Greetings and Salutations from beautiful Upper Bucks County, PA

[glocke12]

Hi All,

New to the hobby but am now the owner of a DJI Air 3S and a mini 4k pro ( as well as some cheaper " introductory drones " ).

Been through the TRUST certification and and of course have my AIR 3S registered with the FAA and am currently looking for places to fly near me (preferably within 30 min or so of my house).

I had hoped to fly at one of the nearby state parks, but than read about the PADCNR restrictions and was dismayed to find out I can't operate from within the park boundaries. Huge bummer for me but it is what it is.

If anyone has any suggestions on places to fly near zip 18930 please let me know.

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Crossroads of America glocke12.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Rchawks]

Welcome from the Midwest!
You might look in Local and Regional Discussions.

 

[Cafguy]

Welcome to the Forum from Bakersfield Look for people near you here, or find a Drone or RC club they can recommend great places to fly.

 

[Hauptmann]

Welcome to the forum, from Hauptmann in Hurst, Texas!

 

[HenryMow]

Welcome to the forum, from the Hudson Valley, NY!

 

[Rohn]

Too far but, Welcome from Montgomery TX. (lol)

 

[John Brainerd]

Hi All,

New to the hobby but am now the owner of a DJI Air 3S and a mini 4k pro ( as well as some cheaper " introductory drones " ).

Been through the TRUST certification and and of course have my AIR 3S registered with the FAA and am currently looking for places to fly near me (preferably within 30 min or so of my house).

I had hoped to fly at one of the nearby state parks, but than read about the PADCNR restrictions and was dismayed to find out I can't operate from within the park boundaries. Huge bummer for me but it is what it is.

If anyone has any suggestions on places to fly near zip 18930 please let me know.

I'm a photographer/pilot based on the Philly suburbs 400footviews.com is my business. Happy to talk sometime and share some ideas. I fly all over the area.

 

[JAW]

You could download one of the planning apps like Air Aware or Air Control which will you show you where you can fly without approval (uncontrolled airspace) which is pretty much everywhere around Kintnersville. Head towards the Delaware river and look for a place to pull over along River Rd. My wife and I still go to New Hope several times a year and I take-off from areas along the river. New Hope has no local restrictions for drone ops other than the normal FAA stuff. Thr Bucks County Playhouse parking area is a good spot but make sure you avoid show rimes as it gets too crowded.

Avoid taking off or landing in State or local parks, but you can fly over them. Nockamixon State Park is a good example of of this. Using one of the flight apps (I use Air Aware), you can find a spot that is just outside the park boundaries but allows you take off and then fly over the park. The black marker in the following images shows whether your take-off is legal or not. They are screen shots from AirAware.




Large open fields are good practice locations. I ALWAYS ask permission if I can determine who owns the property. And I always offer to give them copies of photos or videos.

 

[John Brainerd]

While perhaps technical true about it being legal to take off outside the park and fly over it (depends on who you ask), it is definitely counter to the intent of the state law which is intended to avoid drones in and over the park. You may find yourself in an argument with a park ranger, or police when doing so. As we've seen many times, this can lead to a drone being confiscated while the argument continues. I strongly recommend staying away. PA is generally very friendly to drones, so far better to fly in the 99% of the state where it's not prohibited.

 

[PakNheat380]

Welcome to the forum from NW Montana

 

[glocke12]

While perhaps technical true about it being legal to take off outside the park and fly over it (depends on who you ask), it is definitely counter to the intent of the state law which is intended to avoid drones in and over the park. You may find yourself in an argument with a park ranger, or police when doing so. As we've seen many times, this can lead to a drone being confiscated while the argument continues. I strongly recommend staying away. PA is generally very friendly to drones, so far better to fly in the 99% of the state where it's not prohibited.

I've already had that discussion with the Nockamixon State Park Manager. He was adamant that you could not take off outside the park and fly over, I basically said that I am pretty certain that the PADCNR nor the state of PA can control the airspace and that what the have in affect is what the FAA calls a " no drone zone " and provided him with the below links via email.

https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement/no_drone_zone#entity

https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/uas/public_safety_gov/public_safety_toolkit/FAA%20UAS%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

It was a friendly encounter overall and I was neither confrontational nor obnoxious. I basically said " ok " and suggested he take a look at the information I sent.

 

[glocke12]

You could download one of the planning apps like Air Aware or Air Control which will you show you where you can fly without approval (uncontrolled airspace) which is pretty much everywhere around Kintnersville. Head towards the Delaware river and look for a place to pull over along River Rd. My wife and I still go to New Hope several times a year and I take-off from areas along the river. New Hope has no local restrictions for drone ops other than the normal FAA stuff. Thr Bucks County Playhouse parking area is a good spot but make sure you avoid show rimes as it gets too crowded.

Avoid taking off or landing in State or local parks, but you can fly over them. Nockamixon State Park is a good example of of this. Using one of the flight apps (I use Air Aware), you can find a spot that is just outside the park boundaries but allows you take off and then fly over the park. The black marker in the following images shows whether your take-off is legal or not. They are screen shots from AirAware.
View attachment 182246

View attachment 182247

Large open fields are good practice locations. I ALWAYS ask permission if I can determine who owns the property. And I always offer to give them copies of photos or videos.

View attachment 182248

thanks...

 

[GFields]

Hi All,

New to the hobby but am now the owner of a DJI Air 3S and a mini 4k pro ( as well as some cheaper " introductory drones " ).

Been through the TRUST certification and and of course have my AIR 3S registered with the FAA and am currently looking for places to fly near me (preferably within 30 min or so of my house).

I had hoped to fly at one of the nearby state parks, but than read about the PADCNR restrictions and was dismayed to find out I can't operate from within the park boundaries. Huge bummer for me but it is what it is.

If anyone has any suggestions on places to fly near zip 18930 please let me know.

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!

 

[LoudThunder]

New to the hobby

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar. Click on "Members" and then Click on "Member's Map…" Check it out and you might find some new flying friends.

Member Map

mavicpilots.com

Since you have done all the other legal stuff… If you are considering acquiring your Part 107 License, here is a link to get you going…

Drone Courses - Free and Paid Drone Pilot Training

30+ free and paid classes to fly your drone. Pass your FAA Part 107 license exam, learn how to fly your drone, and more.

pilotinstitute.com

Since you live in Pennsylvania, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check the link below for all the Rules and Laws that are in effect in your neck of the woods and it also links you to some of the Best Places to Fly in your area… Also, if you travel on vacation, visit friends, and relatives in other parts of the country, check back here so you do not run afoul of the law.

Federal Drone Laws in the United States (FAA) - Pilot Institute

44809 is an exemption from Part 107 drone laws. This means that drone pilots fly under Part 107 drone rules by default unless they meet all 9 of the requirements to fly under 44809, the exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft. You can read more about these requirements...

pilotinstitute.com

Even if you have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

You paid a lot of money for that Drone, put your phone number on it. If your drone gets lost or stuck in a tree and it finally comes down when you are not around, give the finders an opportunity to contact you so it can be returned.

Now, for the Fun Part, But do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.

There are so many things I could write but these are the highlights that I feel need mentioning.

Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, then remove the Gimbal Cover.

The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short "Remove Before Flight" ribbon to the cover so it's more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…

Turn on the drone and watch it come to "life." Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a puppy or kitten opening its eyes for the first time…

Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).

Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.

Lift off, 6- feet (2-meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, Home point Updated.

If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you'll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…

Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.

I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can "fly it vicariously" through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your "New Baby."

Below is the link to all of the downloads offered by DJI for the Mavic Air 3S and the 4K, including the User Manuals.

After you read the Manuals, read them again, you will be surprised what you missed the first time and you will be better prepared for that first "scary moment…"

DJI Air 3S - Downloads - DJI

Download the software, user manual, and other materials related to DJI Air 3S. DJI Air 3S boasts a 1-inch CMOS primary camera and a 70mm medium tele camera, both delivering exceptional image quality with up to 14 stops of dynamic range. Both cameras support the new Free Panorama feature that...

www.dji.com

DJI Mini 2 SE - Download Center - DJI

Learn and download DJI Mini 2 SE related apps, software, and manuals at the DJI Download Center

www.dji.com

Fly On and Fly Safe…