Mathewson VP Dist II reports on turbine regs

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When reading ...031101TurbineSafetyRegulation.pdf, I made two observations.

First, and only of corroborate significance: In point 22 under "Flight Line Requirements" it is stated that "Turbine powered aircraft will not be allowed in ANY (caps mine) speed or racing events."

In other words: You may comply with all of our regulations, but we will still not let you show NEITHER IN PUBLIC NOR IN PRIVATE (right?) what a radio jet can do better than any other engine powered model aircraft - run fast.

This is outright discriminatory. Since engine performance in an essential element of engine power, speed events should be either allowed or forbidden for all engine powered model aircraft.

The second observation is far more significant: As you can read in its title, the document ...031101TurbineSafetyRegulation.pdf has first been approved by the AMA Executive Council in April 1996, and therefore ALMOST EIGHT YEARS AGO. This means, that the jet phobia appeared right together with the appearance of the microturbine on the scene.

And STILL there do not exist any statistics which demonstrate the greater danger which stems from radio jets as compared to piston driven model aircraft.

And STILL the phobia persists...

...It might perhaps be of therapeutic value to see the slide show which Steven Ellzey and his crew from the JPO

have shown at the February 7, 2004 AMA Executive Council meeting. See the JPO Risk Management Initiative

2003 Jet Event CD Survey Results at And take note of the fact that as far as speed limits are concerned, all that the JPO recommends is a 175mph speed limit for newbees (slide 14).

Peter