complete new branch of government to manage it. Cost on cost for nothing.
Start working on global warming or let it kill us all. It has been deneyed for years and years and now it is here. And we are worried about a few thousand foamies ?
In your rush to be compliant you forget about the equal protection clause…by forcing any citizen to join a special interest (AMA, Drone Assiciations, ect) you fail to recognize that citizens individually are excluded…or perhaps you don’t care comrade. Wake up people
Hi, we’re from the Government to help you. Do just what we tell you and you’ll possibly be ok – – until we change the rules again. You will comply or we will destroy you and your family.
Have a nice day.
Any module would have to be able to work inline with either the BEC on the speed controller or inline with the battery pack and switch, That way it will energize when powered on. 2.4GHZ or 72MHZ systems which is still legal and has not been done away with will need to the focus of major or minor companies at this point. Stop screwing around with multi rotors which had to be compliant last year on any new models made.
Did the 9-11 terrorist have licenses to fly the aircraft? Did they file flight plans to hit the twin towers or the Pentagon? I think not! All the regulations do is burden the honest people! Criminals will not comply with the FAA or any one and will do what they want.
All the hype over transponders and remote ID could be mitigated if the FRIA approvals are released so clubs and their members know whether or not they even need to explore a remote ID device.
We are less than two months away from the Remote ID rule becoming effective.
Limit remote ID to the camera drone crowd that flies over football games and airports. There needs to be a broad exemption for traditional rc aircraft and fpv racing drones that safely fly in areas away from people and aircraft.
Contact your elected representatives today and ask them to support the amendments to the 2023 FAA Authorization Act that would allow community based organizations (like the AMA, the FTCA, and the FPV Freedom Coalition) to self designate flying sites (FRIAs) that do not require pilots to use remote ID. The FAA is never going to approve enough FRIAs to allow the hobby to thrive.
The AMA erred by incorporating quad copters into the model aircraft field. The quads became a business and attracted the attention of the US Government and now sport flyers are paying the price.
The whole issue is with commercial drones in the national airspace system. But once the FAA gets a new division a lot of people get promoted, and their job is to expand their division because pay is proportional to the number of underlings. I am a retired professional pilot, and I worked as a sim instructor for an international training center after retirement. The FAA decided that simulators needed to be just like the airports we were training approaches to, so they created a whole new division to regulate simulators. I spent two weeks “in the box” taxiing around the ENTIRE Memphis airport with an FAA inspector just to verify all taxiway signs were EXACTLY positioned like the markings on the charts, even though our syllabus did not use but one small part of the airport. I could go on for ten more pages, but you get the point. As always, some idiot will ruin it for the rest of us, and parking a drone off the end of runway 25L at KLAX will get the attention of a lot of people including the media. AMA was successful in getting FRIA’s approved because most clubs and modelers are good citizens and follow good safety practices. All piloted aircraft with the exception of very light or antiques with no electrical system are already required to carry a module like the one we are going to have, but more sophisticated (and expensive). I fly a bunch of planes from full size to indoor, and I will reluctantly comply, because I see the safety factor of all of the planes both big and small that will be in the national airspace. I would caution those that wish to rebel- The “federalies” can play pretty tough and we really do not want to take them on- or things will get a whole lot worse, both for the individual and our clubs.
The fact that the FAA does not differentiate between line of sight flying and autonomous flying is absurd. We have flown line of sight for decades without serious mishaps. They perceive a problem where there isn’t one. Free Flight aircraft are not regulated, yet they have no control once they are launched and can’t even get out of the way if they need to.
This will kill a hobby that has been in decline in recent years. WHERE IS THE TRANSPONDER SO I CAN COMPLY???????
Buy your UMX planes before the price goes up. I already converted to UMX, I would rather fly than fight