400 Foot Altitude Quiz

Forest Hill Bridge is 900 feet above the river below. The mountain tops are another 400 feet above the bridge level. I'm standing at river level, how high can I fly my drone?
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Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
Its 400 feet from your launch location so launch from the bridge or even climb the 400 feet to the top of the mountain and launch from there.

If you are challenged your drone logs in healthy drones will show altitude at launch and max altitude of flight and also your latitude and longitude points as you fly.
 
Its 400 feet from your launch location so launch from the bridge or even climb the 400 feet to the top of the mountain and launch from there.

If you are challenged your drone logs in healthy drones will show altitude at launch and max altitude of flight and also your latitude and longitude points as you fly.
No, 400 (when applicable) is always in reference to the ground under the bird, or the structure under or near it.
I definitely wouldn't launch from that bridge. All that metal is going to screw with your compass (ask me how I know )
 
Forest Hill Bridge is 900 feet above the river below. The mountain tops are another 400 feet above the bridge level. I'm standing at river level, how high can I fly my drone?
0016ae37adc9f25a7700f69e5c563099.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

Part 107 says that you can fly 400' above the subject matter being filmed as long as you're no farther than 400' away from that subject matter. For example, a 10 story building is 150'. You can fly up to 550' above that building as long as you're within a 400' radius of the building (imagine a cylinder surrounding the building to an elevation of 550'). Of course, if a building is 1000', this could put you within controlled airspace for which you need to be aware of and comply with regulations for being within that space -- especially in cities with nearby airports and Class B,C,D restrictions. Check out the Part 107 discussion on this topic.
 
I definitely wouldn't launch from that bridge. All that metal is going to screw with your compass (ask me how I know )
Agreed. Nothing wrong with the roadside at either end of the bridge though, if there's a bit of room.

Also, one doesn't have to be all the way down at the river, or all the way to the top of the hill. There are probably alternatives.
 
Part 107 says that you can fly 400' above the subject matter being filmed as long as you're no farther than 400' away from that subject matter.

Part 107 does not apply to hobby fliers or certified fliers flying for pleasure. It only applies to certified pilots flying for commercial purposes.

For example, a 10 story building is 150'. You can fly up to 550' above that building as long as you're within a 400' radius of the building...

Just to clarify, you CAN'T legally fly 550' above the BUILDING. You can fly 550' above the GROUND, which would put you 400' above the building. I think that's what you meant.
 
ok here are my flight details from today. I took off from far above the valley floor. If I had been in the USA would I have broken any laws if I was more than 400ft above the valley floor?

Flew into a head wind so RTH was very easy. Flight details Plane Name BLACKCRUSADER / Flight Air Time 06m 51s / Takeoff Battery 63% Landing Battery 40% / P3S/ Android DJI 3.1.3 /Total Mileage 12,284 ft / Max Distance 6,037 ft Max Altitude 264.8 ft / Max Speed 32.32 mph /Max Bat Temp 89.5°f

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Indeed. Ideally, you should have an altimeter or a Topo map to tell you your launch altitude above sea level, before launch, so you can manually calculate true AGL during your fight, based upon the elevation of the ground level below your aircraft. :cool:

You can also see that in healthy drones. Launch go to 1m or 2ft, land, upload and check latitude longitude, altitude.
End of flight can also see max altitude. Sometimes you just need to fly to 10200ft altitude to get nice pics or videos.
Watch out for tall mountains. :)


 
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I would guess the 400' is measured from the ground where you took off. That's what the app measures when it shows height. If you want to fly 400'above the bridge then take off from the level of the bridge. Just my opinion
 
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_pol...s/aviation/media/remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf
Title 14, volume 2, part 107.51. You can not fly any higher than 400' agl or 400' radius from structure and not exceeding 400' from tallest portion of building. So, as long as he stays within 400' of bridge, he can fly 400' higher than bridge.
You have to qualify the flight first. Then you can quote the applicable rule.

If the flight is recreational, the rule is 400 feet AGL. Call it a guideline if you want. It's still 400 feet AGL. Doesn't matter what structures are nearby.

Also, you messed up the link in your quote. You placed a "p" in front of "regulations" for some reason... it's fixed in my post
 
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Where is the reference to "Qualify" your first flighto_O

I can quote any rule, you don't have to a pilot to know FAA rules (Reading is Fundamental):mad:

He never asked if it was hobby or commercial. If hobby, yes 400" agl, if sUAS licensed, then:

5.10 Operating Limitations for Small UA.
Cannot be flown higher than 400 feet above ground level (AGL), unless flown within a 400-foot radius of a structure and does not fly higher than 400 feet above the structure’s immediate uppermost limit:p
 

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