I hit the Max Height limit! 1654.2 FT!!!

[steveeds]

Whenever I cross a railway line in my vehicle I slow right down and do the look left look right like mum told me when crossing the road, I would be in the right just to go through like everyone but I don't trust flashing lights and a bell to stop a train, I really don't trust them when they don't flash and there's no bell..

Call me silly but it's all semantics till it happens.
Point is if you can be safe then it's clever to be, it is hard when you have a neat toy that'll do really neat things that brings out the 5 year old in all of us, best we can do is at least understand and be a little bit nice.

 

[JerEl]

Probably will never happen.
As hyper-sensitive as the general public and the news organizations are to personal drone "disasters", even a broken window in a Florida home was national news: (http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/hialeah/article11873771.html)

What's odd is that the reporter in the video said in closing that the operator of the drone either ignored FAA rules or was not aware of them because he obviously wasn't flying "line of sight". LOL How does he know that? #1) the guy may have just lost control and hit the window across the street and didn't want to get in trouble with the law, so didn't admit he was the culprit. #2) He may indeed been flying line of sight and for some reason the copter got out of control then crashed into the window blocks away.

Congress excepted the FAA from making rules on model aircraft and instead said it was up to community based model organizations to create suggested rules to follow. The AMA did that but unfortunately not everyone follows the informal rules so the FAA is trying redefine model aircraft as sUAVs and gong to create rules in the future or ask congress to let them do it because of all the so-called "near misses" which are just sightings of small drones not necessarily a dangerous issue and not all hobbyists only. I'm not guessing on these "sightings," I've read the report on every single one of them.

As a licensed pilot and a small RC aircraft operator I'm aware of the danger they may pose to small aircraft, however slight the ratio may be and try to stay under 400' from the ground. However most VFR pilots use altimeters set at sea level and fly accordingly which means they can legally fly 500' from the ground level but in many cases may be much lower. Although I live in a very rural area I've seen small planes and helicopters flying low either sightseeing or practicing some maneuvers so just because one lives 50 miles from an airport doesn't mean there are no piloted aircraft in the vicinity.

A nice thing about belonging to the AMA and flying by their suggested rules is that you are covered by a blanket 1,000,000 liability insurance policy. Plus, IMO their informative magazine is worth the price of the membership. They are also fighting the FAA on any "rules" for hobbyists unless Congress gives them permission to do so. They have insinuated they will go to court to fight any rules that limits where and how hobbyists may fly their aircraft other than what's in the present suggested "rules". However, it seems they are agreeing with the suggested rules for commercial use but do not support what the FAA calls a "commercial operation".

 

[Okie72]

I was feeling really good today and decided to go for it! I was 30 feet away and took it straight up as high as it would go. It got to 1654.2 feet and then I got a message saying the the max altitude was reached and to change it in the settings. It got up there rather quickly going 11 MPH. It still had 91% battery left when it reached the limit. I hovered for a couple minutes then hit my RTH button and down she came! I kind of wish that 500m limit wasn't there. It was nice to see things from that POV. in the video I can see my dads house and that is over 5 miles away!. I am uploading the video now and will post the link as soon as its done. Its completely unedited so nothing special.

Just wondering how you were able to get past the limit? When I put in a value over 400 feet it gives me a warning about the heigth restriction and then automatically sets the value back to 400.

 

[fhagan02]

If you wonder why DJI has to idiot proof the Phantom with flight restrictions, here it is.

Ditto this.

 

[fhagan02]

Doesn't matter if you had 10 spotters in the middle of the Mojave desert. Don't do it.

Ditto this.

 

[Chris Vedeler]

The only reason I can see for going over 500 meters is if you take off in a valley and want to fly over a nearby mountain. I've run into this before. I'm happy to stay below 400 feet above the ground, but the ground isn't always flat. In fact some of the most interesting areas are steep mountains and 500 meters isn't enough.

 

[Sammynels]

Good job man! Don't listen to all these law abiding nerdy worms. [emoji123][emoji108][emoji322]

 

[skyhighdiver]

There is no law. It's an advisory.

Always that one ill informed person spouting rules and regulations when they got there info from a comic book. Not the actual law book or in this case lack of law book and gfredrone is right its a advisory not a law

 

[Marlin009]

Always that one ill informed person spouting rules and regulations when they got there info from a comic book. Not the actual law book or in this case lack of law book

 

[TimBarnhart]

It's people like you that cause the media to go into a frenzie at the sound of the word drone

 

[Sammynels]

A skydiver is gonna get whacked by a prop!

 

[bobmyers]

a great news blast for CNN-- never hear the end of that one

 

[dirkclod]

It's people like you that cause the media to go into a frenzie at the sound of the word drone

You not the ...Admin "DJI Phantom 3" Facebook group... that I read about banning members are ya ?

 

[TimBarnhart]

I've only banned spammers you may be thinking about another group.

 

[dirkclod]

I've only banned spammers you may be thinking about another group.

Gotya

 

[Sammynels]

It's funny how we seem to get off track here. But white sunglasses with a red beard? That's gives us fellow Gingers a bad name!!!

 

[BenDronePilot]

No I don't think I did. If you think I did then what is your point. You said there is no law in the U.S. But there are so what was your point?

There is only. 400 foot guidance, not

The only reason I can see for going over 500 meters is if you take off in a valley and want to fly over a nearby mountain. I've run into this before. I'm happy to stay below 400 feet above the ground, but the ground isn't always flat. In fact some of the most interesting areas are steep mountains and 500 meters isn't enough.

I agree, I'll be going to Cali and was thinking I might fly from ground level up over some mountain peaks and I have a feeling I might need more latitude for that. I am not happy with the 500m built in limit but at least am glad to know there is a trick to getting around it.

 

[Jbundy63]

[emoji106]

 

[SteveMann]

I agree. Arguing that a midair collision with the Phantom at 1500 won't hurt the plane is crazy. You shouldn't be flying it about the 400' limit. My buddy in his younger days decided to buzz our neighborhood in a 172. He was below the FAA VFR altitude guidelines. His license was suspended for a year.

1) No one said "won't hurt the plane". If they did, I missed it, and they are probably wrong.
2) when I had my Cessna at a California airport (RHV) there was a section near the western runway (31L) that always had a small pond after any serious rain (yes, young Padwan, it used to rain in California). And as if they were dormant seeds, it filled up with ducks and geese within hours. the tower warned us about the birds on the approach end. The airport manager couldn't do anything because it was officially a wetland. At any rate, bird strikes with 5 to 10 pound birds was frequent. A few every day. I was hit on two flights. But, not a single airplane was "brought down", and only one that I was aware of had any damage at all - a bent Pitot tube. No cracked windscreens, no prop strikes, just an active wash rack.

The odds of a three pound UAV "bringing down" any airplane weighing 2,000 pounds or more is so miniscule that the SKY IS FALLING fear mongering would be laughable if it weren't coming from people who should know better.

 

[Jbundy63]

I was feeling really good today and decided to go for it! I was 30 feet away and took it straight up as high as it would go. It got to 1654.2 feet and then I got a message saying the the max altitude was reached and to change it in the settings. It got up there rather quickly going 11 MPH. It still had 91% battery left when it reached the limit. I hovered for a couple minutes then hit my RTH button and down she came! I kind of wish that 500m limit wasn't there. It was nice to see things from that POV. in the video I can see my dads house and that is over 5 miles away!. I am uploading the video now and will post the link as soon as its done. Its completely unedited so nothing special.

Very cool video [emoji106] I'm from Michigan, born in Dearborn