Soon the rules for flying R/C aircraft will change dramatically. The FAA will require all R/C aircraft which weigh more than 250 grams (8.8 ounces) to be equipped with transponders to make them “visible” to Air Traffic Control to avoid conflicts with full-size aircraft and drones under their control in the National Airspace System. 

The FAA recognizes three ways for R/C model aircraft to be legally flown when this rule takes effect:

1. Buy and fly only models that have a built-in transponder system so the model’s ID, time stamp, location, altitude, velocity, and control station location and elevation is transmitted from takeoff to shutdown via Wifi or Bluetooth.

2. Buy and install a transponder in each model that transmits the model’s ID, time stamp, location, altitude, velocity, and takeoff location and elevation from takeoff to shutdown via Wifi or Bluetooth.

3. Fly any model you choose without any transponder at a site which the FAA recognizes as a model aircraft field (FRIA).

Manufacturers must produce transponders and transponder-equipped models. All R/Cers must comply with the transponder rules. No one has yet produced aircraft or transponders which comply with the new rules so no one knows how much they will cost or what the availability will be.

When you fly at the club field of an AMA-chartered club, you are flying at a site the FAA designates as an “FRIA”, FAA-Recognized Identification Area. These areas, namely flying fields, are sponsored by community-based organizations, such as AMA, and because AMA members follow the rules of the sponsoring organization, the AMA, transponders are not required. 

Why not wait until then to join a club? Waiting to join a club risks that the club will have reached its capacity and will not accept new members and in the meantime puts a strain on club finances.  Without members, a club cannot exist. If the club does not exist, the field cannot be recognized as an FRIA and anyone flying at the field must comply with transponder rules. So don’t put it off. Join, rejoin, or continue your membership in an AMA-chartered club. Enjoy the camaraderie, the facilities, the wealth of experience and knowledge, and the peace of mind that comes with flying at a recognized field. You'll avoid the unknowns - How much will transponders cost ?, Where will I get them? How much more expensive will airplanes that must include them from the manufacturers become? Join an AMA-chartered club now. You won’t have to compete with the 3rd grade soccer team for access to the “runway”, and you'll save some money in the long run.

John Glennon 

February 2021