Do you really call the FAA?

[javelina]

yep, I live within 2 1/2 miles of a larger airport. They have a web page that I submit my flight info, prior to launching. works great.

 

[Arkarian]

I have decided to call religiously - flying in my back yard, call the tower. Flying in my house, call the tower. (I realize their FAQ says they don't control indoor spaces but the actual law says they control aircraft and define aircraft as something which flies in the air; are you going to rely on a FAQ to keep yourself out of prison? Also, their app says I must call and it doesn't ask me if I am under my porch.)

As RCKable noted, they will get to know you.

Do you know who the FAA listens to more than hobbyists and Chinese drone companies? ATC and tower operators. The only reason this farce continues is because they are counting on you being reasonable until something happens that gets a complaint, then come at you with full force of the bureaucracy.

Follow the rules, ask them on dates, they will get the rules changed for lightweight drones before you know what happened. Follow onerous laws onerously.

Flying inside your house is not controlled airspace. If you are a hazard to other aircraft inside your house, you have bigger problems.

 

[Arkarian]

Ive been denied here on Oahu, and so has a friend of mine. My denial was due to where in the ring I was- was told that there were training flights going over this area that morning. He did say I could call back in a few hours.

The other one was interesting. Friend got denied by an ATC here because he did not provide a registration number. “I cannot let you fly with out a registration number.” Friend is a hobbyist recreational user. This was last week. I told my friend theyre wrong and not up to date. You are not required to register your Mavic as of now. Friend tried again the following day and again was asked for his registration. Friend contacted FSDO here and sure enough no registration is required for hobbyists under part 336. Friend told the ATC operator to call FSDO.

ATC op apologized and said “have a good flight and call when youre done”.

I was told by FAA FSDO here youre just notifying but in some cases they can deny you. But for the most part they’re really cool. I dont like doing it and hate bugging them but I do it and I keep logs of every flight. Logs arent required but I do it to keep track of how many hours im logging on the motors and props. And I log the names of ATC operators so if some cop comes up to me I can point it out that I got clearance from Joe Blow.

The current administration did reinstate having to register your drone in May 2017.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Frequently Asked Questions

 

[Photo Booth]

For me, the most vexing gray area is interpreting when posted restrictions on drone flying are truly valid or enforceable. By that I mean a physical sign that is posted in the area in question, even if the area is open to the public (but not necessarily publicly owned land).

Example: The Fiscalini Ranch Preserve in Cambria, CA has this notice on its website and I believe it is duplicated on signs at the entrances to the Ranch property:

Prohibited Uses

This list includes all those uses normally prohibited by law in public places.

• Fire
• Smoking
• Littering
• Camping
• Firearms, weapons, or animal traps
• Pedestrian or animal access into sensitive habitat areas
• Remote-controlled model vehicles (airplanes, drones, gliders, etc.)
• Motorized Vehicles (ATV, etc.)
• Swimming in Santa Rosa Creek
• Amplified sound
• Paragliding or hang-gliding
• Planting, cultivating, or harvesting by any member of the public
• Paint ball or other combat games played in groups
• Placement of signs of any kind
• Solicitation

It specifically mentions drones.

However, I do not believe the Ranch has legal control of the airspace above the property. Plus, flying a drone is NOT a "use normally prohibited by law in a public place".

The OTHER side of the coin is that the FAA will not consider me a hobbyist if I don't follow a community-based organization's set of guidelines. The CBO that is most readily recognized by the FAA is the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). In the AMA's guidelines (safety code) is this:

1. Model aircraft will not be flown:
   (a) Inacarelessorrecklessmanner.
   (b) At a location where model aircraft activities are prohibited.

So, the conundrum is that Fiscalini Ranch Preserve is a location where model aircraft activities are prohibited and if I follow the AMA's guidelines I'm not supposed to fly there. However, I don't believe Fiscalini Ranch Preserve has any legal right to prohibit drone operation above its property because that's the FAA's purview. Yet, the FAA says I have follow the AMA's regulations. Yet Fiscalini Ranch Preserve might not have the legal right to prohibit drone operation. And so on and so on ad nauseam.

As far as I know, the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve is NOT a Federally recognized sanctuary. I'm not aware of any State law that applies there either.

So the whole situation is utterly confusing.

Earlier today I emailed the manager of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve to ask if the prohibition on drones pertains strictly to take off and landing within the confines of the Preserve's property. I'm wondering if it is permissible to take off and land outside the boundaries of the property but still fly over the property, making sure I don't fly at at an unsafe level where the drone would be a danger or nuisance to people or animals.

The unfortunate part is there are a good number of people that think a drone is a nuisance even if it is 400 feet above them. Which is why we need the FAA to thoroughly clarify hobbyist drone use. Which, of course, could be a can of worms in its own right.

Mark

 

[mcascone]

I have the hover app and it list the phone numbers to call for each airport. Quick and painless

I have the FAA "B4UFly" app and had seen but only just now installed Hover - Hover actually includes the phone number, so that's a huge improvement over the FAA app!
In my area in downtown chicago, Hover only lists Midway Airport, which I'm out of range of, fortunately. But the FAA app shows literally 6 heliports, hospitals, and police stations within range, and has a Warning that I must contact "the airport" before flying - no numbers provided, of course. What do people think here about the difference here? Which app is "right"? B4UFly may be endorsed by the FAA, but that doesn't mean it's presenting the correct data.

 

[ChipDjipro]

I live in the Chicagoland area and trust me there’s a lot of airports around. I have never called one time. I’m sure they have better things to do.

 

[Creepyfatguy]

Has there been any new changes regarding notifying ATC's?

I called a ATC here in Class D airspace last week prior to a flight and the operator told me I needed to 'request permission'. That never happened before. I know under certain circumstances they can deny you if theres a safety issue but my understanding was that flying recreationally near one you just notified them of the location, time of launch etc.

It could be that the operator who answered the phone was a jerk, too. He's always given me a hard time.

I checked FAA's UAS sections site and don't see anything about requesting operations.

 

[zezrum]

Has there been any new changes regarding notifying ATC's?

From: https://www.faa.gov/uas/media/model_aircraft_spec_rule.pdf

"Finally, the statute sets a requirement for model aircraft operating within 5 miles of an airport to notify the airport operator and control tower, where applicable, prior to operating. If the model aircraft operator provides notice of forthcoming operations which are then not authorized by air traffic or objected to by the airport operator, the FAA expects the model aircraft operator will not conduct the proposed flights. The FAA would consider flying model aircraft over the objections of FAA air traffic or airport operators to be endangering the safety of the NAS."

Last time I called a class D airport for notification, I left a voice message with all the details and they called me back a week after my flight with follow up questions, and asked me to give them more notice next time (I called 72 hours prior to flight). Every airport is different.

 

[microlinux]

What do people think here about the difference here? Which app is "right"? B4UFly may be endorsed by the FAA, but that doesn't mean it's presenting the correct data.

No app is always "right", but they can be of help. I've found Airmap to be the most complete and accurate.

If you're flying for recreation within 5 miles of an airport (which includes heliports), you need to call whether it's listed on an app or not.

Ultimately you need to consult sectionals and the FAA airport database if you want "truly" accurate information.

 

[OralndoMavic]

I applaud the the guys at atc's. They have a tough job and heavy responsibility. The distraction of notification for ATC where a drone pilot is flying below a hundred feet where no aircraft should really be is beyond me, unlless you're within the approach or departure path of an airport. Let's hope that the guys at atc's will let the FAA know, it's okay to fly below 100 feet or other specified altitude if you're not in the approach or departure Zone. Best wishes to all.

 

[787steve]

What a lot of people don't realize is that ATC is not only concerned with the normal landing traffic you see on approach at any airport, but also with police and traffic helicopters, as well as other helicopters that may be working near the airport, or landing there, along with other "utility" traffic in the area. The reason that they would be most likely to be concerned about our flying is to advice these other users of our presence. Hopefully no one other than the idiot in Las Vegas would be anywhere near the final approach corridor, or the missed approach procedure airspace.

 

[matap]

. The FAA will then kill the requirement in short order.

I'm new here but I'm going to call every time with hopes that this ^ happens.

 

[Sprocket]

I try to every time I fly, but no one will accept my collect calls.
Just kidding. Don't any body get all wadded up.