KeithLa
lvl.2
Flight distance : 653927 ft
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As a new pilot who went thru a similar disillusioned reaction, initially, I want to chime in with an "it's not as bad as it seems" response.
For starters, I've noticed that on these forums, many posters misuse/overuse the term "NFZ", to include areas DJI apps notify as "warning" and "enhanced warning" zones. But these are places you can still fly, when you follow the guidelines, and don't require an unlock in the DJI app to take off.
There's also sometimes confusion about taking off or flying over public school grounds. Naturally, don't fly near schools while in session, but unless posted otherwise, empty school athletic fields that responsible citizens have used for decades to fly kites, launch model rockets, etc. are probably nearby you, and fine for getting airborne.
Municipal green belts can also work for getting good views of surrounding areas, testing gear, and practicing piloting. It may or may not be legal to takeoff and land from them, depending on local codes, but if not, a nearby parking lot, friend's yard, or athletic field may work for that.
You've probably read lots of threads debating flights over private homes and yards. At least as far as USA goes, my interpretation is this is legal unless prohibited by local laws, which I don't believe is the case in very many cities and towns. As far as nuisance factor, even at just 150-200' AGL a Mavic Pro (esp. Platinum) is barely noticeable except to us pilots maintaining VLOS, to everyone else it blends into background road and air traffic white noise. Unless you're spending extended time hovering below 100' near someone's yard, it's doubtful anyone who does happen to notice it the AC is going to feel spied on.
As one example of flying over private homes, this weekend I safely flew my MPP over a few homes in a north Seattle residential neighborhood, in order to take fun dronies of an outdoor deck BBQ and let friends experience the FPV goggles. The homeowner mowing and weed whacking down the street was making more racket than my MPP at 75' AGL.
Restrictions in AirMap and B4UFly seemed especially daunting, until I noticed my novice user mistake of viewing far too large of a flight radius. Once I zoomed into the couple thousand foot radius I'd be flying, the restrictions weren't so daunting, mostly heliports to notify.
As notifying those airports/towers/heliports, I can only share from my handful of notification calls to several heliports within 5 miles of my neighborhood. The two helicopter owners/pilots I reached were friendly, thankful I called, and both explained that they don't fly below 500' in my suburban (Seattle/Bellevue) area except takeoff and landing, so advised no need to call them if I'm just flying under 400' AGL in my neighborhood, several miles from them. I left a message for another heliport, and received no call back. This seems to jive with what others report on this forum. My sense is that in suburban settings, at least, we're unlikely to see choppers under 400' from heliports beyond 2 miles away. Still, I keep my eyes and ears open and lower my altitude closer to tree tops if there is any nearby chopper traffic (they're so loud, it usually turns out they're still miles away, and not even approaching).
Another tip is to look for a local Facebook group for UAV pilots in your area, to learn where others are safely piloting.
Lastly, I'll say that as the novelty of viewing rooftops, roads, parking lots, and treetops wears off, the constraint seems now less about having *any* places to fly, and more having *interesting* places to fly.
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