- Joined
- Jan 14, 2016
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 6
- Age
- 58
I am always perplexed by the height police and their lack of acknowledgement on what you said above.The FAA only wants you to fly a maximum of 400 feet above ground level (the ground beneath your Phantom).
I've never seen any rules that say you cannot fly higher than 400 feet. It's just what the FAA is recommending as a safety precaution.and anything that is talked about 400.1 + will get a "your not safe, your breaking the rules, your a danger to us all" type of comment
Flying over the bridge at 400ft is a VIOLATION.Let's keep splitting hairs, for purpose of discussion...
You fly your bird over a canyon which is 500 feet deep but only 200 feet wide. You are at a 150' altitude above the surrounding land but at the halfway point you are 650' above the bottom of the canyon.
1. Does the fact that the canyon was only 200' wide matter? What if it was a mile wide? What if there were a 300 foot deep sink hole you were photographing?
2. At no point were you further than roughly 250' from solid ground. Is this of any importance?
3. At one point you were at an altitude of 650' from the canyon bottom. Are you in violation?
I think we can all reasonably agree on answers, but you can see how the "altitude" question can be...questioned.
Just for the record, I'd fly up to 400 feet above the bridge roadbed. That's me.
AGREE!Exactly.
Blanket rules are just as moronic as one rule fits all rules. They don't and they won't.
For example, the houses on my block have a high tension power line running along our property lines. Those are like 250' or so high (best guess, not getting a tape measure out to measure them). There is also a 300' water tower half a block to the west. We have trees around 100' ish. A NFZ starts at the south end of my block.
Flying my drone down our street to video Christmas lights (or halloween) at < 200' and violating (technically) a NFZ is not a problem for me. If there is a commercial aircraft flying down our street <300' then the pilot is yelling "Brace! Brace! Brace!" in the intercom! My copter will not change that or interfere with a crash in progress.
Would I be buzzing around at 400' or more in the NFZ? Certainly not. Again, reason needs to prevail, not one size fits all NFZ geo fencing.
As for the OP, its 400' above ground level. Otherwise most people would not be able to fly anywhere on the planet except near oceans where the ground is < 400' AMSL. Here I believe we are 600ish AMSL so that lets me get up to 1000' AMSL or 400' AGL. So I would think you could fly up to 400' above the side mountains but only 400 above the river. Technically. So it depends on where your copter is in that scene. Personally, I would buzz the bridge no problem. But I would also look out for stunt planes and manned choppers in the area as they COULD fly under the bridge. Not likely. But could.
Again, common sense. Fly where full size aircraft can't and you won't be in their way. If, at any time, you are flying where a manned aircraft could fly or would fly or is flying, then you are doing something wrong. Normally 400' is no problem. But if a crop duster is working the field, YOU need to move. Common sense.
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