Elimination of Geo zones

[jwilson]

I update the Fly geozone database. They changed the colors. Red is now orange. Blue is now orange. Orange or brown, I forgot which, is now yellow. Good for me because I'm a mile from an airport that blocked me going west. Of course, I'd have to be real careful crossing the runway. Not a busy airport fortunately.

 

[KB9Radio]

"I'd have to be real careful crossing the runway"

Why would you fly anywhere near a runway of even a small airport? At least it will let you takeoff, then fly away from the airport. Anything else is just irresponsible.

 

[jwilson]

"I'd have to be real careful crossing the runway"

Why would you fly anywhere near a runway of even a small airport? At least it will let you takeoff, then fly away from the airport. Anything else is just irresponsible.

Why not? It's probably safer going over the runway than the approaches to the runway. Over the runway they're closer to ground level.
At LAX there's a corridor between 2,500 feet and 5,000 feet where small planes can fly right over the runways. I did it.
Also, the Mavic 3 pro warns you if their are aircraft with that signal they send out. I've gotten that signal before at this airport. It's an international airport. There's a small airport right next to it.

 

[Meta4]

Why not?

Because it's a dumb thing to be doing.

Also, the Mavic 3 pro warns you if their are aircraft with that signal they send out. I've gotten that signal before at this airport. It's an international airport. There's a small airport right next to it.

You probably don't realise that many aircraft don't have ADSB-out and your app won't be warning you about them.
And the planes that don't have ADSB are mostly smaller planes which are the ones most likely to be at lower altitudes where they are more likely to be sharing airspace with you.
Stay away from airports and don't fly over runways.
There are lots of places you can fly without doing that.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Because it's a dumb thing to be doing.

This isn't automatically true. Depends a great deal on the size and traffic at the airport.

Back in the day when I was an active Private Pilot, I visited many small airports where I was the only plane to land and later take off the entire day (or at least, the 6 hours or so I was visiting). A responsible drone pilot exercising good VLOS behavior can easily fly across a basically idle runway at many if not most airstrips in rural areas.

If it's the most reasonable flight path, it shouldn't be automatically excluded. Depends on the situation.

Of course, any airport with an active tower is a completely different situation. However, "airport" can apply to some very infrequently active locales.

 

[Cymruflyer]

"I'd have to be real careful crossing the runway"

Why would you fly anywhere near a runway of even a small airport? At least it will let you takeoff, then fly away from the airport. Anything else is just irresponsible.

I'd go further and say STUPID. I'm sure you'd feel quite good sitting in court one day after you flew across a runway and caused a GA aircraft to crash. Sitting there as the cool drone pilot, looking at his wife and small children, whose lives you destroyed, because you just had to fly across that runway, rather than fly somewhere else, or use your car to drive to the other side of that runway and then go fly your drone.

Yep, I'm sure people would be looking at you as the hero in this situation. Put yourself in that court room every time you feel the urge to fly across that runway, regardless of how "Not Busy" it appears to be.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Why not? It's probably safer going over the runway than the approaches to the runway. Over the runway they're closer to ground level.
At LAX there's a corridor between 2,500 feet and 5,000 feet where small planes can fly right over the runways. I did it.
Also, the Mavic 3 pro warns you if their are aircraft with that signal they send out. I've gotten that signal before at this airport. It's an international airport. There's a small airport right next to it.

Not ALL aircraft have to send out that signal and what if that unit failed one day and was not broadcasting and you went to fly over the airport?

You are correct that if you fly over the centre of the runway there will be no aircraft right above the runway, except the aircraft that will also be transitioning through that airspace and crossing over the runway.

Plus, there will possibly be a pilot on the downwind leg of his landing procedure, who might be close to or at the altitude you chose to fly across that airport. You are clearly not a pilot, therefore, would have no idea of all the scenarios that would cause an aircraft to be in the immediate airspace of that airport. Just don't be stupid. and stay well clear of all airports regardless of size and busy or not.

 

[Cymruflyer]

This isn't automatically true. Depends a great deal on the size and traffic at the airport.

Back in the day when I was an active Private Pilot, I visited many small airports where I was the only plane to land and later take off the entire day (or at least, the 6 hours or so I was visiting). A responsible drone pilot exercising good VLOS behavior can easily fly across a basically idle runway at many if not most airstrips in rural areas.

If it's the most reasonable flight path, it shouldn't be automatically excluded. Depends on the situation.

Of course, any airport with an active tower is a completely different situation. However, "airport" can apply to some very infrequently active locales.

And that day you were in the circuit on downwind, might just be the moment that a stupid drone pilot decided to fly right across your path. I'm shocked as a past pilot, you feel it's fine for some idiot drone pilot to do that.

 

[jwilson]

Because it's a dumb thing to be doing.

You probably don't realise that many aircraft don't have ADSB-out and your app won't be warning you about them.
And the planes that don't have ADSB are mostly smaller planes which are the ones most likely to be at lower altitudes where they are more likely to be sharing airspace with you.
Stay away from airports and don't fly over runways.
There are lots of places you can fly without doing that.

I have to fly over the runway to video what's on the other side. Of course, I would be connected so I can look for aircraft. This isn't a very busy airport. There's a small plane airport right next to it. I've never seen a small plane land or take off at the international airport. Obviously DJI thinks it's safe.

 

[jwilson]

And that day you were in the circuit on downwind, might just be the moment that a stupid drone pilot decided to fly right across your path. I'm shocked as a past pilot, you feel it's fine for some idiot drone pilot to do that.

This was around 1984 when their were no drones. Where I live I see small planes flying all the time, whom I think are well below 1,000 feet. I doubt a drone will ever take down a commercial aircraft.

 

[Droning on and on...]

And that day you were in the circuit on downwind, might just be the moment that a stupid drone pilot decided to fly right across your path. I'm shocked as a past pilot, you feel it's fine for some idiot drone pilot to do that.

Hope the shock didn't hurt too much.

As one who has landed at airports ranging from ATC controlled to dirt strips in the middle of nowhere, I'm familiar with the situation. Many runways go weeks (or more!) without any traffic.

I'd urge you to reconsider your one-size-fits-all inflexibility. We all have eyes and ears, and can use them.

 

[jwilson]

Hope the shock didn't hurt too much.

As one who has landed at airports ranging from ATC controlled to dirt strips in the middle of nowhere, I'm familiar with the situation. Many runways go weeks (or more!) without any traffic.

I'd urge you to reconsider your one-size-fits-all inflexibility. We all have eyes and ears, and can use them.

I'm not saying one size fit all. I would NEVER try to fly over airports like Heathrow, JFK, or LAX. But the small international airport by me, Clark, is a totally different can of worms. Maybe 4 flights an hour. I wouldn't even think of flying around the Manila airport.

 

[Droning on and on...]

I'm not saying one size fit all. I would NEVER try to fly over airports like Heathrow, JFK, or LAX. But the small international airport by me, Clark, is a totally different can of worms. Maybe 4 flights an hour. I wouldn't even think of flying around the Manila airport.

That's way too busy to be anywhere near the runway. It undoubtedly has a tower and is controlled.

The kind of runway I'm talking about is just that – simply a runway, no tower, managed by pilot visual observation and radio. Flights very infrequent (maybe once or twice a day at the most).

 

[Cymruflyer]

Hope the shock didn't hurt too much.

As one who has landed at airports ranging from ATC controlled to dirt strips in the middle of nowhere, I'm familiar with the situation. Many runways go weeks (or more!) without any traffic.

I'd urge you to reconsider your one-size-fits-all inflexibility. We all have eyes and ears, and can use them.

NO... Sorry but there is nothing to reconsider. I have been a flight instructor for years, so put in a lot more time than the average GA pilot up in the sky. If you were a pilot, then you know full well that it is sometimes very difficult to pick out another aircraft in the sky in your vicinity, even when you are aware that one is there.

Now, to be able to see a tiny drone in the sky, you can forget about that, it is virtually impossible. Even drone pilots on the ground who know almost exactly where their drone is, often have a hard time seeing it up there in the sky. So how the heck do you expect an airplane pilot to be able to notice it and take action to avoid it?

If you were a pilot, then you are well aware that just about every accident was a chain of events, leading up to the final accident. Remove one single link, and generally, that accident could have been avoided.

That airport you speak of, that you seem to be condoning the OP is okay to be flying over, even if it only has a flight a week or a month, that one flight could be the link in the accident chain that had that pilot right there on that day, when this drone flyer happened to be crossing his path, and that was point that his drone hit the aircraft and might cause a crash.

As a pilot I'm surprised you condone any drone flying over or around an airport or airstrip, regardless of how remote or unused it is. There is plenty of space to go fly a drone well outside of the perimeter of any airstrip/port and that should always be consider as the place to go and fly, not the immediate vicinity of an airport.

I can't envision any reason why someone would need to, want to, or have to be flying right by or over and aviation landing area.

 

[Cymruflyer]

This was around 1984 when their were no drones. Where I live I see small planes flying all the time, whom I think are well below 1,000 feet. I doubt a drone will ever take down a commercial aircraft.

Weel a soft bird striking a cockpit windshield has injured pilots of small aircraft, by going through the plexiglass windshield most small aircraft have to see out of.

If a hard drone were replaced with that soft bird's body, it could have severely incapacitated a pilot and caused a crash. So yes, it can hit an aircraft and cause an accident. A commercial aircraft is of course, another matter, but you generally don't see such aircraft at the altitudes a drone is flying, out in the country.

You might want to remember that it was a small piece of debris on the runway, that got sucked up and into the engine, by that Concorde that caught fire and crashed, killing all aboard.

 

[Cymruflyer]

I have to fly over the runway to video what's on the other side. Of course, I would be connected so I can look for aircraft. This isn't a very busy airport. There's a small plane airport right next to it. I've never seen a small plane land or take off at the international airport. Obviously DJI thinks it's safe.

I seriously think DJI think it is safe for you to fly your drone by any airport. However, why would you listen to what DJI say anyway? You should have the common sense to know that it would not be a safe thing to do.

Just drive around the other side where you have to film. But be outside the legal restricted zone that surrounds all airport, when you fly. You may be able to see an aircraft but you have no idea what altitude that aircraft would be at, so could not tell if you were at the same altitude or not.

 

[jwilson]

NO... Sorry but there is nothing to reconsider. I have been a flight instructor for years, so put in a lot more time than the average GA pilot up in the sky. If you were a pilot, then you know full well that it is sometimes very difficult to pick out another aircraft in the sky in your vicinity, even when you are aware that one is there.

Now, to be able to see a tiny drone in the sky, you can forget about that, it is virtually impossible. Even drone pilots on the ground who know almost exactly where their drone is, often have a hard time seeing it up there in the sky. So how the heck do you expect an airplane pilot to be able to notice it and take action to avoid it?

If you were a pilot, then you are well aware that just about every accident was a chain of events, leading up to the final accident. Remove one single link, and generally, that accident could have been avoided.

That airport you speak of, that you seem to be condoning the OP is okay to be flying over, even if it only has a flight a week or a month, that one flight could be the link in the accident chain that had that pilot right there on that day, when this drone flyer happened to be crossing his path, and that was point that his drone hit the aircraft and might cause a crash.

As a pilot I'm surprised you condone any drone flying over or around an airport or airstrip, regardless of how remote or unused it is. There is plenty of space to go fly a drone well outside of the perimeter of any airstrip/port and that should always be consider as the place to go and fly, not the immediate vicinity of an airport.

I can't envision any reason why someone would need to, want to, or have to be flying right by or over and aviation landing area.

Maybe the plane can't see a drone, but I can see the plane. Right? So I would only cross the runway when there are no planes coming. Does that make sense? I need to get across the runway to video the terrain on the other side of the runway. It would take about 5 seconds to cross the runway.

 

[jwilson]

I seriously think DJI think it is safe for you to fly your drone by any airport. However, why would you listen to what DJI say anyway? You should have the common sense to know that it would not be a safe thing to do.

Just drive around the other side where you have to film. But be outside the legal restricted zone that surrounds all airport, when you fly. You may be able to see an aircraft but you have no idea what altitude that aircraft would be at, so could not tell if you were at the same altitude or not.

I did ride my ebike to the other side of the runway once. So I could do that. I'm not even considering this until I get back from my trip on January 5th.

 

[jwilson]

Weel a soft bird striking a cockpit windshield has injured pilots of small aircraft, by going through the plexiglass windshield most small aircraft have to see out of.

If a hard drone were replaced with that soft bird's body, it could have severely incapacitated a pilot and caused a crash. So yes, it can hit an aircraft and cause an accident. A commercial aircraft is of course, another matter, but you generally don't see such aircraft at the altitudes a drone is flying, out in the country.

You might want to remember that it was a small piece of debris on the runway, that got sucked up and into the engine, by that Concorde that caught fire and crashed, killing all aboard.

I know about the concord crash. So you definitely would not want your drone going in a jet engine.