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CAA Call for Input: Review of UK UAS Regulations Aug 2023


MattyB
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The CAA make a point of saying that to have another UAS category for Model Aircraft would be too costly to implement (yeah, right) therefore we have to assume that UAS means Model Aircraft.

 

Questions 23 and 24 relate to UAS, irrespective of what it says later in the document about ‘we expect it not to include Model Aircraft. Any answers given against these questions will be recorded and any comments are separated and therefore become meaningless. So if you answer Agree then that is what will be recorded. 

 

Maybe I’m being cynical but the document has been worded in such a way to give the answers the CAA want. I will be responding with definitely disagree and will also put in my own comment as to why.

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I need to give it another more detailed read, but my instant reaction is that (as expected) the BMFA/LMA response is a little too conciliatory for my taste; I don’t believe they used “Definitely disagree” anywhere. I will be being a fair bit more robust in my response when it comes to challenging the “evidence” presented and the rationale for RID for model flyers, especially in such this high cost and complex hybrid (network and broadcast) form.

 

Edited by MattyB
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10 hours ago, MattyB said:

I need to give it another more detailed read, but my instant reaction is that (as expected) the BMFA/LMA response is a little too conciliatory for my taste; I don’t believe they used “Definitely disagree” anywhere. I will be being a fair bit more robust in my response when it comes to challenging the “evidence” presented and the rationale for RID for model flyers, especially in such this high cost and complex hybrid (network and broadcast) form.

 

I'm trying to put this to the back of my mind to prevent getting annoyed by it, to the extent that I'm not planning to respond until the new year. However my overall reading of the BMFA response was that, compared to the previous consultation, when I was not impressed by the amount of agreement with what were, to me, detrimental proposals, I thought that this time they did show a little more disagreement and putting forward the model flyers case, rather than bending over backwards to accommodate the drone flyers. It could be that was the LMA influence on the response? I somewhat agree though that there's  a lack of Definitely Disagree responses. 

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Another way to look at this is to put yourself into the position of the CAA and look at how the information will be scanned when it’s returned (will all of the comments get read?) Couple that with what do the CAA want to see from the answers and you may look at your responses differently. They have made it clear that RID and NRID will be enforced based on skewed and somewhat flawed ‘data’ so they would hope that everyone agrees with that as it makes their case stronger. As I’ve said before, putting in phrases like ‘we do not expect’ instead of ‘will not apply to’ fills me with dread and tbh I don’t trust them one bit.

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8 hours ago, Ron Gray said:

Another way to look at this is to put yourself into the position of the CAA and look at how the information will be scanned when it’s returned (will all of the comments get read?) Couple that with what do the CAA want to see from the answers and you may look at your responses differently.

 

Are you the same Ron Gray who posted "Utter tosh" at the end of August? 😄

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Well, for the second time in less than four months I've spent (wasted?) a few hours of my life trying to get to grips with the latest CAA consultation document and filling in the response form.  If I were a cynical person I could almost believe that the document is deliberately worded in an opaque manner to discourage much of a response, especially when many people will be tied up with other things over the Christmas period.

I know that the people reading this thread are the ones most likely to fill in the form, but I'll just say please don't leave it until the last minute so it gets forgotten.  If some of the proposals go through as they stand it will have a huge impact on all of us that fly in the UK. 

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5 minutes ago, John T said:

I know that the people reading this thread are the ones most likely to fill in the form, but I'll just say please don't leave it until the last minute so it gets forgotten.


Good advice John,

 

At my club’s recent AGM I gave a short speech about this and the previous consultation. Unfortunately there was very little interest amongst the members present, most were unaware of the proposals or the consequences that they will bring.

 

Sadly the apathy of the majority of model aircraft fliers won’t help them when they start complaining about various conditions being imposed upon them in the near future.

 

Brian.

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1 hour ago, RottenRow said:

Unfortunately there was very little interest amongst the members present, most were unaware of the proposals or the consequences that they will bring.

 

It doesn't help when the BMFA say things like this.

 

IMG_20231212_125512957_x.jpg.9641f000404de60bfb55f529dc604ea7.jpg

 

(November's BMFA News referring to the call for input.)

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53 minutes ago, Peter Jenkins said:

Apparently, most BMFA Members throw their copy into the bin unopened according to many comments on here.

 

Probably not now, given that most of them will no longer receive a paper copy (hoo-bloomin-ray, long overdue IMO)...!

Edited by MattyB
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1 hour ago, Peter Jenkins said:

Apparently, most BMFA Members throw their copy knto the bin unopened according to many comments on here.

I don't know about most members dumping the mag unopened - certainly, I know a few that don't bother with it at all but I think the truth is that most members - i.e. sport flyers doing it for fun - do give it a quick perusal for news and then skip the stuff about specialist competitions from international venues with unpronounceable names or discussions about various esoteric aspects of the hobby.

I take my hat off to those hardy souls on this very forum who tell us that they diligently read every word of every article - I do my best with news updates and I do enjoy the R/C scale....... ......but however nicely written, the travails of competing in free flight comps or whatever else behind the old Iron Curtain is a little too much for me😉

Edited by Cuban8
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2 hours ago, Phil Green said:

I for one enjoy BMFA news, over the last few years it's got better & better, plenty of variety and members input.  But I do prefer paper! 🙂

 

From the BMFA website......"Members will receive a hard copy of the BMFA NEWS in the New Year which will include their membership stickers, but the 3 subsequent issues planned for 2024 will be published online with hard copies only being available for an additional paid for subscription (£10 for 3 copies) to cover printing and postal costs"

 

At least those that want a hard copy are being offered the opportunity of paying for it. I'm quite happy with dipping in and out of the mag on my phone or laptop as the fancy takes me. I wonder if only a tenner will cover the costs of a relatively few number of copies being printed will work out. Ten quid does seem very cheap considering the rising costs and price of other magazines and postage but how that will pan out considering the hullabaloo over a couple of quid on the basic subs I couldn't say.  Maybe not so much a matter of numbers perhaps?

 

Edited by Cuban8
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