Headed to San Francisco

kcoleman805 · Mar 9, 2017

Hey all,

Headed to San Francisco and wondering if anyone had any suggestions on the best places to fly and get some awesome shots. I will only be in town a few days, so I wanna get as much filming done as possible.

Thanks for the help!

Kasey

jointeffort · Mar 9, 2017

kcoleman805 said:
Hey all,

Headed to San Francisco and wondering if anyone had any suggestions on the best places to fly and get some awesome shots. I will only be in town a few days, so I wanna get as much filming done as possible.

Thanks for the help!

Kasey

Treasure Island, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge.

Wombat55 · Mar 9, 2017

jointeffort said:
Treasure Island, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge.

No, no, and no. I believe that Treasure Island has a Coast Guard and/or a Naval facility in it. And as for flying a drone around Golden Gate Bridge that's absolutely off-limits.

San Francisco is not a drone-friendly place. The best bet is the nearby state parks up and down the coast.

BigSimonia · Mar 9, 2017

Head east across the Bay Bridge - Go through the Caldecott Tunnel and immediately on exiting the Tunnel, take "Old Tunnel Road" which will point you back West. Turn right on "Fish Ranch Road" and it will take you up into the hills above UC Berkely - GRIZZLY PEAK. You'll have panoramic views of the campus, the Claremont Hotel, the Oakland Hills (site of the 1991 firestorm that almost wiped out the Claremont) the Bay Bridge San Francisco, Treasure Island and the whole SF Bay. Trip takes about 35 minutes from Downtown SF

triumphrider · Mar 9, 2017

San Francisco is pretty much an entire no fly zone. All of Golden Gate park is off limits.

RC Mantis · Mar 9, 2017

All of the parks up the coast have bans on Drones. SF is basically a no fly zone or at best a fly at your own risk area. I recommend using common sense and not to do anything foolish.

finlayson · Mar 10, 2017

Wombat55 said:
No, no, and no. I believe that Treasure Island has a Coast Guard and/or a Naval facility in it. And as for flying a drone around Golden Gate Bridge that's absolutely off-limits.

Actually, according to AirMap.io , Treasure Island is OK. (Several of DJI's own videos have been made there.) Just be sure to avoid the nearby Bay Bridge.

But Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge - being part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area - are definite no nos. The same is true for the Fisherman's Wharf/Chrissy Field area, the Presidio, and Ocean Beach. (Golden Gate Park does not appear to be in controlled airspace, but may be subject to City of SF restrictions; I'm not sure.)

The bottom line is that SF proper is bad for drones. But if you're able to head out of the city, you can find some good spots.

RC Mantis · Mar 10, 2017

finlayson said:
Actually, according to AirMap.io , Treasure Island is OK. (Several of DJI's own videos have been made there.) Just be sure to avoid the nearby Bay Bridge.

But Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge - being part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area - are definite no nos. The same is true for the Fisherman's Wharf/Chrissy Field area, the Presidio, and Ocean Beach. (Golden Gate Park does not appear to be in controlled airspace, but may be subject to City of SF restrictions; I'm not sure.)

The bottom line is that SF proper is bad for drones. But if you're able to head out of the city, you can find some good spots.

Treasure Island is a Class B Zone do to airports within 5 miles. There are large number of police stations, hospitals and such with hella pads and the whole Bay Area is basically a class B Zone. However TI is known for being an area where drone hobbyists are generally not bothered. Outside of the legal concerns you need to pay attention to the wind at TI.

finlayson · Mar 10, 2017

RC Mantis said:
Treasure Island is a Class B Zone do to airports within 5 miles.

There are no airports within 5 miles of Treasure Island. But there will be helipads nearby.

Blucenturion · Mar 10, 2017

It appears there are as many interpretations of airspace as there are people.

finlayson · Mar 10, 2017

Blucenturion said:
It appears there are as many interpretations of airspace as there are people.

In app.airmap.io I Trust

RC Mantis · Mar 10, 2017

finlayson said:
There are no airports within 5 miles of Treasure Island. But there will be helipads nearby.

I can just tell you what the warning are that pop up on the controller when you fly on Treasure Island (Class B Air Space). However when I went there it was the wind that kept me from flying.

Rigging65 · Mar 10, 2017

The old Alameda Air station is just across the bridge. Easy place to fly, some neat scenery and a couple breweries and a distillary! You can flight right off their back porch and not be in conflict with any of the controlled airspace in the area. Views (albeit a bit far off) of the entire south-east side of San Francisco. Did I mention the breweries and distillary?

gwhalin · Mar 10, 2017

Saw someone flying a Phantom up and down Mission st today as was walking back to my hotel. They were jus standing in sidewalk and flying over people and traffic.

Drone Police · Mar 10, 2017

Go down CA state route 1 from Pacifica.
But also watch out where to avoid. I use UAE forecast app.

sonof40 · Mar 10, 2017

Berkeley Marina's Ceasar Chavez Park has regular flying club meets. It's on Meet-Up too.

cobra46 · Mar 10, 2017

RC Mantis said:
I can just tell you what the warning are that pop up on the controller when you fly on Treasure Island (Class B Air Space). However when I went there it was the wind that kept me from flying.

The airspace boundaries in the Mavic firmware are terribly inaccurate. I've seen this on my own flights.

Class B is over TI but not until 3000 MSL. It is also under Oaklands Class C which begins at 1500 MSL.

jointeffort · Mar 10, 2017

Wombat55 said:
No, no, and no. I believe that Treasure Island has a Coast Guard and/or a Naval facility in it. And as for flying a drone around Golden Gate Bridge that's absolutely off-limits.

San Francisco is not a drone-friendly place. The best bet is the nearby state parks up and down the coast.

See this link: Where can I fly in San Francisco?

and Top 10 Places to Fly a Drone in the San Francisco Bay Area

You cannot launch from the GG bridge and it is advised to not fly over it or under. However, you can fly to it, etc. Treasure Island is a Yes, many people fly there with no issues and plenty of video can be found on YouTube of their gorgeous flights.

Treasure Island:

(includes bay bridge and more)

Golden Gate:

Flying the Drone for the first time at the Golden Gate Bridge!

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge

Wombat55 · Mar 10, 2017

jointeffort said:
See this link: Where can I fly in San Francisco?

and Top 10 Places to Fly a Drone in the San Francisco Bay Area

You cannot launch from the GG bridge and it is advised to not fly over it or under. However, you can fly to it, etc. Treasure Island is a Yes, many people fly there with no issues and plenty of video can be found on YouTube of their gorgeous flights.

Treasure Island:

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(includes bay bridge and more)

Golden Gate:

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Flying the Drone for the first time at the Golden Gate Bridge!

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge

Thanks for the "Top 10" link. Looks like it has some good ideas to try out. However, notice that it does not list the Golden Gate Bridge as a possible flying area.

Here's a notice right from the Golden Gate Bridge website. Sounds like they mean business:

-----------

"Don't Fly Drones at the Golden Gate Bridge"

There are plenty of beautiful places to fly a drone this holiday season, but the Golden Gate Bridge is not one of them.

Drones (also known as Unmanned Aerial Systems) pose a safety and security risk to the Golden Gate Bridge. They are banned from flying over or near the Bridge or other District property. The District is installing new signs this week to remind people that drones are prohibited.

The Bridge is a very busy roadway, both as a transportation artery in and out of San Francisco and as an icon for the thousands of people who will visit over the holiday season. Whether due to operator error or technical problems, drones can and do fail. When they drop from the sky, they pose great risk of causing traffic, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents, especially given the crowded conditions on the Bridge and on District property. Drones are also prohibited from flying at or near the Bridge and surrounding property for security reasons. Drones found flying near the Bridge will be tracked and the operator identified. The aircraft may be confiscated and the operator may be prosecuted. Drones are also banned from National Park Service land, which includes areas immediately surrounding the Bridge to the north and south.

finlayson · Mar 10, 2017

Yes. While, technically speaking, it would be legal to fly over the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) if you launched from outside the GGNRA, I wouldn't expect that to apply to the Golden Gate Bridge itself (or to any of the approach roads). You'll risk getting your *** handed to you if you try this.