ultraturtle
lvl.2
Mexico
Offline
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First off, there is no such thing as California FAA. The "F" in FAA is "Federal". The 200' limit for California is fiction. It may be a misinterpretation of the rules that the 6 commercial photo and video production companies granted regulatory exemption from the FAA must follow which allows them to reduce separation from the craft and those not consenting to be involved in the production from 500' to no less than 200 feet if it would not adversely affect safety. In no case are they allowed to violate a 400' AGL flight ceiling limit, however. Their exemption would be immediately revoked, and they would lose millions in revenue.
Secondly, the 400' voluntary safety limit that all of us RC operators have all been adhering to for more than 30 years now has proven a safe way to deconflict RC and manned aircraft. To date, I have not yet seen a compelling video or photograph taken from more than a couple hundred feet up, so I have no problem with 400' feet as a current safety guideline, nor 400' as a future law.
Third, the 400' limit is an AGL (above ground level) measurement. If you need to cross a ridge to get a photo or video on the other side, you can easily, safely, and legally do so as long as you are standing on that ridge and can maintain direct visual contact with the vehicle at all times, and never exceed 400' above the terrain. |
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