AMA Government Relations:
- 2024 FAA Reauthorization Bill Passed May 15, 2024Today, May 15, 2024, the House passed the FAA’s Reauthorization Bill. It is anticipated that the President will sign the bill into law soon. AMA began working with Congress as soon as the last bill passed in 2018, advocating to make much needed changes to the law. Although the new […]Holly Silvers
- FAA Reauthorization Bill Passes the Senate May 10, 2024On May 9th, 2024, The FAA Reauthorization Bill passed the Senate just before the FAA’s authorities were set to expire on May 10th. However, the House is not expected to pass the bill until sometime around May 14th or 15th. As expected, the House has passed an extension which will […]Holly Silvers
- House Plans Extension to FAA Reauthorization Bill May 9, 2024Congress continues to work to reauthorize the FAA as some of their authorities expire on May 10, 2024. However, on Wednesday, May 8th, AMA received word that the House will pass a 1-week extension to the FAA’s Reauthorization Bill. This extension is a result of the Senate being unable to […]Holly Silvers
- Congress Releases Final Version of FAA Reauthorization Bill April 30, 2024On April 29, 2024, the House of Representatives and the Senate released a final version of the FAA’s Reauthorization Bill. Although not perfect, AMA is happy that we were able to address many of the challenges facing the hobby. Below is a summary of the bill: Although we don’t expect […]Holly Silvers
- AMA Continues Work to Lessen Restrictions on the Hobby April 29, 2024AMA continues its work to reduce the unnecessary restrictions that have been placed on our hobby. Recently, AMA has been successful in gaining FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) status for 1,835 of our chartered club flying sites, receiving an alternative process to exempt operations at sites previously denied FRIA status from […]Holly Silvers
- FAA Finalizes Process to Expand Remote ID Authorizations for Clubs Near Airports in Uncontrolled Airspace March 14, 2024On March 8, 2024, AMA and the FAA finalized procedures to expand Remote ID Authorization exemptions to include clubs on or near sensitive locations in uncontrolled airspace. Previously, only AMA clubs in controlled airspace with letters of agreement with air traffic control were eligible for this type of authorization; however, […]Holly Silvers
- FAQs for Remote ID Sanctioned Event Waiver and Authorizations February 28, 2024Q. What are the available FAA waivers/authorizations for AMA sanctioned events? A. AMA sanctioned events are eligible for both Remote ID authorizations and/or altitude waivers. Remote ID authorizations are for any AMA sanctioned event. This authorization allows AMA members to operate at sanctioned events without broadcasting Remote ID information. Altitude […]Holly Silvers
- FAA Grants National Authorization for AMA Sanctioned Events February 27, 2024In January 2021, the FAA commented in the Final Rule on Remote ID, that “Though FAA-recognized identification areas would not be authorized for temporary use, the FAA expects that instances such as air shows or temporary drone racing events would be handled, where warranted, through authorization from the Administrator to […]Holly Silvers
- Discretionary Enforcement of Remote Identification Ends February 26, 2024On March 16, 2024, the FAA’s discretionary enforcement period for remote identification (Remote ID) of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) ended. The following is a quick refresher on the topic and how to comply. Q: Who needs to comply with Remote ID? A: All radio-controlled aircraft that weigh more than 0.55 […]Ben Flesher
- Senate Passes FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023 with AMA’s Amendment Included February 9, 2024On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed the bipartisan Senate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023. The legislation includes several provisions to strengthen safety standards and oversight at the FAA and responds to safety concerns from recent aviation accidents and near-misses. […]Holly Silvers