Explain to me MAAC. Do I need it by law?

[sonicguy]

I want to get into flying and am curious if the law requires me to have MAAC.

[tbrum]

I know a few that don't have MAAC however their feild has it's own private insurance to protect against liability

However they are only covered at their feild.

[williame3590]

I always support MAAC, just a habit I guess. However, through my homeowners insurance, vehicles etc. I am covered for 3 million no matter where I fly or crash!
If I remember right, this coverage costs me 12.00 a year on top of all my other insurance. Is it possible to find a better deal than that, not bloody likely. lol

Bill

[Sibola]

Is it required bye law, I don't think so. Some clubs won't let you fly at there fields if you don't have it.

[OldPrairieRedNeck]

I want to get into flying and am curious if the law requires me to have MAAC.

Nope! Last I checked it's still a free country in that regard!

That being said there are some advantages to being associated with MAAC:

It's the entrance fee to fly at most clubs and club events.
Associates you with a group of mostly good and helpful people.
Provides excellent guide lines in regards to safety in the hobby.
Has a magazine to keep you updated on happenings across the nation.
Provides some third party insurance benefits in the event of a mishap.

Check it out.

[Sandy]

"launching model aircraft for recreational purposes who are members in good standing of an aeromodelling organization and operate under its safety guidlines would not be required to meet the requirements of the proposed rule..."

The recent NPA from Transport Canada contains that paragraph. While the entire NPA is complex, this does indicate the direction TC is going when they finalize their new policy. If you belong to MAAC you are flying a model plane. Of not, you have to comply with the proposed rule for UAV operations.

Your choice whether to join MAAC or not.

[OldPrairieRedNeck]

Kind of scary how easily our freedom can be eroded! Not law yet...

[PaulD]

Kind of scary how easily our freedom can be eroded! Not law yet...

At some point you had to know there would be some fallout from all the "drones" flying in public spaces and in the flight paths of full scale aircraft. Not only that, theres huge pressure from the UAV industry to create rules and operating procedures that will allow them access to airspace. Between the two, TC has to put something in place.

PaulD

[OldPrairieRedNeck]

Then why not address the problem instead of taking the easy way out and throwing out blanket policies that effect everyone.

As much as I believe in most of what MAAC stands for, I do not believe that giving them a monopoly in our hobby is a healthy thing. That would be a turn down the wrong road!

[Cosmith]

Kind of scary how easily our freedom can be eroded! Not law yet...

We have lots of freedoms in this country...however we are not and have never been free to do whatever we want whenever we want. That's not what political freedom is. If lawmakers choose to make MAAC a requirement it will be no different than needing insurance to drive a car. This by no means is a blow at you Merv, but the foil hat crowd in North America is getting way too large...especially in University age folks. People feel like their rights are being violated constantly, sometimes by something as simple as a police officer engaging them in conversation. There is such a hate for authority by otherwise good people that they can't even have a normal conversation with another person simply because they represent some authority. I say we eliminate all laws and those that enforce them for a week and see how these ultra liberal personal bubble people enjoy living in the wild west.

Think about this whole "carding" issue in Toronto. If you see somebody wandering your neighborhood looking in windows at 3:00am all dressed in black and you call the police, you not only expect but you demand action. At the very least you want that person identified and you want to know what they are up to. However, if the police do this pro-actively because you are comfortably asleep while they are stuck working, we call it profiling and say it is a terrible violation of that persons Charter enshrined rights. Does that seem right to anybody?

The first section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Legal Rights section reads: "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.". I think if you reviewed all Canadian laws you would find that they are all put in place to protect one of these fundamental rights...that's not to say that I like them all, or agree with them all, but I can see that there is some rationale behind the lion's share of them.

Now that I'm done with that rant...here's my take on MAAC. Firstly I've never purchased cheaper insurance or peace of mind. Secondly, with the recent tremendous growth in our hobby and drone issue I think it is more important than ever to support the group that is going to lobby the government for us. Everyone should do as they see fit, but if for nothing the else, the above two reasons will keep me supporting MAAC for a long time to come.