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Flying in big cities (Atlanta)

FlyBoi

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Joined
Feb 6, 2020
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Age
44
Location
Atlanta, GA
Hi all!

I am a part 107 certified operator. I do jobs for commercial real estate developers with properties in and around Atlanta. I am super nervous about flying in the city due to Part 107 regulations. However I have seen several pilots with night time shots of our city andday time around our largest buildings and capital.

My question here is how? How is this possible with these folks getting great footage/photos well above 400’AGL in Class B airspace? Not to mention the night flying which waivers are not handed out over night for. Also with so many people in a dense city the chances of not flying over someone is very rare. Again my question is how?

If you currently are Part 107 certified I would love your perspective and thoughts. I would love to do the same but do not want to risk getting in trouble.
 
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Hi all!

I am a part 107 certified operator. I do jobs for commercial real estate developers with properties in and around Atlanta. I am super nervous about flying in the city due to Part 107 regulations. However I have seen several pilots with night time shots of our city andday time around our largest buildings and capital.

My question here is how? How is this possible with these folks getting great footage/photos well above 400’AGL in Class B airspace? Not to mention the night flying which waivers are not handed out over night for. Also with so many people in a dense city the chances of not flying over someone is very rare. Again my question is how?

If you currently are Part 107 certified I would love your perspective and thoughts. I would love to do the same but do not want to risk getting in trouble.
I have a 107 license and I believe the rule is you can fly higher than 400’ as long as you are within a 400’ radius of a structure and you can fly no more than 400’ higher than said structure. So if the building is 400 foot tall you can go up to 800’. Also downtown Atlanta doesn’t look like it’s in the no fly zone according to my app. I’m not looking at a sectional chart but my guess would be downtown would be below the next level of the class b airspace. As far as night flying and flying over people - most likely people who just aren’t worried about getting in trouble.
 
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I have a 107 license and I believe the rule is you can fly higher than 400’ as long as you are within a 400’ radius of a structure and you can fly no more than 400’ higher than said structure. So if the building is 400 foot tall you can go up to 800’. Also downtown Atlanta doesn’t look like it’s in the no fly zone according to my app. I’m not looking at a sectional chart but my guess would be downtown would be below the next level of the class b airspace. As far as night flying and flying over people - most likely people who just aren’t worried about getting in trouble.

Thank you for some of the clarification!
 
Just before the end of 2020 I flew a mission downtown around MB stadium. I had 3 spotters helping me so I wouldn’t lose sight of the UAS. I obtained permission from GWCC since the shoot was for a client who built a parking deck for the stadium. I had one hour to shoot and I planned the mission to capture the sunset and still have 30 minutes after civil twilight to get some night shots. I have a couple of pics posted on my website, www.jetsonaerial.com. Most of downtown Atlanta is not in restricted airspace. Be sure to check though because there are some areas that are off limits. Check AirMap or Kittyhawk as well as your sectional charts. Be aware of construction cranes, radio towers, etc. most important is have adequate insurance. I carry a minimum of 1.5m per mission when flying downtown. Avoiding flying over traffic and people is easy enough if properly planned. It really helps to have a crew to assist you when flying in urban areas. You are likely aware of most of this but I wanted to ease your nerves and give you my advise. I’ve seen some nice videos from people who fly over downtown BUT without question they are breaking every law possible. I have no desire to put my license in jeopardy just to try and impress not to mention putting people in imminent danger. Just stupid IMO. I’ve had a drone fall out of the sky due to propulsion issue so I know first hand it can happen. Good luck and stay safe.
 
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