Sorry if this topic has been discussed many times. I am very confused about this
"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules for small unmanned aircraft (UAS) operations other than model aircraft – Part 107 of FAA regulations – cover a broad spectrum of commercial and government uses for drones weighing less than 55 pounds. Here are the highlights of the rule."


https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/model_aircraft/


I fly my drone as a hobbyist, I don't use it for commercial or government us, so can I fly Spark more than 400 feet without violating any laws?

The maximum allowed by law is 120 meters, except if you fly over a very tall building, then it’s that buildings height + 120 meters. (only over that building)

Fly safely all
Alex

There is no maximum allowed altitude when flying as a hobbyist in the US. However, the FAA can still come after you if you endanger other aircraft and/or people.

msinger Posted at 2018-9-13 06:22
There is no maximum allowed altitude when flying as a hobbyist in the US. However, the FAA can still come after you if you endanger other aircraft and/or people.

Please copy and paste the source of your info because it is so confusing reading so many different opinions. If you think about it, why there is a limit for professionals and not hobbyist? It doesn't make sense, don't you think?

NormSpark Posted at 2018-9-13 06:31
Please copy and paste the source of your info because it is so confusing reading so many different opinions. If you think about it, why there is a limit for professionals and not hobbyist? It doesn't make sense, don't you think?

See the rules listed under the "2 Options for Flying Your Drone" heading here:

https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started

Alex B. Posted at 2018-9-13 06:16
The maximum allowed by law is 120 meters, except if you fly over a very tall building, then it’s that buildings height + 120 meters. (only over that building)

Fly safely all

Oh i did not know that building part.... Does that apply to all buildings or just ones of a specific height?

msinger Posted at 2018-9-13 06:35
See the rules listed under the "2 Options for Flying Your Drone" heading here:

https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started

Please quote no limit for the hobbyist or recreational use. I don't see it anywhere. Is this a matter of individual interpretation?

NormSpark Posted at 2018-9-13 07:59
Please quote no limit for the hobbyist or recreational use. I don't see it anywhere. Is this a matter of individual interpretation?

The FAA has no list of things that aren't rules. They only list the rules required by US law.

msinger Posted at 2018-9-13 08:06
The FAA has no list of things that aren't rules. They only list the rules required by US law.

It doesn't help. I have a licensed pilot here locally and was adamant, no drone flyer whether amateur, pro, hobbyist etc cannot fly more than 400 ft unless a permit from FAA for exemption.

NormSpark Posted at 2018-9-13 08:14
It doesn't help. I have a licensed pilot here locally and was adamant, no drone flyer whether amateur, pro, hobbyist etc cannot fly more than 400 ft unless a permit from FAA for exemption.

That's an easy problem to fix. Simply point him to the US laws so he can educate himself.

WilfredSparkman 0 Posted at 2018-9-13 07:45
Oh i did not know that building part.... Does that apply to all buildings or just ones of a specific height?

I think it applies to all buildings.

msinger Posted at 2018-9-13 08:20
That's an easy problem to fix. Simply point him to the US laws so he can educate himself.

This is better https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws-in-united-states-of-america/

Can someone explain this to me? Why would the law allow a hobbyist or recreational drone flyer to fly more than 400 feet while for commercial use up to 400 feet? It doesn't make any sense.

"Commercial Rules—Flying for Work
You must hold a Remote Pilot Certificate issued by the FAA to fly commercially.
You must register your UAV with the FAA on the FAADroneZone website.
Your UAV must weigh less than 55 pounds, including payload, at takeoff.
You must fly in Class G airspace.*
You must keep your UAV within visual line-of-sight.*
You must fly at or below 400 feet.*
You must fly during daylight or civil twilight.*
You must fly at or under 100 mph.*
You must yield right of way to manned aircraft.*
You cannot fly directly over people.*
You cannot fly from a moving vehicle, unless in a sparsely populated area.*

Recreational / Hobbyist Rules—Flying for Fun
You must fly for hobby or recreation ONLY (no side jobs or in-kind work allowed).
You must register your UAV with the FAA on the FAADroneZone website.
You must fly within visual line-of-sight.
You must follow community-based safety guidelines and fly within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization (CBO) like the AMA.
You must fly a drone under 55 lbs. unless certified by a community-based organization.
You must never fly near other aircraft.
You must notify the airport and air traffic control tower prior to flying within 5 miles of an airport.
You must never fly near emergency response efforts."

NormSpark Posted at 2018-9-13 09:15
This is better https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws-in-united-states-of-america/

This one is even better if you just want to learn about recreational flying in the US.

NormSpark Posted at 2018-9-13 09:20
Can someone explain this to me? Why would the law allow a hobbyist or recreational drone flyer to fly more than 400 feet while for commercial use up to 400 feet? It doesn't make any sense.

"Commercial Rules—Flying for Work

US law does not currently allow the FAA to make new rules for model aircraft (hobbyists). That's why there aren't many rules today.

msinger Posted at 2018-9-13 09:21
This one is even better if you just want to learn about recreational flying in the US.

So more or less we can fly our spark for recreational up to 500 meters or 1640 ft?

NormSpark Posted at 2018-9-13 10:25
So more or less we can fly our spark for recreational up to 500 meters or 1640 ft?

You can if you're able to clearly see the drone with your eyes and you're not endangering aircraft or people.

Here is a post I started...has the reference FAA site with links to the pertinent documents.  The requirements to get Model Aircraft status are shown in the documentation.  Since max altitude is not listed in the criteria you must assume there is no restriction in altitude for the hobbyist/recreation flier.  I think the reasoning is commercial probably includes larger drones potentially carrying goods...EG Amazon, Ebay, etc.  while in most cases hobbyists/recreational are flying smaller drones and limited to VLOS (so you can't go very high before you lose sight).   https://forum.dji.com/thread-165137-1-1.html

Hi, Thanks for the inquiry. Hope that you'll get the best recommendation and explanation regarding the policy of the FAA. Thank you for the support.

None.no altitude limit exists for hobbyists.

H. Arif - 6IX Posted at 2018-9-13 16:08
None.no altitude limit exists for hobbyists.

I'm in Canada, too, and the Go 4 app stops me at 120 metres altitude. Are you saying it's okay if we get around that somehow?

Prairie Chicken Posted at 2018-9-13 19:23
I'm in Canada, too, and the Go 4 app stops me at 120 metres altitude. Are you saying it's okay if we get around that somehow?

You go go around that, go to the settings and you can adjust your altitude limit there. Mine is at 500, I did it once just to see if it worked and probably won't do it again. but you can try it

H. Arif - 6IX Posted at 2018-9-13 19:45
You go go around that, go to the settings and you can adjust your altitude limit there. Mine is at 500, I did it once just to see if it worked and probably won't do it again. but you can try it

Of course everything msinger said is correct. If you go really high don't forget that Spark descends slowly (10 feet per second - over 30 seconds per 100 meters). If you hear or see a manned aircraft approaching you may not be able to come down as quickly as you would like.

At night (night flying is legal for hobbyists in the US) with strobe LEDs I can easily see Spark 500m or more away (much farther than you can actually see it during the day). That means I could easily see it 500 meters up at night if I went to that altitude. Yes legal, but it just doesn't seem like a good idea. It would take me 2.5 - 3 minutes to come down. If a low-flying manned AC quickly approached at some altitude that would be hard to judge, I would be in a panic.

Alex B. Posted at 2018-9-13 08:55
I think it applies to all buildings.

Oh wow ok, thats a game changer!!! Might reach some new heights this weekend

It is now a criminal offence to fly any drone higher than 400' AGL in the UK.

H. Arif - 6IX Posted at 2018-9-13 19:45
You go go around that, go to the settings and you can adjust your altitude limit there. Mine is at 500, I did it once just to see if it worked and probably won't do it again. but you can try it

Thanks for that info. I assumed the 120-metre limit was set in stone by the software and didn't know I could change it. I don't know if I ever will change it, but at least I know now.

marlowe Posted at 2018-9-13 22:04
Of course everything msinger said is correct. If you go really high don't forget that Spark descends slowly (10 feet per second - over 30 seconds per 100 meters). If you hear or see a manned aircraft approaching you may not be able to come down as quickly as you would like.

At night (night flying is legal for hobbyists in the US) with strobe LEDs I can easily see Spark 500m or more away (much farther than you can actually see it during the day). That means I could easily see it 500 meters up at night if I went to that altitude. Yes legal, but it just doesn't seem like a good idea. It would take me 2.5 - 3 minutes to come down. If a low-flying manned AC quickly approached at some altitude that would be hard to judge, I would be in a panic.

I agree. There may not be a legal limit, but logical decisions should be made.

Prairie Chicken Posted at 2018-9-14 06:17
Thanks for that info. I assumed the 120-metre limit was set in stone by the software and didn't know I could change it. I don't know if I ever will change it, but at least I know now.

You are welcome, I keep mine to 500m so in case I want to go over the limit, I don't have to continuously change it.

H. Arif - 6IX Posted at 2018-9-13 19:45
You go go around that, go to the settings and you can adjust your altitude limit there. Mine is at 500, I did it once just to see if it worked and probably won't do it again. but you can try it

It’s illegal to go higher than 90 meters in Canada!!
Check the laws!!!
https://drone-traveller.com/drone-laws-canada/

Fly safely all
Alex

Alex B. Posted at 2018-9-14 08:43
It’s illegal to go higher than 90 meters in Canada!!
Check the laws!!!
https://drone-traveller.com/drone-laws-canada/

i know,  but i couldn't care less. thanks anyway.

Alex B. Posted at 2018-9-14 08:43
It’s illegal to go higher than 90 meters in Canada!!
Check the laws!!!
https://drone-traveller.com/drone-laws-canada/

That is new to me. I thought the Go 4 app was tailored to the laws of individual countries, but mine lets me go to 120 metres by default.

There's so much conflicting information about this.