Where do these classify? There are always hot air balloons flying around near my home during late spring and summer and I thought that it would a super cool shot to get with the P3P but something doesn't feel right about it. Any thoughts?

I used to fly a microlight and sometimes flew near (not too near) to hot air balloons. I never flew in front of it, ie, the direction the wind was taking it, nor over or under it. I was aware that as it was going with the wind it could be a bit unpredictable. No doubt the FAA over there has rules on separation distances etc.

i haven't looked too deep into rules and regs for hot balloons but as it is a manned aircraft similar/same rules apply as with manned aircraft.  it is still an aircraft just falls under classification as lighter than air.     

just found on faa for hot air balloons
§91.113   Right-of-way rules:
D 1 A balloon has the right-of-way over any other category of aircraft

full info is here
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text ... 2.91#se14.2.91_1111

quickpoint Posted at 2016-4-6 23:48
i haven't looked too deep into rules and regs for hot balloons but as it is a manned aircraft simila ...

Great info. ..."the pilot shall give way to that aircraft and may not pass over, under, or ahead of it unless well clear." So like Lwc1496 stated, as long as you are behind it you should be ok, within reason (winds speed, distance, visability and such).

gmezg Posted at 2016-4-6 18:13
Great info. ..."the pilot shall give way to that aircraft and may not pass over, under, or ahead o ...

One other consideration I had was that the passengers in the balloon may have paid for a nice quiet flight so I didn't hang around long.

Lwc1496 Posted at 2016-4-7 01:19
One other consideration I had was that the passengers in the balloon may have paid for a nice quie ...

Good point!

Lwc1496 Posted at 2016-4-6 13:19
One other consideration I had was that the passengers in the balloon may have paid for a nice quie ...

Common sense and  courtesy applied you should be fine.  I would suggest stay at least 2-300 feet away.  (Haven't read too deep into laws so don't quote this).  As long as your not harassing or getting close enough to be a bother shouldn't have issues.   300 feet away p3/4 is barely able to be heard.     Prop guards make it a little louder.      Balloons are pretty damn big so even 4-600 feet away you will still have nice shots .   When you do get some shots post them up.    Betting with some practice with camera tricks we may be in for some really cool pics and video.

I bet people would pay for pictures of them in a balloon.

quickpoint Posted at 2016-4-7 01:36
Common sense and  courtesy applied you should be fine.  I would suggest stay at least 2-300 feet a ...

Me too. Can't wait. Now all I need is a good back pack that I can grab and run out the door in a hurry with   !!

G_MEZ_G Posted at 2016-4-6 13:43
Me too. Can't wait. Now all I need is a good back pack that I can grab and run out the door in a h ...

i saw a few cases that are large enough to house the P3P with prop guards installed on.  i will dig up a few links to some of the cases i found that looked really nice.      

I use a backpack for my nikon dslr's (D5500, D750, D4s, and Nikon 1 AW) backpack are great for my cameras and different lenses but i wouldn't want to put a drone in one.    first off the drone is alot bigger and (soft)backpacks do provide some protection, A hard case is much better over all in my opinion.  With my cameras they are all protected with cushioning and padding but none are all that large so quite hard to break with bumping and knocking into the bag.  but a drone on the other hand Flies and has arms that can be hit/bent/broken/damages ect.

id suggest looking into hard cases or hard shell backpack.     Another big perk of a hard case is you can have your drone fully assembled inside so you don't need to put props on and stuff.      saves time.   dont get too hasty and remember to calibrate compass from time to time and away cars or other large metal objects as they can mess things up.   

quickpoint Posted at 2016-4-7 02:53
i saw a few cases that are large enough to house the P3P with prop guards installed on.  i will di ...

Good points! Best buy has the nice DJI Case in stock. I'm saving for that now!

lheft Posted at 2016-4-6 13:39
I bet people would pay for pictures of them in a balloon.

Gotta be careful with charging or making/asking for money because of the FAA with lovely rules and laws.   that would make it a "commercial"drone flight and needing faa 333 exemption and sport pilot licence and all that other stupid BS.   not trying to scare or start issues, just pointing out line drawn with regulations of recreational and commercial drone flying.   its pretty stupid and insane overall.   mainly just a heads up with money and drones

G_MEZ_G Posted at 2016-4-6 14:56
Good points! Best buy has the nice DJI Case in stock. I'm saving for that now!

make sure it can hold the drone with the props on,   and maybe prop guards if you use them.    very good if you don't need to take props on and off each time.  

quickpoint Posted at 2016-4-7 03:14
Gotta be careful with charging or making/asking for money because of the FAA with lovely rules and  ...

Good Point! Luckily I'd just be doing it for the love of flight and video

quickpoint Posted at 2016-4-7 03:21
make sure it can hold the drone with the props on,   and maybe prop guards if you use them.    ver ...

So, I've wondered about this since I have been taking my props off everyday and using my DJI stock box as storage. Is it best to leave them on or bad to take them off frequently?

G_MEZ_G Posted at 2016-4-6 15:29
So, I've wondered about this since I have been taking my props off everyday and using my DJI stock ...

with my P3 i loved my guards on it and i just kept them on most of the time,   took off for inspections and such.    as long as your careful and don't over tighten them. you shouldn't have any issues with taking on and off/  just take a peak inside each prop from time to time to look at the threads to make sure they aren't wearing out inside or stripping

When it comes to balloons, the quoted reg is accurate - they have right of way.  However, if you're considering flying in a location where they are always flying around your house - you need to be aware that if there's a balloon field near you - you may be in a restricted flight area.

I live in NM.  I would love to fly near Balloon Fiesta Park in Alb, but airspace is restricted anywhere near the park.

Be sure and check to make sure that's not the case near where you live.

G_MEZ_G Posted at 2016-4-6 15:26
Good Point! Luckily I'd just be doing it for the love of flight and video

Amen brother!!!   Flight is amazing    Just watching the screen and having a birds eye view is such a thrilling and fulfilling experience.   So many people outside the drone/aviation world have no idea what they are missing.   Such a simplistic flight like 100-200 feet above your house is just mind blowing to some people.   

I've been out flying a few times and people come up interested with it.   The just see the screen and are absolutely blown away seeing the real time birds eye view.   

I haven't kept up with the rules for years, so I would be very careful about flying anywhere around balloons.  I'm guessing separation numbers would be the same as any other aircraft, possibly 500 feet, but again, unverified.  If it were me, I'd be slightly above and about 1000 feet away.  They'are big anyway.  I've seen a few videos of people flying around them, but then I've seen the much discussed NYC videos too.

AG0N-Gary Posted at 2016-4-6 14:50
I haven't kept up with the rules for years, so I would be very careful about flying anywhere around  ...

I live in a town where they fly over the wine country every weekend. So pulled up to the spotter van and asked the crew if they had any issue with drones and they said "no problem, we see them all the time just don't get too close and keep it under control"

That's the kind of attitude that's nice to see/hear.  Sounds like my airport manager.  

knupla2 Posted at 2016-4-7 04:24
When it comes to balloons, the quoted reg is accurate - they have right of way.  However, if you're  ...

Good point. I'll look around check that out. I've see them as far as 7 miles away so I'll do a google search for anything near by relating to Hot air balloons and call them up! Thanks a bunch!

cbrenkus Posted at 2016-4-7 08:53
I live in a town where they fly over the wine country every weekend. So pulled up to the spotter va ...

Love when you come across people like that. Good to know but I'll definitely try and track the place down and ask.

AG0N-Gary Posted at 2016-4-7 05:50
I haven't kept up with the rules for years, so I would be very careful about flying anywhere around  ...

NYC Videos? Will you indulge me? Never heard of it or them.

quickpoint Posted at 2016-4-6 23:48
i haven't looked too deep into rules and regs for hot balloons but as it is a manned aircraft simila ...

How far should we stay away from other 'aircraft'?
What is the minimum height Hot Air Balloons can fly once launched? (Floating over populated areas , public land and private properties)

Kit Walker Posted at 2016-4-7 19:15
How far should we stay away from other 'aircraft'?
What is the minimum height Hot Air Balloons can  ...

There is a good link posted above with all these regulations. Just by glancing over it seems that 500ft is the minimum for a Hot air balloon.

§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 those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.

(d) Helicopters, powered parachutes, and weight-shift-control aircraft. If the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface—

(1) A helicopter may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, provided each person operating the helicopter complies with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA; and

(2) A powered parachute or weight-shift-control aircraft may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section.

How far away do aircraft need to stay away from other aircraft?

Can anyone tell me if you can launch a dji drone from and hot air ballon? I mean, there's a limit in the geo fencing lock for 500m, but that geofencing detects the altitude of the land or the altitude of the air baloon in this case? I want to know if it will allow me to fly from the hot air balloon and start to count the altitude from the hot air balloon to 500m above it  thanks.

Ricardo Cerqueira Posted at 7-7 04:50
Can anyone tell me if you can launch a dji drone from and hot air ballon? I mean, there's a limit in the geo fencing lock for 500m, but that geofencing detects the altitude of the land or the altitude of the air baloon in this case? I want to know if it will allow me to fly from the hot air balloon and start to count the altitude from the hot air balloon to 500m above it  thanks.

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