Originally Posted by
Adlerdriver
Classic RC airplanes aren't a threat. There was no reason to include them in this. It takes skill to operate those and they're simple not the same thing as a multi-blade helicopter with a go-pro attached. It would have been easy to put a VTOL qualifier into this regulation.
This summer during the fire season, one of the busiest on record with the largest number of acres burned and record amounts of retardant dropped, we were seeing an unmanned interference issue at least once a week. In each case aircraft were pulled off the fire until a determination could be made that the unmanned aircraft were clear.
These events were not restricted to vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and some did, in fact, involve "classic RC airplanes." Go figure.