DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Hello Everyone! :)

AirDrone

Member
Joined
May 31, 2021
Messages
5
Reactions
3
Location
California
I am a new DJI Mini 2 owner and trying to figure out some spots to fly in Sunnyvale/Mountain View areas.

Are the following locations okay?

- Shoreline Park and Lake (Mountain View)
- Rancho San Antonio
- Vasona Park

I have been reading up a lot about where to go and test my new drone, but it seems there are a lot of restrictions. I want to make sure that the law of the land is observed and people don’t get disturbed :)

Please help me fly my first flight!
 
Hi AirDrone Welcome to Mavic Pilots.
Being in the UK I can’t help with where to fly but I can give you my new flyer advice.
Wide open space.
Slow & easy
Power-lines & trees are evil.
Don't expect RTH (Return To Home) to save you especially if you are under trees.
Don't forget to read the manual ;)
Download Mini 2 manual HERE
You want an SD card that is U3 for 4K
Most of all have FUN
 
Welcome to the forum from the land of Oz. You have a great little drone I the Mini2. I also can’t be of any assistance in where to fly, but I’m sure that someone from the forum will be able to assist.
Regards
 
I am a new DJI Mini 2 owner and trying to figure out some spots to fly in Sunnyvale/Mountain View areas.

Are the following locations okay?

- Shoreline Park and Lake (Mountain View)
- Rancho San Antonio
- Vasona Park

I have been reading up a lot about where to go and test my new drone, but it seems there are a lot of restrictions. I want to make sure that the law of the land is observed and people don’t get disturbed :)

Please help me fly my first flight!

Welcome!

As for allowed areas, your first step should be to check Airmap or Kittyhawk and see whether LAANC is needed/available in the areas you want to fly.

As for those specific locations, here is what I've found:

1. Shoreline Park: Most of the airspace around Shoreline Park in Mountain View is controlled airspace on account of Moffett Airfield. This airfield unfortunately doesn't support LAANC last I checked. I think there were also signs posted around here (last I checked) saying "no drones" so it's probably best to respect those wishes as well.
2. Rancho San Antonio: You're not allowed to operate a drone in the park. See the regulations here: Rancho San Antonio Preserve | Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
3. Vasona Park: This is a county park, so as per SCC regulations you'd need a permit to operate a drone here: The 5 Best Places to Fly a Drone in San Jose (2021) | UAV Coach

Unfortunately many of the areas that would seem nice to fly in are restricted like this in one way or another. However that doesn't mean there's no place to fly and practice!

Near Sunnyvale, I usually flew around Twin Creeks Park - lots of open space and not many people if no games going on. LAANC is available in the area around there. The area around Crossman/Java/Moffett Park Dr is also OK to practice since last I checked it was mostly empty company buildings around there and parking lots and hardly anyone around. Again LAANC is required.

I also fly around Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. Berkeley Marina is also a nice place. (The weather was great today and I actually just got back from flying near Rockaway Beach in Pacifica)

@pelagic_one probably has some nice recommendations for the Bay Area.
 
Welcome!

As for allowed areas, your first step should be to check Airmap or Kittyhawk and see whether LAANC is needed/available in the areas you want to fly.

As for those specific locations, here is what I've found:

1. Shoreline Park: Most of the airspace around Shoreline Park in Mountain View is controlled airspace on account of Moffett Airfield. This airfield unfortunately doesn't support LAANC last I checked. I think there were also signs posted around here (last I checked) saying "no drones" so it's probably best to respect those wishes as well.
2. Rancho San Antonio: You're not allowed to operate a drone in the park. See the regulations here: Rancho San Antonio Preserve | Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
3. Vasona Park: This is a county park, so as per SCC regulations you'd need a permit to operate a drone here: The 5 Best Places to Fly a Drone in San Jose (2021) | UAV Coach

Unfortunately many of the areas that would seem nice to fly in are restricted like this in one way or another. However that doesn't mean there's no place to fly and practice!

Near Sunnyvale, I usually flew around Twin Creeks Park - lots of open space and not many people if no games going on. LAANC is available in the area around there. The area around Crossman/Java/Moffett Park Dr is also OK to practice since last I checked it was mostly empty company buildings around there and parking lots and hardly anyone around. Again LAANC is required.

I also fly around Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. Berkeley Marina is also a nice place. (The weather was great today and I actually just got back from flying near Rockaway Beach in Pacifica)

@pelagic_one probably has some nice recommendations for the Bay Area.
Thank you for the great info! It seems that in Twin Creeks area, there's a very specific region in which one can get LAANC approval. I am going to try that out and take the drone for a test flight. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: MavicPeter
I am a new DJI Mini 2 owner and trying to figure out some spots to fly in Sunnyvale/Mountain View areas.

Are the following locations okay?

- Shoreline Park and Lake (Mountain View)
- Rancho San Antonio
- Vasona Park

I have been reading up a lot about where to go and test my new drone, but it seems there are a lot of restrictions. I want to make sure that the law of the land is observed and people don’t get disturbed :)

Please help me fly my first flight!
Go to.
Video link
 
  • Like
Reactions: Thomas B
That’s a great video. Unfortunately that entire coast is shown as a restricted zone in the B4UFLY app.
I have a Mavic Air 2 S and never fly in restricted areas or areas where I am not authorized to fly in.....In fact on my Iphone when the drone is ready to fly it informs you whether you are in a restricted area and will not allow you to take off or if one needs to get permission to fly.That flight to see the lighthouse was over the water and did not infringe on any restricted areas.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: pelagic_one
I have a Mavic Air 2 S and never fly in restricted areas or areas where I am not authorized to fly in.....In fact on my Iphone when the drone is ready to fly it informs you whether you are in a restricted area and will not allow you to take off or if one needs to get permission to fly.That flight to see the lighthouse was over the water and did not infringe on any restricted areas.

That’s good to know. I think DJI drones have a very good system of helping to avoid any restricted flights but I keep hearing stories about how people ended up getting into unwarranted trouble in spite of their best efforts. Thanks for the information! Sorry if I came across as rude in any way! :)
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
130,596
Messages
1,554,226
Members
159,602
Latest member
Tenakeetwo