Is there a good reason/exception to exceed 400'?

[Geoelectro]

Today I flew in a state park with a monument that is 560' tall. I had hoped to fly over it and be able to get the GPS fix for POI. You have to get permission from the Ranger to fl in the park which I did. I was told I couldn't fly over the monument, only outside the circle drive that surrounds it. I understood this because apparently people had flown into it and crashed on it. However, they also said I couldn't fly over 400'. I at least wanted to fly to the top. I explained I understood the spirit of the recommendation, keeping manned aircraft separate from our aircraft. But surely no manned aircraft would be flying so close to this monument that has survived since the 30's. He was nice but firm on the rules.

I flew at 400' and had to do manual POI. Overall, I got some good footage and it was a "Chamber of Commerce" day. So, what about flying around or even over building etc. that exceed 400'?

Geo

 

[BigAl07]

If you're flying over a structure and within 400' of the structure laterally you can fly up and over the structure up to 400'. This is assuming you're NOT flying in an area that is allowing you to fly from their property.

For instance if you're "inspecting" a tower that is 425' high you could in theory fly up to 825' AGL so long as you're within 400' laterally from the structure you're flying over.

 

[sar104]

Today I flew in a state park with a monument that is 560' tall. I had hoped to fly over it and be able to get the GPS fix for POI. You have to get permission from the Ranger to fl in the park which I did. I was told I couldn't fly over the monument, only outside the circle drive that surrounds it. I understood this because apparently people had flown into it and crashed on it. However, they also said I couldn't fly over 400'. I at least wanted to fly to the top. I explained I understood the spirit of the recommendation, keeping manned aircraft separate from our aircraft. But surely no manned aircraft would be flying so close to this monument that has survived since the 30's. He was nice but firm on the rules.

I flew at 400' and had to do manual POI. Overall, I got some good footage and it was a "Chamber of Commerce" day. So, what about flying around or even over building etc. that exceed 400'?

Geo

Is this recreational or Part 107? The situation is complicated in either case; the Park can certainly regulate whether sUAS operations are permitted but, once operations (takeoff and landing) are permitted, their authority to regulate the details of the flight is somewhat dubious since that is FAA jurisdiction. They could possibly object on the basis of endangering people or property, noise nuisance, harassing wildlife etc.. On the other hand, if you are flying in their park then perhaps respecting their wishes is the wisest approach, since they can, presumably, withdraw permission to operate if they don't like your flying.

 

[Geoelectro]

Yeah, recreational. I agree it's their park and they do give permission if you follow their rules. It seemed he deferred to FAA rules as far as height goes. That's why I was wondering about flying over structures that were higher than 400'.

Geo

 

[Helihover]

If you're flying over a structure and within 400' of the structure laterally you can fly up and over the structure up to 400'. This is assuming you're NOT flying in an area that is allowing you to fly from their property.

For instance if you're "inspecting" a tower that is 425' high you could in theory fly up to 825' AGL so long as you're within 400' laterally from the structure you're flying over.

Is this true for hobbiest?

 

[sar104]

Is this true for hobbiest?

I don't think that any of the recreational guidelines go into that kind of detail.

 

[BigAl07]

Is this true for hobbiest?

No for hobbyist it's just "good practice".

For those of us that play on both sides of the fence (hobby & commercial) keep in mind that should you have some type of incident/infraction while flying as a hobbyist it could be detrimental to your commercial certificate. Remember the FA can revoke that certificate at any time but to my knowledge it's not happened to anyone yet.

 

[daveisim]

Is this true for hobbiest?

Only if you are following FAA Part 101 (Public Law part 336 --- I forget the exact number---) / AMA rules and are within 5 SM of an airport, I believe.