What is the max height ?

[rapunzel4771]

I'm curious to what the max altitude a P2 with H2-3D and Go-pro 3+Black could achieve ?

I keep pushing my limits bit by bit, I'm in the UK, no flight restrictions where we live, mostly fields and lack of population.
TIA

 

[IrishSights]

As you do live in the UK you DO have restrictions!!

EDIT: I presume you mean AGL?

 

[rapunzel4771]

As you do live in the UK you DO have restrictions!!

EDIT: I presume you mean AGL?

By no restrictions i mean there are no houses, people or the likes.

im wanting to film from beaches, up the cliff faces into the clear air, so i just want to know what the max i could got from my take off point.

If the beach is 200ft below the top of the cliff can i there for add another 400ft to that as it is now at ground level for the rest of the landmass? or am i still held to 400ft from takeoff point?

EXISTING REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT
FOR MODEL AIRCRAFT

UK national regulations for model aircraft are summarised in CAP 658 “Model Aircraft: A Guide to Safe Flying” [7]. Under the terms of the regulations, Small Aircraft
less than 20kg are excluded from the vast majority of the regulations that apply to other aircraft. The regulations provide freedom to operate a Small Aircraft
provided the operator does not act in a reckless or negligent manner so as to endanger any person or property.

For Small Aircraft with mass between 7kg–20kg, some additional operational constraints are imposed to ensure adequate safety. These include:

o Clear of controlled airspace, unless with ATC permission,
o Clear of any aerodrome traffic zone, unless with ATC permission
o At less than 400ft above the point of launch, except with permission as above,
o Within 500 metres of the operator at all times.
o Not within 150 metres of any congested area of a city, town or settlement,
o At least 50m clear of persons, vessels, vehicles or structures. This can be reduced to 30m for take-off or landing. Other model operators and any assistants or officials may be within this distance; as may vessels, vehicles or structures under their control,
o A serviceable “fail-safe” mechanism shall be incorporated to terminate the flight following loss of signal or detection of an interfering signal,
o Ensure that any load carried on the model is secure,
o Flights must comply with any conditions such as byelaws,
o CAA permission is required for any commercial flights.

As the Phantom 2 + set up is LESS than even the 7kg what would the restrictions be? I'm sure common sense would prevail in the end but I'm more curious to the "theoretical" max height from take off point

 

[IrishSights]

I would reckon if you took off from the top of the cliff it would be 400ft AGL so from the beach hmmm... I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you are using FPV the limit is 1000ft, anyway under the CAA exemption, if you can maintain LOS that is (difficult) and with an observer, so that gives you plenty of leeway. Its basically to keep you out of the way of fullsized aircraft, so just bear that in mind.

Have fun, fly legal, fly safe

 

[IrishSights]

This Information Notice helps clarify in a table format what the different weight requirements/limitations are.

www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/InformationNotice2014081.pdf

 

[RoryG]

Back in 1991 the UK CAA proposed to restrict all model aircraft to a max weight (MTW) of 2kg and a maximum altitude of 400'. Thankfully, due to extensive lobbying by the British Model Flying Association this never happened, and subsequently the BMFA were delegated the power of self regulation for model flying activities. However there is a height restriction of 400' AGL for models 7Kg and above, unless flying in an ATZ or class A, C, D or E airspace with ATC approval. Small Unmanned Aircraft flown using First Person View can have a MTW of 3.5Kg and flown to a max altitude of 1000' providing there is a competent observer with direct, unaided view of the craft. Other than that, providing you have unaided visual sight of your craft at all times there is no specific altitude restriction in the UK.

In practice, a Phantom becomes a tiny spec in the sky at around 500' above the launch point (with my eyesight anyway), so remaining visual to stay within the CAA guidelines will be your max height in practice.

If you haven't already done so, make yourself familiar with the Civil Aviation Authority publication CAP 658 - Model Aircraft: A Guide To Safe Flying. Although a guideline publication it has links to the relevant parts of the Air Navigation Order (laws, so you can be prosecuted for breaking them).

Please be safe and follow the guidelines - so called "drones" are getting enough bad press in the USA particularly, and we want to keep our relations with the CAA and in particular the press and the public squeaky clean here in the UK!

Rory

 

[RoryG]

Sorry - I started typing the above after post #2 but got called away, it's pretty much says the same as the subsequent posts!

Rory