If I were running a launch, I would also ensure anyone operating RC aircraft are AMA members
No. You would be unnecessarily be preventing people from enjoying their hobbies. Do you REQUIRE every person who flies any rocket at absolutely every launch to be an NAR member or a TRA member? Do you require anyone who sells food of any kind at a launch to have a permit, Health Inspection certificate, and insurance for selling food? Do you require any rocket vendors to have insurance? Do you require anyone selling anything to have proof they will be paying all state and local SALES TAX on everything sold? Those who use tracking beacons on "Ham" radio bands, do you check for everybody's HAM radio license? When the BATF classified APCP as explosives, did you check for all ATF permits ensure all magazines were up to spec? For that matter there are still some things that requite a BATF permit, like various ignitors and even old Thermalite, are you checking for permits for those?
I've been flying R/C since 1975, and therefore flying R/C at rocket launches since 1975. I've been flying R/C Rocket Boosted Gliders since 1980. And teaching others to fly R/C since 1977, including rocketeers at rocket launches. And an 8 year old who went from no R/C experience at all to winning a Bronze medal at the 2012 World Spacemodeling Championships 6 months later.
The main issues with R/C aircraft at launches these days is for the model aircraft to be out of the immediate area where it might be hit by a launching rocket. And flown according to the safety codes, plus some common sense ("ban first" is not common sense)
Also if the person is flying OLD R/C gear (not 2.4 gHz, but such as 72 mHz), then they have to make sure their frequency is clear for flight. In past years when everyone flew 72 mHz, with only a few dozen channels, there had to be frequency control to make sure no two fliers used the same channel at the same time. Now with the modern 2.4 gHz radios, that is not a problem as each receiver is bound to a specific transmitter.
My biggest concern is most of the R/C equipment now works on 2.4ghz. There will be more use of 2.4ghz wireless electronics in flight computers. If there is such rocket electronics on the field then R/C transmitters needed to be banned for safety reasons.
No, the modern R/C systems that use 2.4 ghz are not susceptible to interference like that. Not any more than YOUR Cellphone can be interfered with by MY cellphone when we use them next to each other at the same time. They use Spread Spectrum technology. A link to a wiki about how "Spektrum" R/C radio systems do it, which is similar to how the other brands do it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spektrum_RC
- George Gassaway
