Fog?

[Former Member]

Does anyone think a Newbie knows how high he has to climb to get to "the top."

"The Top" in aviation terminology means the highest altitude of the visible portion of a cloud, or in our case, the fog. I mean no disrespect to anyone here, after all we are all here to learn and have fun. However, there have been many experienced members here indicating how ill advised it is to fly in the fog or a cloud. I feel that anyone who comes on here and says or shows they have flown through a cloud or fog ranks in the same category, to me, as those who fly in restricted airspace, directly over people, cities, or near an airport without permission. It's simply dangerous.

If a newbie decides he is going to climb up through the fog, he probably has no idea what the top is. Fog can climb quite high, but a Mavic legally cant, and if he doesnt know where the top is, the risk is multiplied many times because his descent will be in the fog.

As has been mentioned, events such as icing, loss of orientation, disabled sensors, zero FPV visibility can all occur, and sometimes all at once.

The last point I would like to make is if you cant see your drone, and you cant see anything in FPV, what if a plane flying low in IFR conditions cant see you and you cant see him? Even if you hear him, you wont be able to see him. If he hits your drone, he will almost certainly crash because one ore more of his instruments will get damaged and not let him navigate safely.

Please fly safe and obey the law.

 

[RayOZ]

I understand your concern. Everyone should evaluate the risks before take off in any condition anyway. Personally, if I haven't reached "The Top" when I reach the altitude I am comfortable with, it's straight back down. I don't think it's safe for a plane to fly low in foggy condition in IFR, either.
I guess I just wanted to point out I considered the risks before take-off. How we evaluate risks gets better the more experience we become. Would I attempt flying above fog again? Perhaps not.
I don't think anyone wants to be "that first guy in recorded history who brought down a plane with his drone". It was bad enough for the couple who were falsely accused of disrupting air traffic at Gatwick.

 

[Former Member]

I understand your concern. Everyone should evaluate the risks before take off in any condition anyway. Personally, if I haven't reached "The Top" when I reach the altitude I am comfortable with, it's straight back down. I don't think it's safe for a plane to fly low in foggy condition in IFR, either.
I guess I just wanted to point out I considered the risks before take-off. How we evaluate risks gets better the more experience we become. Would I attempt flying above fog again? Perhaps not.
I don't think anyone wants to be "that first guy in recorded history who brought down a plane with his drone". It was bad enough for the couple who were falsely accused of disrupting air traffic at Gatwick.

BTW, my comment was not aimed at you...

Actually planes do fly that low, especially on approach in less than ideal conditions. The last thing I want to worry about when Im flying my Cessna is for a drone that cant see me and that I cant see to pose a threat. If a newbie hasnt reached the top he might still climb, ignoring the 400' AGL limitation, and try to pop out. That might not happen until 500, 600, 1000' or even higher. It's not unusual for a private plane to be looking for the ceiling below the clouds to make a visual approach.

This really does emphasize the point that drone operators ARE pilots, like it or not. Even though we are standing on the ground, our aircraft share the same airspace as Cessnas, Hot Air balloons, and A380's. Those aircraft have right of way no matter what.