Has anyone ever flown a drone, above the trees, over the USA road known as the Tail of the Dragon?

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Would it be legal if done early AM or is the road always 'busy'?
Or seen a video of such a flight?

 

[mavic3usa]

Would it be legal if done early AM or is the road always 'busy'?
Or seen a video of such a flight?

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tail+of+the+dragon+drone+footage

 

[rustysteel]

Would it be legal if done early AM or is the road always 'busy'?
Or seen a video of such a flight?

I dont believe thats a no-fly zone so I would think youre OK. There are a handful of pull-offs on the road to launch from. Weekends are busiest and be safe- best to stand behind your car as a barrier as there are accidents almost daily.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tail+of+the+dragon+drone+footage

Thanks, I have seen plenty of bike mounted videos of it but that's the first drone view I have seen.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I dont believe thats a no-fly zone so I would think youre OK. There are a handful of pull-offs on the road to launch from. Weekends are busiest and be safe- best to stand behind your car as a barrier as there are accidents almost daily.

Thanks, yep I have watched quite a few crash videos, I like the decorated tree at one end lol. There are a few roads in the UK somewhat similar to the dragon but not as continuously twisting, unfortunately the ones near towns tend to be boy racer tracks and unfortunately their skill/experience is sometimes not up to the task and the accidents/crashes are sometimes fatal. The Cat and Fiddle comes to mind. I'd love to give the dragon a go sometime...but slowly lol.

 

[mavic3usa]

Thanks, I have seen plenty of bike mounted videos of it but that's the first drone view I have seen.

YT is a beautiful thing. Usually there are a few folks roadside with cameras taking pictures and posting on the internet where riders can go to see themselves and maybe buy a nice hi-res photo. I'm surprised someone hasn't thought about flying a drone and capturing and offering the 4k video. Tail of the dragon is on my bucket list but I'll probably not get there as long as I first need to ride Isle of Man on my bike....we'll see.

 

[BigAl07]

One of the companies that you see a TON of videos from over there is also a Drone Operator. Since I have never seen him post any YT videos I would assume (that's a dangerous thing) that there might be some other type of restrictions in place other than FAA.

If I can find his contact information I'll give him a quick call. I was literally 5 minutes from there this morning LOL.

 

[mobilehomer]

As long as you are not in the Smoky Mountain National Park, you are fine.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

YT is a beautiful thing. Usually there are a few folks roadside with cameras taking pictures and posting on the internet where riders can go to see themselves and maybe buy a nice hi-res photo. I'm surprised someone hasn't thought about flying a drone and capturing and offering the 4k video. Tail of the dragon is on my bucket list but I'll probably not get there as long as I first need to ride Isle of Man on my bike....we'll see.

If trying the TT course just remember you are not one of the racers, be careful, plus you'll be on the wrong side of the road for your instinctive riding.
If you want a 'good' UK road, google " Hard Knott pass " and "Torr Rd" from Cushendun to Torr Head. Meeting a tractor on the latter is an interesting experience lol.

 

[thepushercg]

iv road it a few times,never flown it, do not see a problem with someone filming it with a quad

 

[rjwmorrell]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tail+of+the+dragon+drone+footage

So... not under VLOS, I see

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

So... not under VLOS, I see

Hmmm interesting/good point, I didn't think of that ..... problem.

 

[E-boy Avata]

Hmmm interesting/good point, I didn't think of that ..... problem.

pls dont missunderstand me, but i want to make this point a little bit clearer. as i found at this site: What are VLOS, EVLOS and BVLOS? Why do they affect drone operations?

What is EVLOS (Extended Visual Line of Sight)?

Extended Visual Line of Sight operations ('EVLOS') allows flight Beyond Visual Line of Sight of the Remote Pilot by using ‘trained observers’. Trained observers are used to comply with the separation and collision avoidance responsibilities of the operator.

Fundamentally, EVLOS is an operational method where a pilot is always present on a location with one or more external observers keeping the UAV in their line of sight.

At the same time, these observers communicate critical flight information through radio to assist the pilot in maintaining a safe distance from other air users, both manned and unmanned, as well as structures, terrain and other hazards.

EVLOS operations require special permission from your respective Aviation Authority. Permission for EVLOS operations can usually be obtained through a straightforward approval process in most countries.

EVLOS is not location-specific, unlike BVLOS, with observers who can be trained in-house or through a professional training organisation as required.


As you get another person with a phone connected to yours it would be possible to fly here with multiple persons.

or you can just break the law by flying BVLOS(not recommended)


i hope this can help you.

happy flying
From the Netherlands.

 

[BigAl07]

pls dont missunderstand me, but i want to make this point a little bit clearer. as i found at this site: What are VLOS, EVLOS and BVLOS? Why do they affect drone operations?

What is EVLOS (Extended Visual Line of Sight)?

Extended Visual Line of Sight operations ('EVLOS') allows flight Beyond Visual Line of Sight of the Remote Pilot by using ‘trained observers’. Trained observers are used to comply with the separation and collision avoidance responsibilities of the operator.

Fundamentally, EVLOS is an operational method where a pilot is always present on a location with one or more external observers keeping the UAV in their line of sight.

At the same time, these observers communicate critical flight information through radio to assist the pilot in maintaining a safe distance from other air users, both manned and unmanned, as well as structures, terrain and other hazards.

EVLOS operations require special permission from your respective Aviation Authority. Permission for EVLOS operations can usually be obtained through a straightforward approval process in most countries.

EVLOS is not location-specific, unlike BVLOS, with observers who can be trained in-house or through a professional training organisation as required.


As you get another person with a phone connected to yours it would be possible to fly here with multiple persons.

or you can just break the law by flying BVLOS(not recommended)


i hope this can help you.

happy flying
From the Netherlands.

Under current FAA Rules (Which are the rules governing the area this post is about), you can NOT daisy chain VO's in order to fly BVLOS.

 

[Brojon]

Thanks, yep I have watched quite a few crash videos, I like the decorated tree at one end lol. There are a few roads in the UK somewhat similar to the dragon but not as continuously twisting, unfortunately the ones near towns tend to be boy racer tracks and unfortunately their skill/experience is sometimes not up to the task and the accidents/crashes are sometimes fatal. The Cat and Fiddle comes to mind. I'd love to give the dragon a go sometime...but slowly lol.

That's the "tree of shame" and it's actually at Deals Gap which is the "beginning". They used to have surprisingly good bratwurst there.
I ride and did the dragon twice and that was enough to make me swear off.
It's vastly overrated as far as technical challenge. A much better road is the Devil's Triangle a little northwest.
The biggest issue on TotD is idiots trying to prove something - we call those types "squids" as in "squirrely kids" because they ride the fastest thing they can afford and then ride stupidly. They pass people in turns and generally are dangers to everyone. Harley riders manage to lumber through the turns carefully and it gives the squids an excuse to be stupid.
Then there are the idiots in sports cars that do the same.
Then in days gone by not a weekend passed that some idiot trucker or senile RV driver thought his rig could make it through the turns. The tow trucks that specialized in that recovery had a bang up business going. Now they have prominent signs and fines for truckers to pay heed to.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

We have 'boy racer' roads here too. Many years ago I was on one and my bike developed a problem. I was 'limping it' home and keeping well over to the left of my side of the road (correct side for me ) because some folks use both lanes on corners. On one, a left hander for me, some dipstick coming the other way came round the corner cranked right over and half way across my lane. The corner was 'blind' for both of us, stone wall and trees to my left.
If I'd been in the centre of my lane we would have collided, if I'd been is a car etc. he'd have been a hole in the radiator or windscreen and undertaker fodder.
At least one of the guys I was out with was a good, fast rider and it turns out they all turned back because there were too many 'a88h888s' out that day.

Then in days gone by not a weekend passed that some idiot trucker or senile RV driver thought his rig could make it through the turns. The tow trucks that specialized in that recovery had a bang up business going.

I have seen a couple of youtube showing that lol plus, I think, one were a truck and biker entered a corner at the same time and the trailer 'cut the corner' :-(, I think the bike ended up under the trailer, I don't remember what happened to the biker.

 

[JCapps]

That's the "tree of shame" and it's actually at Deals Gap which is the "beginning". They used to have surprisingly good bratwurst there.
I ride and did the dragon twice and that was enough to make me swear off.
It's vastly overrated as far as technical challenge. A much better road is the Devil's Triangle a little northwest.
The biggest issue on TotD is idiots trying to prove something - we call those types "squids" as in "squirrely kids" because they ride the fastest thing they can afford and then ride stupidly. They pass people in turns and generally are dangers to everyone. Harley riders manage to lumber through the turns carefully and it gives the squids an excuse to be stupid.
Then there are the idiots in sports cars that do the same.
Then in days gone by not a weekend passed that some idiot trucker or senile RV driver thought his rig could make it through the turns. The tow trucks that specialized in that recovery had a bang up business going. Now they have prominent signs and fines for truckers to pay heed to.

I agree. There are many idiots that travel on the TOTD. My Nephew and I rode it a couple of years ago. It was one of things I've always wanted to do. Glad I did it but honestly I have no desire to do it again. We got lucky as we rode it on Easter Sunday which was perfect because it was not crowded at all. I actually enjoyed the Cherohala Skyway more. I have not been on the Devil's Triangle but I will need to add that to my list of places to ride. As far a flying a drone on the TOTD, one side of it actually borders the Great Smokey Mountains National Park according to the B4UFLY app so that is something to be aware of.

 

[AMann]

There’s a mountain road like it that I used to drive for work that is also curvy like that. One day I was taking photos on the side of the road in a turnout and two motorcyclists raced by, then all the sudden I heard a thud, and there was no more noise except for the sounds of a woman screaming. I drove up the road to see what happened and there was a truck parked sideways in the road that was apparently trying to do a U-turn in the blind corner. The bikes were down in front of it and there were too big dents on the side of the truck, but the riders were nowhere to be seen. I walked around to the other side of the truck to check on the screaming woman passenger and saw both riders sitting up on the ground pretty far ahead of the truck. The driver and woman were fine, she was just being hysterical because of the flying bodies she witnessed that went over her truck, and one of the motorcyclists had a broken arm, but other than that everyone was OK. People who have never driven those types of roads shouldn’t try it, and people who go too fast to stop within their line of sight, especially around blind corners, are stupid.

On the same road another time there was a little sports car tailgating my truck, I couldn’t pull over as there was no turnout for a while, so going around one corner, there was a big rock in the road that I was able to straddle, but he couldn’t. Well, at least he tried to straddle it, but there was another big thud and he ripped a hole through his engine and part of his floor going over it. Tailgaters are also stupid.

 

[JCapps]

There’s a mountain road like it that I used to drive for work that is also curvy like that. One day I was taking photos on the side of the road in a turnout and two motorcyclists raced by, then all the sudden I heard a thud, and there was no more noise except for the sounds of a woman screaming. I drove up the road to see what happened and there was a truck parked sideways in the road that was apparently trying to do a U-turn in the blind corner. The bikes were down in front of it and there were too big dents on the side of the truck, but the riders were nowhere to be seen. I walked around to the other side of the truck to check on the screaming woman passenger and saw both riders sitting up on the ground pretty far ahead of the truck. The driver and woman were fine, she was just being hysterical because of the flying bodies she witnessed that went over her truck, and one of the motorcyclists had a broken arm, but other than that everyone was OK. People who have never driven those types of roads shouldn’t try it, and people who go too fast to stop within their line of sight, especially around blind corners, are stupid.

On the same road another time there was a little sports car tailgating my truck, I couldn’t pull over as there was no turnout for a while, so going around one corner, there was a big rock in the road that I was able to straddle, but he couldn’t. Well, at least he tried to straddle it, but there was another big thud and he ripped a hole through his engine and part of his floor going over it. Tailgaters are also stupid.

Many of the bikes that ride the Tail of the Dragon travel at over twice the posted speed limit. Death wish. Many have accidents or die there yearly. There are 318 curves in 11 miles on that stretch of road. Fun to ride but you have to be extremely careful and really pay attention. That's why once was enough for me.

 

[AMann]

Many of the bikes that ride the Tail of the Dragon travel at over twice the posted speed limit. Death wish. Many have accidents or die there yearly. There are 318 curves in 11 miles on that stretch of road. Fun to ride but you have to be extremely careful and really pay attention. That's why once was enough for me.

Definitely a fun ride- I’ve driven my bike on our mtn roads too, it’s when you are going too fast to stop or react to rocks, passing animals and people doing u-turns or stopping on blind corners that trouble happens. That road looked very nice, would love to see it as well sometime.