FAA and AMA to Sign a Landmark Agreement at AMA Expo 2014

AMA Expo Logo

James Williams, Executive Manager of the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office, will join AMA President Bob Brown on the main Expo stage at 3 p.m. PST, on Saturday, January 11, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement institutes a formal relationship between the FAA and the Academy of Model Aeronautics and establishes the platform upon which the AMA and the FAA will jointly work to ensure the continued safe operation of model aircraft in the National Airspace System. Continue reading →

UAS to Help Pygmy Rabbit Research

PygmyRabbitIn mid-January, scientists from four universities will fly small, unmanned aircraft systems over sagebrush habitat near Magic Reservoir to obtain information about the habitat needs of pygmy rabbits. The pygmy rabbit has been considered for listing as an endangered species since 2003, when the Hailey-based Western Watersheds Project and several other conservation groups filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2010, the agency rejected the petition on the grounds that it did not have enough data to decide whether the species warranted listing, but a spokesman told the Idaho Mountain Express at that time that the rabbits’ sagebrush habitat was clearly shrinking. Continue reading →