Hey Guys,

I apologize if this is not the correct place to post this but I searched for any topics on this and have not had any luck, so I was hoping someone here from the LA area would have some type of understanding on this topic.

I recently purchased a Mavic Pro and have been wanting to fly it higher than 5ft (it was very windy yesterday so I never attempted to take off, I just wanted to see it off the ground and get a feel for the controls before bringing it back down). I know LA is one of the worst places to try and fly a drone but it seems like a lot of airports / officials in the surrounding areas dont really have a clear understanding of where we can and can't fly. I am aware of all the FAA regulations regarding UAS and the NFZ's and I would never attempt to fly near an airport or any arenas, groups of people etc. I was hoping someone here would be able to shed some light on this topic or if you have any useful links for me to look at I would greatly appreciate it, better yet if someone knows a spot where people go to fly a drone in the LA and surrounding areas I would love to know where that is so I can go check it out for myself. I appreciate your time and hope I can go somewhere where I can fly my drone without worry of being in trouble.

Thank You and Happy Flying!

In neighbors bathroom window. j/k Probably a good idea to head to the coast, there's so much in and around la. Redondo beach might be fun, fly into the fish market or even head to oxnard, noone goes to film there.

‪C:\Users\tim.johnson\Desktop\Hollywood Sign 4-2017

just fly it...stay under 400 ft. good thing is if you get in trouble areas the GPS mode will start doing goofy things with radio signal so you wont get far away anyway...home mode is activaed and youre safe

99% of the time I fly in LA, there is no NFZ issues.

I have UAV FORECAST  free app on my IPHONE. it gives all kind of information about where NOT to fly, weahter, KP reading etc... BETTER BE SAFE than sorry!. Read the mamunal. practice on the ACADMEY for all kind of scenerios and most importantly, TAKE YOUR TIME TO KNOW YOUR BIRD! Welcome to the club!

I wish you luck and success with your flying . We need more post like this instead of the " I found the idiot flight mode and crashed into a building stories ,lol

Joshmmolina ,
                    It's good to hear you are requesting where to fly with no problems  --- it shows you are a responsible person and going to be a good RC pilot!!!!!
                    Basically you can fly anywhere as long as your not flying above people or animals that can be harmed if something should go wrong. What I usually do when flying in a new or old area is turn On my Remote controller and walk around the area I'm going to fly in and check for any kind of interference , if all is good Fly till your hearts content or until you run out of batteries but do understand this is not a foolproof 100% guaranty you would not experience interference, it is reassurance and more then likely you will not experience any.
                      As for groups I've seen over in the MavicPilots Form they have a regional area form to find people within your area to communicate , meet and fly with.
Best wish's to you .
FlySafe-FlyFree      

thehippoz Posted at 2017-4-21 14:21
In neighbors bathroom window. j/k Probably a good idea to head to the coast, there's so much in and around la. Redondo beach might be fun, fly into the fish market or even head to oxnard, noone goes to film there.

thehippoz,

               In neighbors bathroom window  

You Masher whawhawhhhhahahahahah  lollllll

The beaches are good, I've done a few flights in Venice and Pacific Palisades. I like to go early in the morning: fewer people, low wind, and great lighting. And since it's quite open space you won't have as many issues with radio interference / range.  When flying in the city make sure to have a clear line of sight to the aircraft to maintain good radio signal.

Here's a good map that shows airports and where you can't fly:
https://blog.hivemapper.com/where-not-to-fly-a-drone-in-los-angeles-71d3f63063ea