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Wick

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I am using the Kittyhawk and the AirMap apps here in Arizona. I will be up near the payson/Pine area. Verde river, fossil creek area. Kittyhawk says in clear to fly anywhere up there while the AirMap shows lots of red and no flying in certain spots. It’s near the Tonto forest and coconino forest which should be a no fly correct?

thanks
 
I'm in the UK. However, a quick google reveals that the FAA have teamed up with Kittyhawk, and as the FAA are the big cheese here, I'd suggest Kittyhawk would be the official one.


I've been to Kittyhawk. We diverted there on an east coast road trip. Interesting to see.
 
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I am using the Kittyhawk and the AirMap apps here in Arizona. I will be up near the payson/Pine area. Verde river, fossil creek area. Kittyhawk says in clear to fly anywhere up there while the AirMap shows lots of red and no flying in certain spots. It’s near the Tonto forest and coconino forest which should be a no fly correct?

thanks
When in doubt, always go to the source. In the USA the one and only definitive source is the FAA. Even though KittyHawk has an agreement with the FAA, if their data is wrong then you are still on the hook for any incursions to controlled airspace.

For the FAA data, there are three sources to look at:
If you always reference those official FAA sources you will know exactly where and when you are allowed to fly.
 
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Per the tonto National Forest site I’m good to go. You can delete if necessary
 
@Wick I had to be in AZ last fall and came down through Payson to Mesa. Shot my first video with my MA in the Tonto National Forest.
 
Call the FAA UAS at (202) 267-0892. They are very nice to work with and will give you the definitive answer. Incidentally, most of them are drone pilots. Best wishes!
 
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I am using the Kittyhawk and the AirMap apps here in Arizona. I will be up near the payson/Pine area. Verde river, fossil creek area. Kittyhawk says in clear to fly anywhere up there while the AirMap shows lots of red and no flying in certain spots. It’s near the Tonto forest and coconino forest which should be a no fly correct?

thanks
Hi, I have a new Mavic Air 2. it's my understanding that apps you mentioned can be used for for my reference but not while flying?
 
Correct.

The app you use for the air 2 to fly is DJI fly. The rest of the apps (and there are many) are used to pre-plan flights, check what areas are off limits, analyse flight later on and so on.

There are several air maps available, but my advice is to go with the official one. Kittyhawk in the US is partnered with the FAA.

Random side note - love the hat!

I bought a cheap Stetson-a-like in Vegas and managed to bump it around 3 US road trips and managed to lose it last time in Seattle. The kids weren't sorry about that as it never really suited me. You have to wear them with the right outfit, which doesn't include, shorts, yellow safety coat or any of the T shirts I've ever owned. Or at least, I never managed to carry the loom off :)
 
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Correct.

The app you use for the air 2 to fly is DJI fly. The rest of the apps (and there are many) are used to pre-plan flights, check what areas are off limits, analyse flight later on and so on.

There are several air maps available, but my advice is to go with the official one. Kittyhawk in the US is partnered with the FAA.

Random side note - love the hat!

I bought a cheap Stetson-a-like in Vegas and managed to bump it around 3 US road trips and managed to lose it last time in Seattle. The kids weren't sorry about that as it never really suited me. You have to wear them with the right outfit, which doesn't include, shorts, yellow safety coat or any of the T shirts I've ever owned. Or at least, I never managed to carry the loom off :)
Thanks. It’s a Dorphman hat I got on Amazon. Black for day and beige for night. I seem to like b4ufly over kitty for some reason.
 
You'll want to keep an eye on exactly where you are - a number of the designated "wilderness" areas prohibit takeoff and landing within the borders of those areas - Mazatzal Wilderness, Hellsgate Wilderness, Fossil Springs Wilderness, etc.

The FAA only has jurisdiction in the air, while the Forest Service has jurisdiction on the ground. State parks also prohibit flying:


Kittyhawk doesn't seem to include the wilderness areas and parks, while AirMap does. If you're in AirMap and you see red in the map (zoom in until you are *only* seeing the area you plan to fly) you can drag up from the bottom and read the actual notices/advisories as to why it's red.

IMG_0035.PNG

IMG_0036.PNG
There's also a *lot* of NOTAM/TFRs all around Arizona for firefighting efforts, like around the Polles Fire near Pine.

IMG_0037.PNG


They just lost a helicopter and a pilot fighting that one, so they're going to be *really* touchy about drones anywhere near that area.

 
Last edited:
You'll want to keep an eye on exactly where you are - a number of the designated "wilderness" areas prohibit takeoff and landing within the borders of those areas - Mazatzal Wilderness, Hellsgate Wilderness, Fossil Springs Wilderness, etc.

The FAA only has jurisdiction in the air, while the Forest Service has jurisdiction on the ground. State parks also prohibit flying:


Kittyhawk doesn't seem to include the wilderness areas and parks, while AirMap does. If you're in AirMap and you see red in the map (zoom in until you are *only* seeing the area you plan to fly) you can drag up from the bottom and read the actual notices/advisories as to why it's red.

View attachment 107267

View attachment 107268
There's also a *lot* of NOTAM/TFRs all around Arizona for firefighting efforts, like around the Polles Fire near Pine.

View attachment 107269


They just lost a helicopter and a pilot fighting that one, so they're going to be *really* touchy about drones anywhere near that area.

Thank you so much. For some unknown reason I began using b4ufly switching over to AirMap.
 
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