I was flying 400 ft when this large plane flew by. Am I in trouble?

[Kywon McCain]

I'm not gonna lie, it looked kinda cool. I didn't see it until it was above me..

I I was about to grab my phone but I realized it was connected to my controller... And I then realized what that controller was controlling.

I panicked.

So I pressed the rth button and when I seen it again, I took my phone out of the controller and snapped a pic.

 

[Prop Wash]

A couple of things.
1) According the FAA, UAV pilots must give way to manned aircraft. Meaning: You should descend to a lower altitude so you don't interfere with its flight path.
2) How high was the airplane when it flew over? Meaning: Some common sense needs to be used. If the airplane was 5 or 10 thousand feet, you likely won't have an issue. If however, you are flying, with LAANC authorization, in an airport approach path where the plane would be at a much lower altitude, then definitely drop or land your quad.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Can you explain why you pressed the RTH button?

Could you, at the moment, describe for us precisely what behaviour you think your RTH caused the drone to follow?

I suspect you need to read or reread the manual and see what flight paths and procedures the various RTH's use, then I would suggest you need to go out and practice them is a safe place.

If there was any chance of a collision the thing to do would be descend as fast as possible, to the extent of maybe even stopping the motors and letting the drone fall. Do you know how to do the latter?

One of the posters over on the Phantom board used to fly, and maybe still does fly, with/at a club who shared their grounds with an Air Sea Rescue centre. The standing instructions were, if you had a drone or model aircraft in the air and the rescue center alarm sounded you put you aircraft into the ground ......and those folks know/knew how to fly their aircraft.

Reading your posts I begin to get the impression you are in need of practice flights in a safe place before you start trying to fly any more 'real' flights.
Learn to walk before you try to run.

But looking at that photo I would guess you were well below the plane.

Have you sorted out the gimbal problem yet?

The Mavic Pro is not a toy, it can do real damage and cause real injuries to people and or animals and reckless/childish flying could get you into real trouble that you parents may not be able to shield you from. A cavalier attitude is not a good one to have towards this hobby.

 

[Kywon McCain]

Can you explain why you pressed the RTH button?

Could you, at the moment, describe for us precisely what behaviour you think your RTH caused the drone to follow?

I suspect you need to read or reread the manual and see what flight pathes and procedures the various RTH's use, then I would suggest you need to go out and practice them is a safe place.

If there was any chance of a collision the thing to do would be descend as fast as possible, to the extent of maybe even stopping the motors and letting the drone fall. Do you know how to do the latter?

One of the posters over on the Phantom board used to fly, and maybe still does fly, with/at a club who shared their grounds with an Air Sea Rescue centre. The standing instructions were, if you had a drone or model aircraft in the air and the rescue center alarm sounded you put you aircraft into the ground ......and those folks know/knew how to fly their aircraft.

Reading your posts I begin to get the impression you are in need of practice flights in a safe place before you start trying to fly any more 'real' flights.
Learn to walk before you try to run.

But looking at that photo I would guess you were well below the plane.

Have you sorted out the gimbal problem yet?

The Mavic Pro is not a toy, it can do real damage and cause real injuries to people and or animals and reckless/childish flying could get you into real trouble that you parents may not be able to shield you from. A cavalier attitude is not a good one to have towards this hobby.

Dm

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Meaning what?

 

[Paint Rock Drones]

From the picture it looks to me as if the other aircraft was much higher, and there was no issue of you being too close. But for future reference, if you accidentally commit a technical violation that is related to safety, you can report it through ASRS - Aviation Safety Reporting System (there is a section specifically for UAS operators). It is confidential, but if the FAA takes an independent enforcement action, showing them evidence of your having made the report works in your favor.

As a private pilot (in addition to a UAS pilot) I have on one or two occasions filed a report with no adverse consequences.

 

[CanadaDrone]

With all due respect, your posts all seem to read like a diary of unsafe flights. From questionable airworthiness of the drone due to damage/DIY repairs, to possibly illegal flying locations and possible health issues, it might be time to take a step back and focus on making sure you have a 100% airworthy drone and a much tighter grasp on the rules in general. If you regularly have to ask if you were allowed to do something, that is a red flag. I realize flying a drone is cool and exciting and that makes everyone want to just get out and fly ASAP with minimal preparation, but that is the wrong approach for a hobby like this, as tempting as that may be.

Flying at low altitudes in a large school field or something (in a legal area with nobody around) is a good place to build your confidence, work on your flight skills, and familiarize yourself with features of the drone. Just be honest with yourself and stay safe whatever you decide.

In this case, as long as you were within legal distance of all airports/airfields/helipads and flight paths for takeoff/landing, that plane was probably thousands of feet above you. As long as you obey maximum height rules, and stay far away from airports and flight paths, you should never be in danger of having a collision with an aircraft under any normal circumstances. If you ever find yourself in a situation out of the ordinary where an aircraft may look much lower than usual, or if you have any doubts whatsoever about the situation, land your drone immediately and wait for it to pass. Better safe than sorry in every instance.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Meaning what?

DM typically means "direct message". He probably sent you a private message.

 

[Kywon McCain]

I mean message me

 

[The Fat Controller]

Perhaps 'DM me, please' would have clarified it. 'DM' on it's own means nothing, which is exactly the same as manners cost.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Aircraft does look high, but exactly how high is very hard to tell.
Phone pics are really difficult but looks like a medium size 2 engine jet.
From the position / orientation I’d guess it is on departure, possibly approach, so left stick down if concerned would be easy enough to manage.
Besides the gimbal ( and clamped in flight), probably still flying with a damaged / non locking arm ?
Not good.
edit autocorrect, small phone pad, big fingers

 

[vindibona1]

@DOC ASMR
I appreciate your questions and sharing your experiences. But it seems in many instances you end up in situations and don't know what to do. In other words, you are not yet prepared to fly as you have been. I want you to have fun flying and stay out of trouble. As I said earlier, in other words, being a recreational flyer does not mean you are flying a toy. It is obvious to anyone who reads your posts that you need more knowledge and training and DELIBERATE (planned) practice. I understand that you are only 16 and can cut you some slack as you have not had the opportunity for the life experiences that us older folks have. But that's not an excuse for not preparing yourself to use an adult tool. At 16 you may or may not yet have your drivers license, but you know that before you can get it and legally drive, you need to know the rules. While you don't "legally" have to have studied to fly, on a practical level it's no different, though admittedly more involved.

Many of us on this forum are FAA Part 107 certified. While it is not easy to prepare and then take the test, I would advise anyone interested in this hobby to begin by studying for the Part 107 test, even if you aren't inspired to take the actual test. This will provide a ton of answers and help provide you with the knowledge to fly legally and safely.

With that I am posting a video below that is a study guide to the Part 107. It is under two hours long. You can watch this in 20 minute increments in your spare time. Some of it will be confusing, so I suggest having a piece of paper handy so you can mark down the times where you get confused so you can do research and ask questions. This will help keep you and other safe. Good luck.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[snowghost]

I would suggest B4UFly app to ascertain if you're in controlled airspace. Also good to have is Flightradar24. It will track planes and helicopters that are using ADS-B transponders. I got it many years ago in hopes to track the police helicopter which flies very low around here on occasion. Thing is they don't always have the transponder on. Makes sense to not be tracked by the bad guys.

Fixed wing planes are restricted to 1000' AGL in urban areas--500 in rural. Sometimes you'd swear they are lower, but checking in FR24 should confirm.

 

[Paint Rock Drones]

I would suggest B4UFly app to ascertain if you're in controlled airspace. Also good to have is Flightradar24. It will track planes and helicopters that are using ADS-B transponders. I got it many years ago in hopes to track the police helicopter which flies very low around here on occasion. Thing is they don't always have the transponder on. Makes sense to not be tracked by the bad guys.

Fixed wing planes are restricted to 1000' AGL in urban areas--500 in rural. Sometimes you'd swear they are lower, but checking in FR24 should confirm.

The altitude restriction on fixed wing planes does not apply during takeoff, landing, or emergencies. So when in doubt, use that left stick to lower your drone if you think there is any risk of interaction.

 

[Paint Rock Drones]

I would suggest B4UFly app to ascertain if you're in controlled airspace. Also good to have is Flightradar24. It will track planes and helicopters that are using ADS-B transponders. I got it many years ago in hopes to track the police helicopter which flies very low around here on occasion. Thing is they don't always have the transponder on. Makes sense to not be tracked by the bad guys.

...

I live near KBED, so ADS-B info is quite useful. I built a Raspberry Pi based receiver once but without a big antenna it wasn't all that useful. Just yesterday wondered if there was an app, and here you are pointing out Flightrader24. Thanks!

 

[snowghost]

I also like spotting Lufthansa and KLM flights out of LAX that pass my house on departure. FR24 is great for that, plus you get the tail number.

 

[jetlag]

This is fascinating. We live in the sticks in Eastern NC, with 3 military bases within 30-60 miles from the farm. The boys and gals in their fighter jets easily fly over below 400' when playing their games, and that is often. The Ospreys will do the same sometimes. Hard to catch them to take pics as the farm is heavily wooded in the outskirts and they pop up last second. I am nowhere near any controlled airspace and do not worry about them in the least.

 

[Category 5]

If you aren't yet very experienced, I suggest you try practicing in a field or unoccupied area away from houses and roads until you get a solid feel for the aircraft. Once you are comfortable with the controls you will sense what to do in certain situations. That plane was way higher than you need to be concerned with, but 400' is pretty high to be flying before you get comfortable too.

Planes should be well over 100-150 feet, which is where I like to fly, but when I hear an aircraft my reaction is to immediately descend until I can spot it, or identify the direction it is coming from. Small aircraft pilots around here don't exactly follow the rules either, and I have seen many planes that seem to be lower than 400'.

Get on youtube and start watching some videos too. You can learn a lot from other people's mistakes, and the rules will tell you what to do when you find yourself in a situation. Plus, you'll learn some cool tricks about your drone and its abilities.

You certainly don't need to stop the motors and drop, as one poster suggested above. I can think of very few situations where that would be a good idea. When you hear an aircraft, bring down your altitude and hold position until you can identify where it is.

Enjoy your drone, but know it's not just a toy. It's a sophisticated device that requires care, maintenance, and knowledge to fly safely. I have a feeling you'll get there before you know it.

To all the combative posts above, take what you can from them and ignore the rest. People love to point fingers and argue on message boards. You'll find a lot of that here, unfortunately, but there's a wealth of information as well. Drones are awesome, and you'll get better every time you fly!

 

[360 Guy]

I get the gut feeling here that someone is looking for attention with a lot of made up stores.
Can anyone else see thru this?

 

[Droniac]

With all due respect, your posts all seem to read like a diary of unsafe flights. From questionable airworthiness of the drone due to damage/DIY repairs, to possibly illegal flying locations and possible health issues, it might be time to take a step back and focus on making sure you have a 100% airworthy drone and a much tighter grasp on the rules in general. If you regularly have to ask if you were allowed to do something, that is a red flag. I realize flying a drone is cool and exciting and that makes everyone want to just get out and fly ASAP with minimal preparation, but that is the wrong approach for a hobby like this, as tempting as that may be.

Flying at low altitudes in a large school field or something (in a legal area with nobody around) is a good place to build your confidence, work on your flight skills, and familiarize yourself with features of the drone. Just be honest with yourself and stay safe whatever you decide.

In this case, as long as you were within legal distance of all airports/airfields/helipads and flight paths for takeoff/landing, that plane was probably thousands of feet above you. As long as you obey maximum height rules, and stay far away from airports and flight paths, you should never be in danger of having a collision with an aircraft under any normal circumstances. If you ever find yourself in a situation out of the ordinary where an aircraft may look much lower than usual, or if you have any doubts whatsoever about the situation, land your drone immediately and wait for it to pass. Better safe than sorry in every instance.

Is it air worthiness or possibly… something else. I agree a true pattern as you noticed seems to hold fast. Hmmmm. Godspeed, Droniac