Gov Relations Sample Letter
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To your Representative
The Honorable (full name)
(room #)(name) House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
To your Senator
The Honorable (full name)
(room #) (name) Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear [Senator, Representative]
I am pleased the U.S. Senate has passed an amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill S.223 exempting the operation of model airplanes from unnecessary federal regulations. Nevertheless, as one of your constituents and a strong supporter of model aviation, I’m writing to urge you to ensure that a similar amendment for H.R. 658 is introduced and passes before it is sent to the Executive branch for signature.
The Federal Aviation Administration is currently developing new regulations aimed at enabling the operation of commercial and public use unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS). And, while I fully believe in a safe and coordinated system, the inclusion of model airplanes in the new regulation for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) is absurd and flies in the face of a recent Executive Order to improve the regulatory process and a commitment to curbing unnecessary and burdensome regulation. Model aircraft are distinctly and decidedly different from the sUAS platforms developed by the defense industry and now being used in the civil environment. As a proven and strictly recreational endeavor, model aviation is far from adding to the problems posed by the growing number of unmanned aircraft currently being developed for the commercial sector.
Model aviation has operated safely and harmoniously in the NAS since before manned flight and has achieved an impeccable and truly enviable safety record through AMA’s oversight, self-governance and common sense. With 140,000 members in more than two thousand communities nationwide, AMA represents a community of responsible and conscientious aeromodeling enthusiasts. Now, however, it appears this proposed regulation will place unnecessary restrictions on the hobby that may, in turn, devastate our modeling community, curtail our youth programs and science-related educational projects, destroy an established seeding ground for aviation, and will almost certainly create a debilitating burden on a $1 billion-a-year industry.
I trust you share my concern for the future of model aviation, will act on our behalf, and urge the FAA to focus on more pressing aviation issues.
Sincerely,
[name, city]