Here is the printout of the FAA ruling
FAA banning use of goggles for modeling
Saw this on another site. Just simply copying and pasting his post. I can't get the link he's posted to work. But looks like the FAA is banning goggles. Says the operator must maintain visual line of site at all times.
Now FAA PROHIBITS use of FPV goggles in the United States!
Sorry fellow hobbyists, here's a glimpse of things headed our way by the FAA! Let's hope this doesn't hurt FatShark sales too much. While I'll keep my new Dominator V2, after waiting since mid-February for the HD I "purchased," this unfortunate situation led me to cancel my pending order and wait for the dust to settle...
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1[4910-13]
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 91
[Docket No. FAA
2014-0396]
Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft
Excerpt from page 8:
Although the FAA believes the statutory definition of a model aircraft is clear, the FAA provides the following explanation of the meanings of “visual line of sight” and “hobby or recreational purpose,” terms used in the definition of model aircraft, because the FAA has received a number of questions in this area.
By definition, a model aircraft must be “flown within visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft.” P.L. 112-95, section 336(c)(2).
Based on the plain language of the statute, the FAA interprets this requirement to mean that:
(1) the aircraft must be visible at all times to the operator;
(2) that the operator must use his or her own natural vision (which includes vision corrected by standard eyeglasses or contact lenses) to observe the aircraft; and
(3) people other than the operator may not be used in lieu of the operator for maintaining visual line of sight.
Under the criteria above , visual line of sight would mean that the operator has an unobstructed view of the model aircraft.
To ensure that the operator has the best view of the aircraft, the statutory requirement would preclude the use of vision-enhancing devices, such as binoculars, night vision goggles, powered vision magnifying devices, and goggles designed to provide a “first-person view” from the model.
Footnote 2: The FAA is aware that at least one community-based organization permits “first person view” (FPV) operations during which the hobbyist controls the aircraft while wearing goggles that display images transmitted from a camera mounted in the front of the model aircraft. While the intent of FPV is to provide a simulation of what a pilot would see from the flight deck of a manned aircraft, the goggles may obstruct an operator’s vision, thereby preventing the operator from keeping the model aircraft within his or her visual line of sight at all times. (end of footnote)
Such devices would limit the operator’s field of view thereby reducing his or her ability to see-and-avoid other aircraft in the area. Additionally, some of these devices could dramatically increase the distance at which an operator could see the aircraft, rendering the statutory visual-line-of-sight requirements meaningless. Finally, based on the plain language of the statute, which says that aircraft must be “flown within the visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft,” an operator could not rely on another person to satisfy the visual line of sight requirement. See id. (emphasis added). While the statute would not preclude using an observer to augment the safety of the operation, the operator must be able to view the aircraft at all times.
