Does anybody know any cool and legal places to fly in or around the bay area? (I live in Palo Alto)

[noahyuen]

Does anybody know any cool and legal places to fly in or around the bay area? (I live in Palo Alto). Thanks for the help!

 

[hiflyer201]

discreet is the key

 

[Hauptmann]

When I'm out there, I like to fly from Treasure Island, just west of the dog park on 9th St. Great views of the Financial District, Bay Bridge, ferry traffic. Very early morning is best. You'll likely see other droners there on weekends.

Haven't done much yet on the East Bay. Try the wooden fishing pier at the end of Portview Park, which gives a good views of shipping activity at Port of Oakland.

In SF, you can also fly most of the city, but not from the Ferry Teminal, Presidio SF or any city park. You can do Coit Tower, if you take off/land from a surface street below Telegraph Hill. Good views of the East side of the GG Bridge can be shot if you take off/land from the parking lot behind the Palace of Fine Arts. You can take off/land from the cul-de-sac on 25th St. above Baker Beach, to get views of the west side of the GG Bridge. You can shoot Alcatraz from the end of SF pier 45, but watch out for seagulls--they can be aggressive.

 

[bmwbob]

I live in Hollister in San Benito County south of Gilroy. Sign south of town say "no service for 70 miles"!

 

[pelagic_one]

Does anybody know any cool and legal places to fly in or around the bay area?

The previous threads in this section contains very specific legal spots to fly in the Bay Area, and makes for some good reading. In the last several months I have flown from over 50 different locations, all legal from both a FAA and local/regional/state code standpoint.

Use an app like Kittyhawk to get authorization to fly in places you normally wouldn’t think you can fly. It will show how most of the Stanford campus is a NFZ.

I‘m planning to get some fireworks footage of Gilroy’s display this weekend. The airspace is unrestricted and I’ll be flying over a rural area with a clear vantage point to the Gilroy High School fireworks launch site. I’ll be at a safe distance of a half mile away, since the larger fireworks exceed our 400-foot max altitude.

 

[Hauptmann]

The previous threads in this section contains very specific legal spots to fly in the Bay Area, and makes for some good reading. In the last several months I have flown from over 50 different locations, all legal from both a FAA and local/regional/state code standpoint.

Use an app like Kittyhawk to get authorization to fly in places you normally wouldn’t think you can fly. It will show how most of the Stanford campus is a NFZ.

I‘m planning to get some fireworks footage of Gilroy’s display this weekend. The airspace is unrestricted and I’ll be flying over a rural area with a clear vantage point to the Gilroy High School fireworks launch site. I’ll be at a safe distance of a half mile away, since the larger fireworks exceed our 400-foot max altitude.

Wow! Please post your videos! I've never used Kittyhawk. Does it work better than AirMap?

 

[Waldo Pepper]

Does anybody know any cool and legal places to fly in or around the bay area? (I live in Palo Alto). Thanks for the help!

I think Drawbridge is legal to fly too, it’s an old ghost town about two miles out of Alviso along the tracks in the direction of San Francisco. Google Drawbridge, it’s a historical town now vacant. Some buildings still remain, only a few miles.

You can park at the Alviso Bay Area, fly along the tracks until you reach Drawbridge. Video tape your flight, and in case your drone goes down the tracks are a means of getting to the location. Haven’t hiked out to Drawbridge since 1968, back then it was legal to hike out there. May be different now, but to fly out there with drone today can’t see why not.

I still have family living in Alviso, and San Jose area.

Good luck, yeah this would definitely be an area I would fly too.

Paul

 

[ARCapslock]

I think Drawbridge is legal to fly too, it’s an old ghost town about two miles out of Alviso along the tracks in the direction of San Francisco. Google Drawbridge, it’s a historical town now vacant. Some buildings still remain, only a few miles.

You can park at the Alviso Bay Area, fly along the tracks until you reach Drawbridge. Video tape your flight, and in case your drone goes down the tracks are a means of getting to the location. Haven’t hiked out to Drawbridge since 1968, back then it was legal to hike out there. May be different now, but to fly out there with drone today can’t see why not.

I still have family living in Alviso, and San Jose area.

Good luck, yeah this would definitely be an area I would fly too.

Paul

View attachment 106690View attachment 106691View attachment 106692View attachment 106693

I pass this every day on the train to work. I have thought about flying it as well.

 

[Waldo Pepper]

I pass this every day on the train to work. I have thought about flying it as well.

Hello ARCapslock,

Alviso, is an old town. The ghost town of Drawbridge is only 2 miles at most outside Alviso following the tracks, this entire area is rich with history.

I'm a detectorist, and historian searching for lost settlements. Use high tech drones for research, live here in the San Joaquin Valley.

You’re area is rich with history, Spanish Mission era. Although I live in the valley, do spend time around the Gilroy area that area is great for flying drones and for metal detecting searching for Mission era artifacts, with permission from land owners makes this all possible.

Good luck, hope you find great places to fly.

Paul

 

[Ranger#1]

I live in Hollister in San Benito County south of Gilroy. Sign south of town say "no service for 70 miles"!

Awesome video on the hilltops! What area is this place? Tres Pinos etc...I live in Gilroy! Looking for some good outdoor places to try out my new DJI 2S.

 

[bmwbob]

Awesome video on the hilltops! What area is this place? Tres Pinos etc...I live in Gilroy! Looking for some good outdoor places to try out my new DJI 2S.

Dead end road behind Tres Pinos.

 

[Ranger#1]

Dead end road behind Tres Pinos.

Thanks! Looks like a very isolated G airspace area, gona have to check it out. Greatly appreciated! Happy Flying!

 

[Ranger#1]

When I'm out there, I like to fly from Treasure Island, just west of the dog park on 9th St. Great views of the Financial District, Bay Bridge, ferry traffic. Very early morning is best. You'll likely see other droners there on weekends.

Haven't done much yet on the East Bay. Try the wooden fishing pier at the end of Portview Park, which gives a good views of shipping activity at Port of Oakland.

In SF, you can also fly most of the city, but not from the Ferry Teminal, Presidio SF or any city park. You can do Coit Tower, if you take off/land from a surface street below Telegraph Hill. Good views of the East side of the GG Bridge can be shot if you take off/land from the parking lot behind the Palace of Fine Arts. You can take off/land from the cul-de-sac on 25th St. above Baker Beach, to get views of the west side of the GG Bridge. You can shoot Alcatraz from the end of SF pier 45, but watch out for seagulls--they can be aggressive.

OMG! Thanks for the tips on the areas to fly! WoW! That's amazing, do you see any restrictions on Treasure island, signs posted saying "No Drones." I'm checking my FAA Charts and AirMap & KittyHawk apps, Looks like (G) Airspace, awesome!

 

[Julius Danziger]

Does anybody know any cool and legal places to fly in or around the bay area? (I live in Palo Alto). Thanks for the help!

OMG! Thanks for the tips on the areas to fly! WoW! That's amazing, do you see any restrictions on Treasure island, signs posted saying "No Drones." I'm checking my FAA Charts and AirMap & KittyHawk apps, Looks like (G) Airspace, awesome!

I had a good view of the bridge by lifting off in Sausalito and flying over the water

 

[Ranger#1]

I had a good view of the bridge by lifting off in Sausalito and flying over the water

Hey Julius Danziger, I just saw your video on Golden Gate Bridge & Launching from Sausalito. Dude that's beautiful! Keep that Spirit Going! Love That freedom of Flying! I fly the DJI Air 2S. I bought it 2-weeks ago, flew it Thursday getting familiar with its features! Hopefully we can linkup to fly. ranger#1

 

[Julius Danziger]

Hey Julius Danziger, I just saw your video on Golden Gate Bridge & Launching from Sausalito. Dude that's beautiful! Keep that Spirit Going! Love That freedom of Flying! I fly the DJI Air 2S. I bought it 2-weeks ago, flew it Thursday getting familiar with its features! Hopefully we can linkup to fly. ranger#1

Thanks.Was only in that area for two days..Also flew close to the Point Bonita Lighthouse

 

[Ranger#1]

Thanks.Was only in that area for two days..Also flew close to the Point Bonita Lighthouse

Hey Julius, awesome video on Point Bonita Lighthouse! You must of launched from where the old Artillery Battery Silos located! I was checking out the Sectional Charts on Restrictions! I could Not see any National Marine Life sanctuary restrictions. in that location awesome.

 

[Julius Danziger]

Hey Julius, awesome video on Point Bonita Lighthouse! You must of launched from where the old Artillery Battery Silos located! I was checking out the Sectional Charts on Restrictions! I could Not see any National Marine Life sanctuary restrictions. in that location awesome.

Yes ….that’s correct

 

[Ranger#1]

Yes ….that’s correct

I'm gona have to check out that area soon! Thanks,

 

[Dronebiker25]

Dead end road behind Tres Pinos.

Awesome! Thanks. I ride my motorcycle on 25 on most weekends and want to find a peaceful place to fly without a hundred passerbys etc