On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 16:36:47 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote:

"DanH" wrote in message
...

I don't know, but does the FAA even have jurisdiction over model
airplanes and rockets?

They have jurisdiction over higher-end rocketry, as I recall none over model
airplanes.

The President of the Academy of Model Aeronautics recently visited
the FAA in Washington, D.C.:

"The meeting was to discuss the issue of FAA's future regulation of
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)—formerly referred to as Remotely
Piloted Vehicles (RPVs)—and its impact on model aviation. One of the
first things I learned was that there is a new designation for these
vehicles, the importance of which was not lost on me. The new
abbreviation and term are UA—Unmanned Aircraft.

"The reason for this change, or at least the effect of it, became
obvious later in the meeting. This change makes it very clear that the
FAA has jurisdiction over UAs and that they can be subjected to
certification and licensing requirements, just as with any other
aircraft.

"This may not seem significant, but it could become so. The FAA
doesn't give the impression that it wants to regulate model airplanes,
but it does have responsibility for all of the navigable airspace in
the United States, and we fly in that airspace. The people in the FAA
seem to want to ensure we integrate into that airspace without
creating a safety problem for its other users."

http://www.modelaircraft.org/mag/0804/president.htm

Seems to me I've also seen some alititude restrictions imposed
on RC models flying near full-scale airfields. I think that at my
field (Reservoir Park, Lewiston, NY), we're technically
not supposed to go above 500 feet. Some of the larger
models (~40% scale) apparently can be seen on the radar
screens at Niagara Falls (IAG).

Marty