Hi, thanks for sharing these safety reminders. Have a safe flight always.

How is this possible? Seriousl? Did you edit this, is it a hoax? I feel like someone might be playing with us...Not necessarily you. Are you willing to post a link ? Did you actually get this from the federal government? If it where real I feel like I would have seen it somewhere else first.

-SkinJob2501

SkinJob2501 Posted at 2018-9-14 04:25
How is this possible? Seriousl? Did you edit this, is it a hoax? I feel like someone might be playing with us...Not necessarily you. Are you willing to post a link ? Did you actually get this from the federal government? If it where real I feel like I would have seen it somewhere else first.

-SkinJob2501

You can find it on the FAA's website here:

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

So, to clarify, because this is a bit startling to say the least. We no longer have to adhere to the 400 foot flight ceiling as previously listed by the FAA? As in im now allowed to fly 401+feet and up? Im a bit concerned, I felt that was a good rule to say the least.

-SkinJob2501

SkinJob2501 Posted at 2018-9-14 05:13
So, to clarify, because this is a bit startling to say the least. We no longer have to adhere to the 400 foot flight ceiling as previously listed by the FAA? As in im now allowed to fly 401+feet and up? Im a bit concerned, I felt that was a good rule to say the least.

-SkinJob2501

The FAA is currently not allowed to make new rules for model aircraft. There was never a 400 feet altitude limit for hobbyists.

msinger Posted at 2018-9-14 05:19
The FAA is currently not allowed to make new rules for model aircraft. There was never a 400 feet altitude limit for hobbyists.

They tend to write very confusing recommendations lol.

SkinJob2501 Posted at 2018-9-14 05:24
They tend to write very confusing recommendations lol.

I think a lot of people have trouble understanding what's a rule (law) and what's a recommendation. If you treat both as law, you'll probably be a pretty safe pilot. While it's legal to fly above 400 feet, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea to do so. And you of course need to be able to clearly see the drone with your eyes (by law), so flying above 400 feet is probably not going to be possible for most people.

hehe

The municipal airport used to provide us a flying field on the western edge next to a runway.

msinger Posted at 2018-9-14 05:32
I think a lot of people have trouble understanding what's a rule (law) and what's a recommendation. If you treat both as law, you'll probably be a pretty safe pilot. While it's legal to fly above 400 feet, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea to do so. And you of course need to be able to clearly see the drone with your eyes (by law), so flying above 400 feet is probably not going to be possible for most people.

Msinger is correct.  SOOO many people think it's a rule/law that we can't go higher than 400'...which is not true for recreational flyers under section 336.  However there IS a visual line of sight (VLOS) rule...so with Spark, you won't get much higher than 400'.  Here is a really good site that explains things nicely:  http://dronelawjournal.com/model-aircraft-operations/

Hddeuce Posted at 2018-9-14 07:08
Msinger is correct.  SOOO many people think it's a rule/law that we can't go higher than 400'...which is not true for recreational flyers under section 336.  However there IS a visual line of sight (VLOS) rule...so with Spark, you won't get much higher than 400'.  Here is a really good site that explains things nicely:  http://dronelawjournal.com/model-aircraft-operations/

Thats a great resource. I have excellent vision, 20/15 and honestly need binoculars to see my drone at that distance, nobody should, but i frequently do, fly it that far. Hopefully here in the next few days ill be upgrading to a MZ2, im kind of over the photography aspect, at least with the spark, its a PITA, im still hung up on whether to get a MZ2 or get a freestyle drone instead, very back and forth on the issue, the latter will cost me substantially less, even if i have someone build it for me...

-SkinJob2501

People, it says visual line of sight!!!
And how many meters can you go up before you lose the sight of the drone?
Well that is about 120 meters!!!!

Fly safely all
Alex

This is for model planes.  Drones have their own regulations .. check again

Sparky_17 Posted at 2018-9-14 09:47
This is for model planes.  Drones have their own regulations .. check again

The first post above applies to all unmanned aircraft flown by hobbyists.

Ya might want to read the back of the FAA card you should carry when you fly... note first bullet point. It's sort of clear enough to me.

jimm00re Posted at 2018-9-14 20:24
Ya might want to read the back of the FAA card you should carry when you fly... note first bullet point. It's sort of clear enough to me.

[view_image]

I think the AMA regulations on model gliders do not have that 400ft height limitation because they soar in thermals.  They tend to fly pretty high over the model airplane airfield.  The FAA seems to let them as long as they are flying within model airplane rules.  They wouldn't reach competitive flight times if they had to bail out of thermals at 400 feet.   

With their 6 foot (for the small gliders) or bigger wing span, they are easy to see at 700 to 1000 feet up.  I think the speed record for model airplanes is held by gliders doing 400-ish mph while surfing wind rolling over steep hill sides.

jimm00re Posted at 2018-9-14 20:24
Ya might want to read the back of the FAA card you should carry when you fly... note first bullet point. It's sort of clear enough to me.

[view_image]

Good post, should put the issue to rest / anyone flying a drone above 400’ without a waiver is just asking for more regulations for the rest of us.

jimm00re Posted at 2018-9-14 20:24
Ya might want to read the back of the FAA card you should carry when you fly... note first bullet point. It's sort of clear enough to me.

[view_image]

Is it me, or is it really confusing, even the Canadian drone laws.

What’s confusing? Regarding max allowed altitude?
Canada - 90 meters, US- 120 meters.

Fly safely all
Alex

Alex B. Posted at 2018-9-15 12:15
What’s confusing? Regarding max allowed altitude?
Canada - 90 meters, US- 120 meters.

Have you seen the laws, they are not very clear, as to where the FAA specify regulations and exceptions, The Canadian drone laws have about 15 lines and that is it. They do not specify whether 30m away from people includes people who are a part of the operation and if you are flying above a building, does that mean 90m above ground or above the building. There are many more examples and they clearly explained on a video by Drone Valley on YouTube. Anyway, if you are interested, check it out. Thanks

Alex B. Posted at 2018-9-15 12:15
What’s confusing? Regarding max allowed altitude?
Canada - 90 meters, US- 120 meters.

Plus, it does not make sense to not be able to fly 9km radius away from an airport. That is very irrational as most livable cities in Canadian contain an airport.

In Spain the minimal distance that you have to keep to an airport is 8 km, in UK for example it’s just 1!!!

Fly safely all
Alex

jimm00re Posted at 2018-9-14 20:24
Ya might want to read the back of the FAA card you should carry when you fly... note first bullet point. It's sort of clear enough to me.

[view_image]

that is exactly my point earlier.  These are the regulations based on my registration card.

The key here is model aircraft which excludes drones as they have their own regulations defined by the FAA

Sparky_17 Posted at 2018-9-18 07:15
The key here is model aircraft which excludes drones as they have their own regulations defined by the FAA

Exactly my point.

jimm00re Posted at 2018-9-14 20:24
Ya might want to read the back of the FAA card you should carry when you fly... note first bullet point. It's sort of clear enough to me.

[view_image]

You might want to read the bolded title of the bullets...note the word GUIDELINES.  That is not a rule/law.  Guidelines are suggestions.

Sparky_17 Posted at 2018-9-18 07:15
The key here is model aircraft which excludes drones as they have their own regulations defined by the FAA

It does NOT exclude drones!    This is directly from the FAA website.  Section 336 is for drones....which is considered a model aircraft.

SkinJob2501 Posted at 2018-9-14 05:13
So, to clarify, because this is a bit startling to say the least. We no longer have to adhere to the 400 foot flight ceiling as previously listed by the FAA? As in im now allowed to fly 401+feet and up? Im a bit concerned, I felt that was a good rule to say the least.

-SkinJob2501

never actually had to adhere to the limit, unless part 107, in which case you were expected to get extra clearance as part of a secondary rule.    but rules are not laws.. and a rule is just a strong suggestion...


now i hope DJi removes alt limit from their drones... well.. maybe keep it on the spark, since the spark has nasty history of of doing bad things in the clouds.  but remove it from all other current drones.

several times where im flying to places and 500M limit means i cant get there..  i live in a mountain area, and some places i been where i wanna climb up the side of a hill.. and 500M isnt enough, means i have to keep relocating -.-

SkinJob2501 Posted at 2018-9-14 05:13
So, to clarify, because this is a bit startling to say the least. We no longer have to adhere to the 400 foot flight ceiling as previously listed by the FAA? As in im now allowed to fly 401+feet and up? Im a bit concerned, I felt that was a good rule to say the least.

-SkinJob2501

I think you still need some kind of waiver to fly above 400 agl

jimm00re Posted at 2018-9-14 20:24
Ya might want to read the back of the FAA card you should carry when you fly... note first bullet point. It's sort of clear enough to me.

[view_image]

Safety Guidelines to me are not regulations/rules/laws or anything binding.  Public Law 112-95, Section 336 is law and binding and has no maximum altitude restrictions if you are flying under the Model Aircraft status we as recreational/hobbyist drone operators qualify for.

jimm00re Posted at 2018-9-14 20:24
Ya might want to read the back of the FAA card you should carry when you fly... note first bullet point. It's sort of clear enough to me.

[view_image]

This isn't exactly true because you CAN fly over stadiums as long as it's more than an hour before or after the event.
https://www.faa.gov/uas/where_to_fly/airspace_restrictions/#sse
And you can fly within 5 miles of an airport as long as you call them for permission.

jimm00re Posted at 2018-9-14 20:24
Ya might want to read the back of the FAA card you should carry when you fly... note first bullet point. It's sort of clear enough to me.

[view_image]

This is correct, OP may have mislead us here....as I previously stated.

Bing Err Posted at 2018-9-18 22:02
This isn't exactly true because you CAN fly over stadiums as long as it's more than an hour before or after the event.
https://www.faa.gov/uas/where_to_fly/airspace_restrictions/#sse
And you can fly within 5 miles of an airport as long as you call them for permission.

tell that to helicopter pilots who have NO minimum altitude. Its a suggestion, until it causes a mid air collision, then we all have to pay for someone else's stupidity and ignorance of well thought out, tested and easily broken suggestions that implore us to think safely, fly within the guidelines and keep ourselves and others out of harms way.

The OP appears to be from Canada, so I'm not sure why he's interested in USA rules.

I think Sec 336 should be read in its entirety in the form the 112th Congress placed it.  

https://www.faa.gov/uas/media/Sec_331_336_UAS.pdf

I think the paragraph under (b) Statutory Construction is what would get one's attention and keep one from doing something reckless or foolish such as violate an FAA rule just because he thinks he can.

Good luck

SkinJob2501 Posted at 2018-9-19 07:10
tell that to helicopter pilots who have NO minimum altitude. Its a suggestion, until it causes a mid air collision, then we all have to pay for someone else's stupidity and ignorance of well thought out, tested and easily broken suggestions that implore us to think safely, fly within the guidelines and keep ourselves and others out of harms way.

This flight was well WITHIN FAA rules and the Green Bay ATC was called and notified of my flight. And there was no game at the stadium this day. This is a 100% legal flight. Not sure what problems you THINK I was going to cause this day. A rogue helicopter pilot buzzing the stadium?? If you think that is going to happen then EVERY drone flight is at risk for a midair collision.  

Mark The Droner Posted at 2018-9-19 12:33
The OP appears to be from Canada, so I'm not sure why he's interested in USA rules.

I think Sec 336 should be read in its entirety in the form the 112th Congress placed it.  

That's because I live in Toronto and visit the USA numerous times a year.

Bing Err Posted at 2018-9-19 13:28
This flight was well WITHIN FAA rules and the Green Bay ATC was called and notified of my flight. And there was no game at the stadium this day. This is a 100% legal flight. Not sure what problems you THINK I was going to cause this day. A rogue helicopter pilot buzzing the stadium?? If you think that is going to happen then EVERY drone flight is at risk for a midair collision.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-n3zw6D_50&t=31s

At least twice you flew over moving traffic, which is a violation of the AMA “community based” guidelines which the FAA has recognized.  

FlyMaine Posted at 2018-9-19 15:27
At least twice you flew over moving traffic, which is a violation of the AMA “community based” guidelines which the FAA has recognized.

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Sorry I chimed in. You continue doing what you want to do and I'll continue to do mine. But as I see it, guidelines are NOT laws. People can follow the guidelines and still fly like a dumbass and get in trouble. I'll continue to take guidelines into consideration, but if I feel the shot can be obtained safely then I'm going to do it without breaking any LAWS.

Bing Err Posted at 2018-9-19 16:01
I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Sorry I chimed in. You continue doing what you want to do and I'll continue to do mine. But as I see it, guidelines are NOT laws. People can follow the guidelines and still fly like a dumbass and get in trouble. I'll continue to take guidelines into consideration, but if I feel the shot can be obtained safely then I'm going to do it without breaking any LAWS.

I agree, guidelines should be taken into consideration despite the fact that laws may not be in place.

Just because its a guideline dont expect the FAA to NOT find a way to charge you with a violation of airspace or some sort of other infraction. The fines and penalties sections on the back is enough to keep me from trying any of that. You sir, must be made of money, in which case Ill have to ask if i can borrow some (without paying it back, you can clearly afford either it or a very expensive lawer and drawn out court proceedings). Do NOT mess with the Federal Government. They own you.