Future pilot in Gahanna, Ohio

[larryc43230]

For non-locals, Gahanna is a suburb of Columbus.

I've talked myself into buying a Mavic Air. I'll probably make the purchase before the end of June. I've been a still photographer for about 50 years, and I'd love to try my hand at aerial photography. I'll probably also do some video just for fun, but my emphasis will probably always be on still photography, including landscapes.

My biggest question before actually getting the drone is, where should I take it to fly it? When I've asked this question on other (mostly photography) forums, almost every response deals with places I can't fly a drone, and phone apps that will show me all the different temporary and permanent no-fly zones. I get that, and I plan to be careful about where I launch my future drone. I've already installed B4UFly, UAV Forecast, and AirMap on my phone.

But that still leaves the question of fun places to take the drone that aren't off-limits and that will give me some good photo opportunities.

Anyone on this forum who lives in the Central Ohio area and can give me some suggestions as to where to try out my new drone when I finally get it?

Thanks!

Larry

 

[breid]

For non-locals, Gahanna is a suburb of Columbus.

I've talked myself into buying a Mavic Air. I'll probably make the purchase before the end of June. I've been a still photographer for about 50 years, and I'd love to try my hand at aerial photography. I'll probably also do some video just for fun, but my emphasis will probably always be on still photography, including landscapes.

My biggest question before actually getting the drone is, where should I take it to fly it? When I've asked this question on other (mostly photography) forums, almost every response deals with places I can't fly a drone, and phone apps that will show me all the different temporary and permanent no-fly zones. I get that, and I plan to be careful about where I launch my future drone. I've already installed B4UFly, UAV Forecast, and AirMap on my phone.

But that still leaves the question of fun places to take the drone that aren't off-limits and that will give me some good photo opportunities.

Anyone on this forum who lives in the Central Ohio area and can give me some suggestions as to where to try out my new drone when I finally get it?

Thanks!

Larry

I live in Piqua, Ohio and have flown all over Ohio. A lot of times I fly from a boat, so I have flown around Alum Creek Lake, Delaware Lake, Buckeye Lake plus southeastern Ohio (Nelsonville, Hocking County, etc) to name a few. Not really supposed to fly inside of State Parks but you can launch outside and fly in. When you get your Mavic, your controller will stop you from flying in any No-Fly zones so you really don't have to worry about that. I fly all over Piqua with no problems. My daughter lives in Grove City and so I have flown around in that area also.

Main thing is, just get and fly as often as you can so you can get more comfortable with flying. These are great tools for taking photos and videos form another perspective, which I'm sure you are already aware of. Good luck!

 

[Bunny Too]

For non-locals, Gahanna is a suburb of Columbus.

I've talked myself into buying a Mavic Air. I'll probably make the purchase before the end of June. I've been a still photographer for about 50 years, and I'd love to try my hand at aerial photography. I'll probably also do some video just for fun, but my emphasis will probably always be on still photography, including landscapes.

My biggest question before actually getting the drone is, where should I take it to fly it? When I've asked this question on other (mostly photography) forums, almost every response deals with places I can't fly a drone, and phone apps that will show me all the different temporary and permanent no-fly zones. I get that, and I plan to be careful about where I launch my future drone. I've already installed B4UFly, UAV Forecast, and AirMap on my phone.

But that still leaves the question of fun places to take the drone that aren't off-limits and that will give me some good photo opportunities.

Anyone on this forum who lives in the Central Ohio area and can give me some suggestions as to where to try out my new drone when I finally get it?

Thanks!

Larry

Howdy from Wyoming @larryc43230 , welcome to the community, plenty of fine folk and excellent information here.

 

[Maxheadspace]

Greetings Larry! Welcome to the forum. One of the benefits of both the Mavic Pro and Air is their small size, hence stealthy nature. I try to remain as low-profile as possible when flying, that way I can fly almost anywhere. With the exception, of course, in no-fly zones. Once I get my Mavic Pro into the air most people have no clue what I'm doing and pay me no attention. I don't think you'll have a problem finding good places to fly in Ohio.

Max

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to Mavic Pilots .
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching .

 

[RKX]

Hello and welcome from Ontario Canada to Mavic Pilots!
And enjoy your stay here, there is a wealth of information to be had so take your time and look around and enjoy reading all the great stuff you can do with your Mavic, Feel free to ask any questions you may have and remember the search tool is a great resource to see who may have had a similar issue or may offer a great tip.
Enjoy your day and happy flying

 

[larryc43230]

I live in Piqua, Ohio and have flown all over Ohio. A lot of times I fly from a boat, so I have flown around Alum Creek Lake, Delaware Lake, Buckeye Lake plus southeastern Ohio (Nelsonville, Hocking County, etc) to name a few. Not really supposed to fly inside of State Parks but you can launch outside and fly in. When you get your Mavic, your controller will stop you from flying in any No-Fly zones so you really don't have to worry about that. I fly all over Piqua with no problems. My daughter lives in Grove City and so I have flown around in that area also.

Main thing is, just get and fly as often as you can so you can get more comfortable with flying. These are great tools for taking photos and videos form another perspective, which I'm sure you are already aware of. Good luck!

Thanks, breid! This is exactly the sort of information I've been looking for. When I began reading up on drone-flying, especially in forums, I began to get the impression that there were a lot more areas that prohibited flying than allowed it. Now I'm making a list of places near where I live (but outside the John Glenn Airport zone) where I can have some fun with a drone.

Larry

 

[larryc43230]

Howdy from Wyoming @larryc43230 , welcome to the community, plenty of fine folk and excellent information here.

Thank you, Bunny Too, it seems I've come to the right place!

Larry

 

[larryc43230]

Greetings Larry! Welcome to the forum. One of the benefits of both the Mavic Pro and Air is their small size, hence stealthy nature. I try to remain as low-profile as possible when flying, that way I can fly almost anywhere. With the exception, of course, in no-fly zones. Once I get my Mavic Pro into the air most people have no clue what I'm doing and pay me no attention. I don't think you'll have a problem finding good places to fly in Ohio.

Max

Thanks! I've been practicing stealth (as in making myself inconspicuous) with my still photography for many years, so hopefully that will come naturally.

Larry

 

[larryc43230]

Welcome to Mavic Pilots .
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching .

Thanks for the warm welcome. I'll probably be purchasing a Mavic Air before the end of June, after which I'm sure to have my share of newbie questions.

Larry

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Mavic Pilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge and for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in Mavic quadcopters.
Enjoy!
*MAVIC PRO/PLATINUM MANUAL: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/mavic/Mavic Pro User Manual V2.0-.pdf
*MAVIC AIR MANUAL: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic Air/20180213/Mavic Air User Manual_v1.2.pdf
*GO 4 APP MANUAL: DJI Go 4 Manual

 

[herman2992]

Welcome, Gahanna! We're neighbors. I fly a Mavic Pro in and around Dublin.

I had the same initial impression from this and other groups. Turns out you can fly most anywhere. Play by the rules, keep local airport towers informed.

For example, I am often flying at the very edge of OSU Airport's five miles circle. The folks in the Tower there are getting used to talking to me. They like two brief calls: before you launch, and when you receiver the aircraft and are done for the day. I just tell them I'm a recreational drone pilot, my location, my planned max altitude, and answer any questions. Never down within the CMH zone yet, so I don't know they're preferred process.

You are going to absolutely LOVE the MP as a photo platform! There are, of course, better and far cheaper cameras. But gyro stabilized, remotely operable, on a 400 foot, easily adjusted tripod?

Have fun!

 

[larryc43230]

Welcome, Gahanna! We're neighbors. I fly a Mavic Pro in and around Dublin.

I had the same initial impression from this and other groups. Turns out you can fly most anywhere. Play by the rules, keep local airport towers informed.

For example, I am often flying at the very edge of OSU Airport's five miles circle. The folks in the Tower there are getting used to talking to me. They like two brief calls: before you launch, and when you receiver the aircraft and are done for the day. I just tell them I'm a recreational drone pilot, my location, my planned max altitude, and answer any questions. Never down within the CMH zone yet, so I don't know they're preferred process.

You are going to absolutely LOVE the MP as a photo platform! There are, of course, better and far cheaper cameras. But gyro stabilized, remotely operable, on a 400 foot, easily adjusted tripod?

Have fun!

View attachment 39975
View attachment 39976
View attachment 39978

Greetings, neighbor, and thanks for the encouragement! Those photos you posted are terrific, it's fun to see a familiar landmark from an entirely new perspective.

I don't have the drone yet and have never contacted CMH. After looking at the FAA's B4UFly app, I'm a little confused. My home base is definitely within 5 miles of the airport; can I use the app to let the folks at CMH know I'll be launching the drone, or will I still need to pick up the phone and call them?

Larry

 

[larryc43230]

Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Mavic Pilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge and for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in Mavic quadcopters.
Enjoy!
*MAVIC PRO/PLATINUM MANUAL: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/mavic/Mavic Pro User Manual V2.0-.pdf
*MAVIC AIR MANUAL: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic Air/20180213/Mavic Air User Manual_v1.2.pdf
*GO 4 APP MANUAL: DJI Go 4 Manual

Thanks for the warm welcome! And thanks for the link to the GO 4 App manual. I've downloaded and read the other manuals (the PDFs), but that was one I hadn't seen before.

Larry

 

[herman2992]

Greetings, neighbor, and thanks for the encouragement! Those photos you posted are terrific, it's fun to see a familiar landmark from an entirely new perspective.

I don't have the drone yet and have never contacted CMH. After looking at the FAA's B4UFly app, I'm a little confused. My home base is definitely within 5 miles of the airport; can I use the app to let the folks at CMH know I'll be launching the drone, or will I still need to pick up the phone and call them?

Larry

Larry, while I haven't yet flown within five miles of CMH, I have done the research. CMH has recently (March 2018) made it easy by publishing the process. Check it out!

 

[larryc43230]

Larry, while I haven't yet flown within five miles of CMH, I have done the research. CMH has recently (March 2018) made it easy by publishing the process. Check it out!

View attachment 39981

Wow, that is exactly what I was looking for, a clear guide to when and who (and especially what number) to call when I want to launch my drone from my home base. Thank you, herman2992!

Larry

 

[Aerial-Pixel]

Welcome to MavicPilots from down in Dayton Ohio! I fly a lot in Cincinnati and Dayton, I like shooting cityscapes and hyperlapses of cities. I need to head up to C-bus soon to shoot some video, I love your city.

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Enjoy that Mavic Air, I love mine! Fly safe and have fun!

 

[larryc43230]

Great videos, Aerial-Pixel! Now I can't wait to start playing myself. No aerial video yet, of course, but here's a still I shot from a downtown Columbus bridge during last weekend's arts festival. Lots of potential in my own area.View media item 1949
Larry