Common FAI strategy for Drones

At the recent FAI meetings of the FAI Executive Board, Commission Presidents and representatives from NACs, at Heraklion Crete, a proposal from CIAM, the FAI Aeromodelling Commission, was presented and discussed. This proposal was to establish and implement a common FAI strategy for the drones.

The FAI Executive Board fully supports the initiative.

This has to include among others the following points:

1. To promote FAI as the reliable partner to global and regional rulemaking authorities and to also empower the NACs to be reliable partners to their respective CAA.
2. To partner with Drone manufacturers with the objective of connecting them to the air sports community.
3. To differentiate between the recreational and sporting activities that are governed by FAI-CIAM and its NACs, from the commercial activities that require a specific approval procedure from authorities in the respective countries.
4. To develop a pool of best practices that others can benefit from (e.g. share existing educational awareness materials etc). It is also intended to develop educational awareness material for global use, if suitable from the authorities' point of view and funding will be secured. Such material is currently available on a national level and the content is different in many occasions, based on the respective regulations.
5. To coordinate submissions on Drone regulations with Europe Airsports and any other appropriate air sport interested body.
6. To empower the Aeromodelling community to:
   1. Deal with the authorities in order to protect the existing aeromodelling structures because Drones can be considered to be Model Aircrafts if they are in the light/open category.
   2. To effectively protect existing aero modelling privileges because Drone regulations may create regulatory overlaps requiring common guidelines to be introduced.
   3. Sensibly integrate Drones into Airspace use
   4. Attract new Members that are novices, to FPV (First Person View) / Drone sports flying.