I've been converted...Flying high is great!!!

[dtviewer]

I have been...up to this point anyway...what I would call a low flyer. I never could understand why so many people like to fly high. 40, maybe 50 feet is the highest I would ever go and seemed perfect to me.
Saturday I was at one of my flying spots (over water) and could see a real bad storm in the distance, and it looked like it would make a great shot. I kept going a bit higher, then a bit more until I had what looked like a good angle. It was a bit over 200 feet. I snapped some pics then looked at them when I got home. Let me tell you the pics from up high were so much more interesting than the usual shots I've taken in that location.
I'm hooked!!

 

[DroneValley]

I totally agree with you and it took me a while to get comfortable with flying high. Even though I understand that the physics are the same at both low and high altitudes, I was uneasy sending the drone up to its ceiling of 400'. What changed that for me was that when I started flying in popular locations, the lower height was a hassle for people around me with noise. I started taking off and popping up to 100-200' to fly to the destination and then dropping down to a lower flight to film. I'm stll a little scared over water but I'm working on it. The link below will take you to a clip I did at height to show you an example.

 

[Nico Tine]

150'-200' is usually my go-to altitude for general navigation, and then I raise or lower for the shots I want. This is a good general setting that's high enough not to upset people and avoid most obstacles. I have maxed my P3P out at the 1600' mark a few times though, I recommend doing it at least once if you can in your area.

 

[DroneValley]

I rarely travel to a location under 100' since this is technically considered "navigable airspace". I know it's technical but the FAA lost a case years ago with a chicken farmer and the court decided that he owned the airspace over his farm to a height of 93'. I stay above this so I am always in the golden Drone Zone. I am a little worried about your 1600' comment as this is 4 times higher than you're allowed to fly with the drone and does pose a hazard to other aircraft. You may get lucky but if a plane comes through and a collision occurs, you'll probably be looking at a huge fine and possibly jail time.

 

[Nico Tine]

Agreed totally. Not super safe and not smart most places most times. I probably shouldn't have even posted it honestly. Don't try this at home.

 

[MasterBlaster]

this is 4 times higher than you're allowed to fly with the drone...

I think what you meant to say was "this is 4 times higher than your recommended to fly"...





Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Wyattroa]

Just a side note, there are anywhere from 100-400 billion birds in the world. That number greatly, greatly out numbers the amount of drones out there. Yet some how planes manage to fly everyday from place to place with out falling out of the sky. How is it planes manage to fly at all with that number of birds out there? My mind is blown that the government hasn't tried to ban and regulate birds yet.

 

[Nico Tine]

I honestly didn't intend to derail this thread by opening up that debate. My only point was that it's possible and the view can be very rewarding. No it is not the safest thing to do, no it may not be smart if your not careful, no it is not recommended by the Government, ect.

 

[Wibble]

Í nearly always fly between 200 and 400' high. Mainly to avoid birds!

 

[fastfed]

I rarely travel to a location under 100' since this is technically considered "navigable airspace". I know it's technical but the FAA lost a case years ago with a chicken farmer and the court decided that he owned the airspace over his farm to a height of 93'. I stay above this so I am always in the golden Drone Zone. I am a little worried about your 1600' comment as this is 4 times higher than you're allowed to fly with the drone and does pose a hazard to other aircraft. You may get lucky but if a plane comes through and a collision occurs, you'll probably be looking at a huge fine and possibly jail time.

I've been flying for years and we never once EVER flown under 3k feet over a random residential area, even over the beaches we stay above 1500ft. mostly 2k

That said, the only time I think i've seen a vehicle fly that low, would be a helicopter

 

[Wibble]

I've been flying for years and we never once EVER flown under 3k feet over a random residential area, even over the beaches we stay above 1500ft. mostly 2k

That said, the only time I think i've seen a vehicle fly that low, would be a helicopter

Light aircraft in the UK often fly at about 400'. In the mountains around me I see the military flying lower than my house!
Not only helis but fixed wing as well.
Many years ago I used to go metal detecting. I was on a vast beach oblivious to everything wearing my headphones when I was almost flattened by a Dash 7 doing touch and go's!!!

 

[shockwave199]

OP- nice pic! I fly at leisure around 150' up. It depends on my mood though. Sometimes I stay lower at 100'. Sometimes I'm at 250. I don't usually fly at 3-400 unless I have a purpose to do so. I also usually stay within 1.5k' to 2k' out. Even if I'm flying a litchi filming mission- which is a good deal of why I fly now- I keep it at or under 2.5k out. Height doesn't make me uneasy, it's distance. I'll let out the leash only if it's necessary. I prefer to not increase the risk of signal issues at long distances, especially if I'm just flying around leisurely. To the post above about water- don't fear it. Land or water, it won't matter with catastrophic failure. I don't even think about water- it's all the same to me. The only thing you need to do is keep tabs on wind speed for the altitudes at the area you're gonna fly at. That is hugely important. I keep up to date on wind speed and direction to within the hour I plan on flying. At 12 hours before, I get a general sense of what I'll be in for and if I'll fly. Much longer than 12 hours out and I don't even consider the wind forecast reliable. Safe flights to you.

 

[DroneValley]

I've been flying for years and we never once EVER flown under 3k feet over a random residential area, even over the beaches we stay above 1500ft. mostly 2k

That said, the only time I think i've seen a vehicle fly that low, would be a helicopter

I appreciate your flying that high and I live in an area with a lot of local farms that have dirt or grass runways and they do fly at 500' a lot. The smaller planes at the Jersey shore are dragging an advertisement banner over the surf near the beach and have to fly low for the people to read it so that's the biggest challenge I have when I fly there.