i had a big confusion ....... for whether aeromodelling or RC flying should be considered among the following

1> HOBBY
2> SPORT
3> under general flying ( under DGCA)

" AMAI " so called (self proclaimed) say that they are the governing body for aeromodelling in India....
HOW TRUE IS THIS......??

if aeromodelling is a sport that why is so much FUSS about the permission for flying..... like the AMAI says.... it can be done by any one ( like any wants to play cricket can go on a ground provided he keeps the safety in mind of other people around)
Then are must specific rules.... ARE THERE ANY AS SUCH

Any AMAI authority on the forum and senior members please reply.......

it is-

a hobby
a sport
a passion
a recreation
and a part of life

FOR ME!! 

Something OUT of computers for me

It is - an item on my bank statement

@ tango

lol thats the most accurate description.... its monetary damage!

Hi R/C Vish,
Came across your comment ,Aeromodeling is a hobby and it is educational,regarding permission to fly-there is no controlling authority,it does not come under the perview of DGCA(not yet),Aero Club Of India and AMA are supportive and guiding entities.

Aeromodelers are users of Airspace,and under the current security scenario,it is recommended that all aeromodelers should become members of a club(Local or AMA/Wings India),which keeps a record of their ID and residence proof,so that they are  recognised and traceable.

This is for their own safety and collective support of the hobby .

Joining AMA can also provide additional benefits as given on the website :www.amai.in under "How to join AMA"-"Why join AMA".
 and "FAQ".

It would be wise to be a part of an organised club,but as mentioned many times earlier there are too many constraints to forming local clubs(some are running quite well)-age ,money ,ego ,not enough flyers in one location,etc ,however you can easily become a member of AMA and be recognised and support the cause of your hobby.

AMA is working towards a healthy recognition of the hobby as an aerosport through Aero Club of India(ACI) and with the help of models/equipment provided by ACI,training new entrants in the hobby.

AMA members get concessional rates at entrance fees in Ambey Valley and national events ,and the ID of AMA is accepted by SAE USA to fly your own models without the need to hire an American pilot for these,are some of benefits listed on the website.

AMA is a non profit registered cooperative ,voluntary organisation supported and operated by senior experienced personnel from civil aviation/airforce/business,who are avid aeromodelers some with over 60years of aeromodeling experience.They are providing their valuable time and experience free of charge to promote this aerosport.

thankyou for your response..... but why is AMAI trying to join aeromodelling under DGCA or the aeroclub that is for real aircrafts..... by the rules of aerospace organisations u are permitted to do any activity in the airspace upto 100mts of height(except near airports) our models are mostly inside that..... where as it can try as making it a sport and get it under the sports ministry..... WE WILL HAVE A LOT OF BENEFIT FROM THAT

ACI is affiliated to the FAI(Federation Aeronautique International),which is the international body for aerosports including all aspects of aeromodeling(rubber power,control line, r/c,speed etc),all over the world,aeromodeling is under such an institute-BMFA(UK),AMA(USA) and such in Europe,which are guided by the FAA(Federal Aviation Authority),CAA(Civil Aviation Authority) and such like-nowhere is it categorised under sports/ministry,which is mainly for activity involving the physique or personal body.
it may in the future be under the control of DGCA,which is mainly guided by the aircraft rules ,left as legacy to us by the British,and such other rules in judiciary.administration etc.

Approaching the Sports Ministry is counter-productive at this stage.

We as aeromodelers must understand and accept three basic truths-1.it is seen as a security threat,2.Aeromodelers must become coordinated and organised as safe and responsible users of airspace.3.Aeromodelers must have a third party insurance.

For two wheelers wearing a helmet is a law,but most wear it for the policeman around the corner and not for their own safety!

Making a law to control aeromodeling will only throttle the hobby, but voluntary actions will go a long way in making it safe.

That is the purpose of AMA,to bring awareness and self regulation.

I would like to mention one more aspect here,whereas ACI would like to send our aeromodeler's to international competitions,we have not produced flyers of that callibre,let's have a grading system in place and go beyond two circuits of the field!   

The guidelines of Aero Club also suggests the same,it has been quoted earlier on this forum , and in the future it would like to go to the meetings and proudly say that this is safe acitvity and we know the aeromodelers.(they are not a potential threat).

thanks for the input...........  will consider it ...

but is AMAI the governing body for aeromodelling in India........??

No AMA is not the governing body ,as mentioned it is only advisory and supportive,as in other countries.

I reproduce below recent notes from rcuniverse :-

1. In the airplanes there is lot more Hardware than Software and when you are in the air
there is no reset button ...

2. If nothing can go wrong, you will see that something goes anyway from bad to worse ...

3. For causing somebody a stress, not yet physical harm, the penalty in EU could be up
to 1 million Euro, depending which lawyer gets after you; you got that cash to play with ?

4. You have to obey the Aviation Law in force Worldwide. Check what is written there and
you will see that you can be in jail even prior your airplane has been ever built, no jokes !
The "Big Brother" is watching you for sure ...
You can get that law by calling the Air-tower in the nearest big Airfield - the people there
will be for sure very friendly to explain some details because they know what the TROUBLE is.

5. The problems you can cause are NOT only on the ground, they are very many in the
air. Yours can hit other plane or other plane can hit yours. Size here matters but you better
have plane with size smaller than a small bird and ligher than any bird. You can be sure
that you will NOT manage to make RC plane flying better and navigating better than any
bird and still sometimes fatal air-trafic accidents happen when an airplane hits a bird ...

6. As soon as your plane goes out of sight you are already posing BIG DANGER to very
many people and they will find you very soon; they got Low Altitude Radars where any thing
in a size of bird can be seen; check that if you have any doubts !"

And here is an extract from the US AMA site:(on the us Govt.proposal to include models in the uav category)-The AMA succeded!

"As AMA’s Congressional Awareness Campaign draws to a close, it’s reassuring to know that the AMA membership and the modeling community responded quickly and decisively to AMA’s call for action. Tens of thousands of modeling enthusiasts, supporters and aeromodeling stakeholders responded and made their concerns known to their elected officials. Members of Congress responded with dozens of letters of support and pledges to advocate for the hobby. Local and national media were alerted to our issues and hard-hitting articles were presented that questioned the need for such overreaching regulation.

I am extremely grateful to those who have joined our cause and I believe we have gained a crucial foothold, but we are a long ways from being out of the woods. Now is not the time to let down our guard. We need to continue to be vigilant; we must maintain awareness and we need to continue to engage the hundreds of thousands of Americans that value this hobby and cherish our Freedom of Flight.

-Rich Hanson, AMA Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs Representative"

We are close to this -but do we have a body large enough and strong enough to oppose a bill of similar nature if it comes up for discussion?

With your support AMAI can become one,let us be the strong body by self regulation and not be shot down by MOD(Ministry of Defence),MOHA(Minstry of home affairs) or MOCA(Mininstry of Civil Aviation)-The choice is in your hands.

Fly track,
The AMA succeeded for just one reason $$$$$$$$
The hobby lobby in US (not the firm by same name but the lobbyist in the hobby) and the industry which supports and uses it is really cash rich and US Govt listens to business.
If there were a similar problem in India, the might of all the hobbyist and industry put together might be of no match.
And to put things in right perspective, it would be also good to set the context as to why the Govt in first place even contemplated to bring hobby grade models into UAV category. There were two incidents which led to this.

1. At a local show a Full Scale hitting a giant size model (Full scale suffered damages but landed safe, the model was total write off) at a full scale airport.
2. A lunatic (yes what else can you call this guy) flying a FPV all over the city including some very prominent landmarks of the city and the video being put up publicaly.  

The need for all of us is to be sensible and fly safe, this is best acheived at local levels, by enforcing safety rather than being top driven.
Just yesterday, there was a full scale Heli, which decided to do some approaches at the local field where we fly, the moment the big guy was observed, all models cleared the way for the big boy, landed and some who were high up immideately proceed to another sector of the sky to stay well clear. Fortunately the big boy decided to call off the whole thing after just couple of passes.