5 Mile Airport Restriction
- Thread starter Daren0477
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I have flown near an airport after asking authorization. I have been given instructions of height and had the courtesy to call them when I start and finished. No problem at all.
Just wondering, operators in Hampton,York, Poquoson for example are in the five mile window of LAFB. Obviously some are within the 500 feet window of Langley..lol
But anyways, wonder how Langley would handle this question or advisement of a low altitude neighborhood flight 3 to 4 miles away. I am sure some folks are going to post an extreme answer to this question. Can a simple, non-confrontational answer be provided. Most threads end up in pissing contests over opinions and non-relevant responses. We all know it's a base and they have fighter planes. Not referring to flying on the their runway or even close.
But anyways, wonder how Langley would handle this question or advisement of a low altitude neighborhood flight 3 to 4 miles away. I am sure some folks are going to post an extreme answer to this question. Can a simple, non-confrontational answer be provided. Most threads end up in pissing contests over opinions and non-relevant responses. We all know it's a base and they have fighter planes. Not referring to flying on the their runway or even close.
Hill AFB in Utah, on their web site, says to call the control tower. The FAA says the same. Strange, I know. Are they ready for the call volume? If you call, my guess is you will get an OK at 3 to 4 miles out. I am 4.8 miles from Hill AFB and plan to call later today.
I live about 3.5 miles from a major airport and call the tower when I test fly at the house and have had several nice conversations with the tower. I live in a historic district and commercial flights are banned over us minus emergencies and I told the tower I keep to just above the tree line and normal about 50 feet as I only do check outs at home. They pretty much said it was cool and just call anytime. Our town has a great relationship with the airport. Now the Transit Admin is another story.
Good luck finding places to fly on the Peninsula. Looks like Seaford and the East End of NN are the only areas not covered up on the Don't Fly Drones Here map.
I've flown near Provo UT airport. I called and, as other mentioned, was asked distance, general direction and to call once I started and when I stopped. No issues.
So... the general rule you an _always_ go by.... when flying within 5 miles of an airport _always_ call. This way you can't go wrong. If you live within 5 miles of an airport and you call every day, let the tower be the judge on how they want to handle that situation.
So... the general rule you an _always_ go by.... when flying within 5 miles of an airport _always_ call. This way you can't go wrong. If you live within 5 miles of an airport and you call every day, let the tower be the judge on how they want to handle that situation.
I want to call the control tower at Hill AFB. So does everyone else in Layton, UT who has a drone and is aware of the requirement. I have searched everywhere but cannot find a number for the tower. The airport is officially closed right now. An article on their web site seems to give indirect approval so long as RC aircraft are kept in line of site, but I am not 100% sure how to interpret that. I am at 4.85 miles. What do I do?
You might need to call a few locations. You could start with 801-777-1861 for base operations and just keep asking for the phone number to the traffic control tower.
I plan on flying near a private strip tomorrow that does not have a control tower on an Island only accessible by water or aircraft. It is marked on the aviation charts. Just like the last 3 times I flew there I contacted the airport manager and gave him my intentions. He asked if I could stay below 300 feet, I agreed. I will be within 2 miles of the strip. Since this is a pretty secluded strip I also offered to fly the approaches and give him video so he could use it to help new pilots wishing to visit. He was receptive to that idea. Lots smaller airport managers can be really friendly. I like friends that let me fly on their properties! Here are a couple of shots from my last visit.
I'm still trying to figure out why they chose 5 miles, if we can't/don't fly over 500 feet, that alone will really minimize any drone problems as long as you are maybe 1 mile away from the airport
I'm a private pilot and your never down near 500 feet (at least in the states) unless your flying in the pattern and getting ready to land
I could maybe see more if it was near a major airport...
Matthew
I'm a private pilot and your never down near 500 feet (at least in the states) unless your flying in the pattern and getting ready to land
I could maybe see more if it was near a major airport...
Matthew
You will have to call Base Operations see AirNav: KHIF - Hill Air Force Base you will find the number to Base Operation on this page.
The number you provided always answers and hangs up immediately. I tried that number many times before you suggested it.
Sorry about that. Here is another one:
Air Traffic Control Tower .................................... 75OSS/OSAT ..................... 777-3745
Here is an online phone directory for Hill:
http://www.hill.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-131011-067.pdf
Air Traffic Control Tower .................................... 75OSS/OSAT ..................... 777-3745
Here is an online phone directory for Hill:
http://www.hill.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-131011-067.pdf
Thank you. Very helpful. One other thing. On another number, a recording says the airport is closed and status Echo (E) regarding airspace. I will still call the tower on Saturday when we fly but in general do you know if a "closed" airport changes the requirement at all. I guess I could ask them.
Interesting question, is the beacon at the airport still lit? And do you know if it is open where pilots can use the radio to turn on the landing lights
Quite a few small airports do that
Quite a few small airports do that
If it is closed, it would mean no air operations at all. Have you heard any military aircraft lately? I find it hard to believe that Hill would close the flight line. On the pdf I linked you to find the tower number I posted, several lines above and below are number you might could call to validate that it is in fact a closed flight line. Another office that may know is the Public Affairs Office or the Security Police. I would explain your are an RC hobbyist and are trying to following FAA guidelines by notifying them before flying.
Good Luck, and Merry Christmas.
Good Luck, and Merry Christmas.
Not wanting to start a new thread here but I've been curious, has anyone called a major airport for permission? It seems like there is very few areas that are 5 miles or farther from an airport in Southern California. I would like to fly in fiesta island here in San Diego (see map below) but I'm going to fall in the flight distance issue and I haven't heard anyone calling a major airport like San Diego international. Granted, I'm not going to be in the flight path and the control tower would have more issues if a plane was coming my way than a drone up in the area I wish to go but I'm still just trying to figure this out and abide by the law.
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RC hobbyists generally fly at AMA fields that are generally not that close to airports. Due to need for an airstrip, or even for frequency protection due to limited radio frequencies, most RC hobbyists stick to AMA fields. It is only with the explosion of MR type aircraft that are GPS stabilized and with FPV are we seeing folks flying in just about any location. Throw in capabilities that allow said aircraft to fly well beyond the naked eye's ability to follow (which also did not happen with RC aircraft), and you can see why things are changing so rapidly.
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