If you didn't have a 400ft rule would you fly like this?

[blackcrusader]

Yup. I live in Taiwan which means as long as I avoid the airports and military bases and other no go areas we are free to fly as we please, common sense prevailing.

 

[m0j0]

. As with anything a wrongful death charge could get you a quick five . .

Wow... while it isn't impossible...you do realize that the chances of this actually resulting in a collision is incredibly small.. like win the lottery probability... in fact it is far less likely than a lottery win as in...has never happened. I understand your concern for safety but when you go so far out with a statement you lose credibility.

 

[Russ43Phantom]

With or without a commercial 'remote pilot in command' license, I would NOT fly above the 400' limit without gaining permission. Those who do will accelerate the amount of regulation/rules against drones. We don't want that to happen due to selfish, unthinking drone pilots.

On the other hand, from my experience, if you are in fact in an area where you present no risk, and you make a request for a specific time an place (a flight plan) you are very likely to get permission.

With permission from the FAA you can get those beautiful videos without endangering the future of drone flying. Our current freedoms require responsible action or we will loose them.

 

[vinc9951]

I am not in the USA. So sad that in the great outdoors you can't have unrestricted flights where there are no aircraft. I had to clear 1400' just to get this. However I am not in an aircraft flight zone and am over a wilderness area. Just me and my P3S and Argtek Antenna.

Would you do flights like this if you could? Please no drone police answers. Where I fly it is legal to do so.

The way i see it...you are standing on the mountain and maintaining your 4 ft above the mountain...Great video!

 

[Harleyfltri]

I'll be the Drone Cop with a gentle word of caution: Keep in mind that manned aircraft have no way of detecting your drone when its up there, and a collision could quite easily result in tragedy.

That's why there's a ceiling.

To answer the OP's question, I'd absolutely love to go up that high and shoot some footage. There have been countless times I cursed the universe when the perfect video was sitting before my eyes.

Yet, I'm just not willing to turn on the news after a huge air disaster and know I caused it.

How does it work if you ride or drive to the top of a mountain and launch from there going maybe 100 to 200 feet high just to get a great video?

 

[NewMexicoFlyer]

How does it work if you ride or drive to the top of a mountain and launch from there going maybe 100 to 200 feet high just to get a great video?

Your legit. 400 feet from ground or even structure

 

[ericgoodman]

Whats an argtek antenna?

 

[ericgoodman]

Beautiful video

 

[dwallersv]

How does it work if you ride or drive to the top of a mountain and launch from there going maybe 100 to 200 feet high just to get a great video?

The rules are all AGL (Above Ground Level). Manned aircraft are flying to stay >500' AGL.

So, when there's a mountain, they'll be at least 500' above it -- and in any real scenario, quite a bit more than that (at least 1500-2000' AGL in mountainous terrain like this).

I'd happily take my bird to a mountaintop, send it up 400', and snap some awesome pics. In fact, I've done this several times.

The issue is not being at a high absolute altitude. It's about the expectations of people piloting manned aircraft, and the consequences should an accident occur. Those expectations are built around the rules we've been discussing here, and I must say, from the point of view of a pilot in a manned aircraft, drone pilots adhering to the 400' rule is not a triviality, but critical to their safety.

I guarantee that everyone here that is treating this with disdain would take a completely different view if they were in their drone instead of operating it remotely.

 

[blackcrusader]

Whats an argtek antenna?

Argtek Antenna's are simply replacement panels that give a higher gain so your signal is boosted giving you loner range.

You can see my video on the Argtek Youtube channel. The one with 12920 ft distance and 30000 mileage. Flight logs also attached. I stayed under that magical 400ft height but was flying in a valley from a mountain so had some nice height.

High Power Expert ARGtek GM5

 

[blackcrusader]

Beautiful video

Thanks. We had some rain yesterday so rain clouds above today. They move of the mountains and break up into lovely misty clouds. I might head out soon to film some.

 

[NewMexicoFlyer]

Similar story here in SW New Mexico. WAY Too windy to fly

 

[blackcrusader]

Nice clouds.

 

[CharlieU]

I'll be the Drone Cop with a gentle word of caution: Keep in mind that manned aircraft have no way of detecting your drone when its up there, and a collision could quite easily result in tragedy.

That's why there's a ceiling.

To answer the OP's question, I'd absolutely love to go up that high and shoot some footage. There have been countless times I cursed the universe when the perfect video was sitting before my eyes.

Yet, I'm just not willing to turn on the news after a huge air disaster and know I caused it.

Just doesn't get it.

I'll be the Drone Cop with a gentle word of caution: Keep in mind that manned aircraft have no way of detecting your drone when its up there, and a collision could quite easily result in tragedy.

That's why there's a ceiling.

To answer the OP's question, I'd absolutely love to go up that high and shoot some footage. There have been countless times I cursed the universe when the perfect video was sitting before my eyes.

Yet, I'm just not willing to turn on the news after a huge air disaster and know I caused it.

dwallersv
You just don't get it. Please no drone police answers. I hate it when you grade school teachers just can't keep from giving advice. I'll win he lottery before " you turn on the news after a huge air disaster and know you caused it " I was an instrument rated pilot for many years. I had a puddle jumper that I flew all the time 50 to 100 feet above ground. There were no drones then. I still see pilots low level sightseeing. They are taking a big chance.

Here are FAA restrictions on aircraft:
91.119 Minimum safe altitudes; general Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes: (a) Anywhere – An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface. (b) Over congested areas – Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open-air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft. (c) Over other than congested areas – An altitude of 500 feet above the surface except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In that case, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure. (d) Helicopters – Helicopters may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed In paragraph (b) or (c) of this section if the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface. What about hazards from drones.
You see the FAA is letting aircraft fly in the airspace over the local lakes and open areas that I fly in.

 

[dwallersv]

Just doesn't get it.


dwallersv
You just don't get it.

No, I don't. I really would appreciate it if you could explain it to me, whatever "it" is that I don't get. I'm being serious here, not snarky.

People's lives are in the mix here. For real. That's what I'm talking about. What is it I don't get? Are they not at risk when a drone exceeds the 400' ceiling?

If they are not, and my concerns over collision between a remotely piloted drone and a manned aircraft above 500' AGL are completely off base, I'd like to know the facts.

If you have anything definitive that clears this up, please be helpful. Your previous response wasn't very. Boasting about being an IFR pilot is both irrelevant, and unimpressive. I'm a (no longer current) VFR pilot. This experience is in part what informs my concern. Your lack thereof, being an experienced pilot, is concerning.

 

[dwallersv]

You see the FAA is letting aircraft fly in the airspace over the local lakes and open areas that I fly in.

Oh, and as for this: A very real problem, I agree. This is what I'm talking about here, in general.

Now, when the first collision occurs and someone dies, what do you think the public, and therefore the FAA's, response will be? Come to the defense of drone enthusiasts?

Or further restrictions on drone flying, like maybe banning flights over lakes?

This is the point I'm trying to get people here to deal with in a mature, calm, reasoned way. What you, and others WANT to do is pretty irrelevant. The chip you so obviously have on your shoulder regarding FAA restrictions on UAVs is nothing more than childish tantrum behavior, and will only result in worse outcomes for us all.

Here's what I do "get": It is entirely incumbent upon YOU to be exceedingly careful flying anywhere you might be in the same airspace as a manned aircraft. Any collision will be blamed on you, not the manned aircraft pilot. You can count on this. And if the consequence is loss of life, expect your life to be completely up-ended and wrecked, no matter how good a case you can make that you "did all the right things". The people in the airplane are dead; you're not.

Flippancy regarding this issue will only serve to make problem worse. I don't want greater restrictions on where I can fly. Attitudes like yours will, with certainty in my opinion, lead exactly to that.

 

[AyeYo]

And what he also doesn't seem to get is that LEGALLY the fault will be with the drone pilot every time because LEGALLY the drone pilot must yield to manned aircraft.

 

[dwallersv]

And what he also doesn't seem to get is that LEGALLY the fault will be with the drone pilot every time because LEGALLY the drone pilot must yield to manned aircraft.

This is very true.

In terms of classification, the drone is far more maneuverable, and therefore under the rules we're all supposed to know when being pilots, the drone is supposed to get out of the way.

 

[Sean808080]

Lovely video. Perfect music. Be careful up there.

 

[blackcrusader]

Lovely video. Perfect music. Be careful up there.

No aircraft allowed where I fly. No people underneath. Just me, the sky, and my P3S Argtek Antenna kitted drone.
I fly where I am allowed to fly and at limits the drone can deal with at altitudes where I live. Sometimes I invite friends to come fly in my sky.
It's a lot more fun to see their reaction to the beauty we can see from above.

I chose music and lyrics the drone police will love