How do you feel about launching from parking lots and sidewalks?

[dronerat]

How do you feel about launching from parking lots and sidewalks?

(Im mostly concerned about this from the legal persepctive, as I’m thinking of launching from a parking lot of a strip mall/plaza, or maybe a sidewalk in a nearby neighborhood)

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Although I prefer the hood of a car/ truck , its the landing of the drone that can pause people to panic, and take there attention away from the scene of moving cars around them. So many people are just plain afraid, and will go to protect there kids , ect .

Better to home point off your car and land on top of it or near close an leave the parking lots and sidewalks for the safety of others.


Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

 

[Daytona500]

taking off from a car hood is not a good idea as the metal hood could cause magnetic interference and your drone takes off.

 

[lensimages]

Although I prefer the hood of a car/ truck , its the landing of the drone that can pause people to panic, and take there attention away from the scene of moving cars around them. So many people are just plain afraid, and will go to protect there kids , ect .

Better to home point off your car and land on top of it or near close an leave the parking lots and sidewalks for the safety of others.


Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

If from a parking lot and you find enough space to take off safely make it very obvious to any persons around that are outside of your safety space , if they are inside of your safety space you should not be flying, that you are going to take off with your drone, then when coming into land again make it obvious to any persons around that you are about to land your drone, most people would be interested in watching you do that. Been flying Drones in the U.K. since the Phantom 2 and fly most weeks , never have encountered any person panicking because of my taking off or landing, most people I meet when out flying are very interested in my ability to fly drones , so I always try to educate them about the safety measures built in and the need for pilot training. I reassure them by hovering my drone above us and not touching any controls this normally produces astonishment that it will not do anything without my input. Yesterday flying in one of my many local Castles I met some family’s there and spent a long time demonstrating my mini 3 pro to about 20 people after moving them to a safe spot, the only complaint I had was from a Mum of two boys that said to me that she was sorry she visited today because she now knows that her two boys would start nagging her for a drone because it’s nearly Christmas, but nobody starting panicking, cheers Len

 

[SmilingOgre]

The only time I launch from a sidewalk or parking lot is like 6:AM on a Sunday when it's me, the wind, and maybe one other old fart going for a walk out there. Not flying over people makes a lot of sense to me and the more people present the more probable it is the drone will be over one of them. Pretty simple.

 

[Starz]

Post #5 has the answer. Unoccupied lots work well. It is possible that whoever owns the lot may have other ideas so some consideration there may be in order.

 

[JimWest]

As others have said, it all depends on crowded it is. You need a lot of empty space to be safe. Sometimes I've pulled into the relatively empty parking lot of a small shop in areas where there is no sidewalk and asked if its OK to park and fly for 15 minutes. Usually no objections.

 

[edfrombama]

Good morning to all-

this is totally dependent on situation. I have launched from both of these places, but ONLY when no one else is around. empty parking lots in particular can be great launch/land areas. I try to never fly around others, especially crowds of people.
I'd say that if other people ere not around, go for it.

you all be safe and keep well- Ed

 

[akdrone]

taking off from a car hood is not a good idea as the metal hood could cause magnetic interference and your drone takes off.

I keep hearing that but it's no problem from my Chevy Silverado or my buddie's Toyota Tundra. I'm sure there are problems with some cars but not ours.

 

[AlanL]

I decided to set up a landing pad arrangement that left my drone elevated from the metal parts of my Tacoma. Very useful when there isn't a good launch/landing surface or space in a parking area.

 

[Papa Beach]

If flying from a parking lot, I’ve utilized hazard cones around my landing pad which tends to keep people out of my launch/land area although it does occasionally attract onlookers. So far, no issues and no harassment.

 

[Kai12]

I have to take off in both situations (Parking lot and sidewalk) on a weekly basis. Give yourself plenty of room, give right of way to anyone walking/drivng by, and above all fly safe. After that is no different than taking off from anywhere else. And if for whatever reason it does a RTH be there to direct traffic.

 

[mobilehomer]

Make sure to NOT set home point under electric lines!

 

[gw812]

I keep hearing that but it's no problem from my Chevy Silverado or my buddie's Toyota Tundra. I'm sure there are problems with some cars but not ours.

Tried this today from the bed of my Ram 1500 - it DID throw off my Mini 2's compass calibration. Pulled it out, sat on ground, and it was all okay.

 

[rgarjr]

What is the legality on this...

You’re going on a walk and you bring along your drone bag/case along. Maybe you find a nice bench on the sidewalk, so you sit and setup your bird for a launch. Is it cool to do this or can a cop see you and pull over and ask about it. I mean obviously you don’t want to have a cop within line of site if you when you launch out.

Parked in a parking lot of a local park. Can you launch out (say next to your car) from there?

 

[Aerophile]

What is the legality on this...

You’re going on a walk and you bring along your drone bag/case along. Maybe you find a nice bench on the sidewalk, so you sit and setup your bird for a launch. Is it cool to do this or can a cop see you and pull over and ask about it.

Parked in a parking lot of a local park. Can you launch out (say next to your car) from there?

Depends on local laws. FAA cares about the airspace, and we all know (or should know) the rules and how to check if the airspace is OK. But local city, county (and other) jurisdictions may have restrictions on launching/landing from parks and/or other public property. So it depends entirely on where that sidewalk/bench/parking space is.

A cop can always ask about it, there's nothing stopping them from doing that (maybe he thinks it's cool and wants to learn more). The cop may or may not know what the local rules are, so it's best if you do.

 

[AMann]

Well-built sidewalks have iron in them that can throw a compass off also. I try finding a suitable vacant place on dirt for the launch and landing area. If not, a corner of a parking lot is OK as well.

 

[PAW]

I decided to set up a landing pad arrangement that left my drone elevated from the metal parts of my Tacoma. Very useful when there isn't a good launch/landing surface or space in a parking area.

View attachment 157059View attachment 157060

M2P, Air2S, and M3 almost always launch and recover from bed cover without issues.
Dawn Patrol

 

[AlanL]

M2P, Air2S, and M3 almost always launch and recover from bed cover without issues.
Dawn Patrol

Bed cover would work fine - I don't happen to have one however and this was cheaper

 

[MA2 317]

I have my rig ready for fast deployment if in a public area. No set up needed.

When I flew my Spark, I had the mini 4 attached to the controller and the strobes already attached packed away in a shoulder bag.

I could walk to a spot, deploy the Spark for a mission while wearing the bag.
No need to set anything on the ground since I hand launch/land.

The MA2 is a little larger and I can't fit it into a bag, so I have a small suitcase that has the arms of the drone extended with the strobes attached and the Tripltek is fastened to the controller.

Makes it easy if you have to leave promptly for some reason.

.