More To See In Kansas
Several interesting items were omitted from the “Wander And Wonder In Kansas‚ article in the December 2021 issue.
*Rock City, near Minneapolis. Very large rocks known as “concretions.
*Pike Trail marker, west of Delphos. Zebulon Pike’s route from the south turned west toward what is now Colorado.
*Grace Bedell. A little girl who wrote to presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln and told him he should grow a beard. She lived in Delphos as an adult and is buried in Delphos Cemetery.
*Salt mines, Hutchinson. 650-foot-deep salt mines, used as storage for old movies and other items. Tours are available via an elevator. Nearby is a space museum [Cosmosphere] with an SR-71 spy plane in the lobby.
Louis Rice, F197240
Livingston, Texas
More Traveling Cats
Samantha, left, and Shadow are the picture of relaxation on the Woodsons’ motorhome dash.
It was wonderful to see the traveling cat article by Patricia Turpin (“A Purrfect Travel Companion, December 2021). Thank you, Patricia. We do not see many articles about traveling with cats.
We bought our first motorhome in 1975 but did not start traveling with cats until 1985. At one time, we were up to five cats, and all of them were adopted strays. We were very lucky that all of them loved to travel in the motorhomes, and they all walked on a leash. We did not train them; we just put the harness on them, and they started walking. The last two, Samantha and Shadow, always raised the most attention when we walked them in the campgrounds. Those two have camped in every state except Alaska and Hawaii, as well as several locations in Canada.
After we have the motorhome settled in, Shadow wants to walk and meet people throughout the campground. Because he is so big, sometimes people mistake him for a dog. When we book reservations to a previously visited campground, they may not remember Sue and me, but they do remember the two black cats walking on their leashes.
Unfortunately, Samantha passed away in February 2021. We really miss her. Shadow continues to travel. We are planning our 2022 trips, and whenever I get near the motorhome, he’s ready to get in. Shadow turned 15 this year, and he looks more like a Siamese cat. Nevertheless, if people see a big brownish leashed cat walking through the campground, just wave your hand and say, “Hello, Shadow‚ I’m sure he will stop, sit down, turn his head toward you, and “Meow‚ back.
Keep up the good work on the magazine! Everyone else, stay safe on the road, and happy travels!
Edward “Woody‚ & Sue Woodson, F420223
New Tazewell, Tennessee
Drone Rules
Phillip Meeks wrote a good article (“Adventure Goes Airborne‚ January 2022) covering the basics of drone unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operation. My concern is that he may have made it too simple and set members up for problems with the FAA. Without a Part 107 certificate, pilots are limited to what they can do and certainly cannot understand what is legal and what is not. It’s the “what is not legal‚ that may get a member in trouble with the FAA.
The FAA divides UAS (drone and remote-control aircraft) into two categories: recreational pilots and commercial Part 107 pilots. And the INTENT of the flight is what they use to differentiate the categories. If the intent is anything other than recreational, the pilot requires a Part 107 certificate. Don’t be confused by saying, “I wasn’t getting paid for the flight. Being paid is not a requirement to be a nonrecreational flight. If the purpose of the flight is to inspect your roof for a leak, it is not a recreational flight. Posting videos on YouTube that you are compensated for is not a recreational flight. RVers are known for bartering at campgrounds. If a pilot barters any form of compensation for their UAS flight, it is no longer considered a recreational flight.
If you volunteer your UAS flight time to an agency (fire, EMA, search and rescue, police, to name a few) that operates under a COA, that is not a recreational flight.
I write you this as a concern that a member might not know the rules and get a communication from the FAA that could come with costly fines. The FAA generally tries to inform those who are not following the rules, but they could take it to another level.
In all cases, whether you fly as a recreational pilot, a Part 107 pilot, or operate utilizing a COA, the pilot is responsible for any injures or damages caused.
Fly safely.
Roger Schlichter, F465352
Memphis, Tennessee