"Randy Aldous" wrote in message
ups.com...
So what are FARs cover R/C aircraft (is there a weight or size
threshold)?
Also, what FARs would cover autonomous (robot controlled) aircraft?

A Google search, using "FAA radio-control aircraft" and "FAA UAV vs
model aircraft" as the criteria, came up with the following.... from
what I have read, the FAA has some legitimate concerns about UAV
operations, especially in busy airspace

IMHO, the FAA has a legitimate concern regarding UAV use *anywhere* within
the US, busy airspace or not. They have indicated as much in imposing TFRs
for the purpose of operating UAVs along the southern border (even if that is
a less-than-satisfactory solution).

[...]
"A private citizen can go to the store and buy one of those model
airplanes and fly them around. But because we're doing it as a public
service, we have to deal with the FAA?" said Sheriff's Cmdr. Sid Heal."
- The Sheriff's Cmdr. apparently doesn't understand the difference
between the RC Models and a UAV.

Well, to be fair, even looking at the links you offered, it seems he's not
alone. I'm a bit surprised that there doesn't appear to be anything in the
FARs that at least provides an exception from the FARs for the operation of
radio-controlled models, but perhaps that's implied by some broader
exception I didn't notice.

That said, it does seem to me that there's an obvious difference between
what is considered a UAV (as used by law enforcement, for example) and a
radio-controlled model. Even ignoring the usual difference in size and
flight altitude (which we may as well, since those are not absolutes even
for model airplanes), the primary difference is that radio-controlled models
are always flown in direct sight, under direct control of the operator. And
if they weren't, I would say that would put them squarely into the UAV
category, and subject to the same FAA oversight.

I do find it interesting that the rcgroups.com thread seems to be focusing
somewhat on the commercial vs recreational aspects:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/archi.../t-358461.html

While I wouldn't be completely surprised if the FAA chose that route to
differentiation, I think it would make more sense to focus on the size of
the aircraft and degree of operator involvement. Of most concern is an
operator who is not in the immediate area, looking directly at the aircraft
and the airspace around it.

In this respect, Cmdr. Sid Heal does seem to miss the point in thinking that
his law enforcement craft are somehow equivalent to radio-controlled model
airplanes. But it would be nice if the written law were a bit more clear on
the matter, so that people who don't see these obvious differences can be
referred to a document that gives them something to consider.

Pete