How High??

4270ft max altitude is my favorite hobby with the vplus. I have not had any time to do it for the past 4 weeks. I posted several tips on my website.
 
This thread shows me how the hobby and business opportunity of UAS video is going to be either banned or so tightly regulated that we will all be outlaws just by owning one. Going to the heights I see posted here is irresponsible and reckless behavior. Right now the media and lawmakers are watching "us" very closely and taking every opportunity they can to make a shock and horror spectacle of even the slightest "drone event". Right now is our time to show them we are either safe and responsible, or the opposite. We won't get a second chance if we blow it. Which camp are you in?
 
See-My-Town said:
This thread shows me how the hobby and business opportunity of UAS video is going to be either banned or so tightly regulated that we will all be outlaws just by owning one. Going to the heights I see posted here is irresponsible and reckless behavior. Right now the media and lawmakers are watching "us" very closely and taking every opportunity they can to make a shock and horror spectacle of even the slightest "drone event". Right now is our time to show them we are either safe and responsible, or the opposite. We won't get a second chance if we blow it. Which camp are you in?

I was watching one of the altitude videos last night and my wife walked in and saw it. Her first question was "what if one of those things gets sucked into an airliner's engine?" My reply - "End of the hobby" I think you are correct in that we need to show we are responsible aviators/photographers or we will lose our flight privileges. As an example, I am barely outside the 5 mile zone for San Antonio International. However, there is a corridor that Life Flight uses going to/from University Hospital that is right over my house. So I don't have an altitude restriction by airport proximity but I have an obligation to stay low for the safety of Life Flight and other air ambulance aircraft.
 
Everyone that are going above allowed heights need to realize that they probably need permission from the local AA. Thing is some planes/choppers might actually ask a separate permission from AA to fly low.

Scary thing is that everyone are just waiting for when (not if) the ball will drop. Because sadly at one point it will.
 
I've flown to 1000ft several times and have videos, but certainly not on a regular basis. One of my spots to fly has a lot of medivac flights so I keep it below 500ft most of the time. I've heard of others reaching 3000ft +.
 
I took my bird up to 1605m (5265.75ft) legally the other day, I had to drive 2 hours, drive up a mountain and launch from 1560m but I did it.

It was a short and boring flight because I was surrounded by trees at the liftoff point which was the only place to launch in the area
and I did not want to loose connection with the bird and chance a RTH in amongst the trees.

This is one of the higher Mountains in NSW Australia

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qOugCREKm0[/youtube]

Hmmmmm.. how long is a piece of string.........
 
1500+ ft, could see the lights, it was at 1100pm....was beauriful, then it said my height limit was reached.... Ask my daughter to help me read the fpv....She said, you are at 20% battery; and RTH just wasn't going fast enough.... I did make it home.... Scariest flight ever... :roll:
 
RCF - DRONE said:
1500+ ft, could see the lights, it was at 1100pm....was beauriful, then it said my height limit was reached.... Ask my daughter to help me read the fpv....She said, you are at 20% battery; and RTH just wasn't going fast enough.... I did make it home.... Scariest flight ever... :roll:
FYI... If you switch to ATTI mode you can bypass the 2 meter per second descent rate restriction. So I'm told. ;)
 
One thing I am seeing a lot of is people saying "I am NOT in any flight paths".... As a pilot, I can tell you most of the time we are not flying along a flight path. This is especially true for smaller aircraft. most airplanes are usually cleared direct to their destination. Flight paths are becoming a thing of the past. These days they are primarily used in case of GPS and/or communication loss.

Another thing I feel worth mentioning, is how unsafe it is flying your quad beyond visual range, especially that high... Even with FPV, you can only see one direction.

It is only a matter of time I am afraid...
 
Wow, I was told not to go over 400ft high in the USA. How are you all going so high without getting into trouble? If an aircraft hit your quadcopter, you would be in a tonnnn of trouble, guaranteed getting arrested. You are going to ruin it for all of us.
 

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