Over the last few days there seem to be a number of small man-carrying multicopters getting in the news. One, described as a 'hoverboard', had its distance record recognized by the Guinness Book of Records, whilst the other, described as a tri-rotor (despite having a push/pull motor arrangement on each arm) appeared on Gizmag.
Evidently motor, battery and stablizing gyro technology has reached the point at which these are going to be more and more common, so what do you think the CAA should do?
- Stick their heads in the sand and pretend they don't exist.
- Create a category a bit like the foot-launched powered hang glider/paramotor or single seat de-regulated (SSDR) category.
- Drown them in 'large' helicopter bureaucracy.
- Something else.
No doubt plenty of people are going to hurt/kill themselves developing these things, but that happens with any new type of vehicle. What matters is the collateral damage in the process.