im confused

[bradjm924]

hey everyone,

im in pittsburgh pa, usa.

i dont know if i either dont completly understand or am confused a bit... but i live pretty close to the downtown area of the city and there a bunch of restrictions that pop up when i open up my apps to check before i fly. im consistently in a yellow zone but there is never any authoriztions i would need. i guess my question is can you fly in a restricted zone as long as you pay attention to all the rules (altitude, vlos, ect). theres a few schools, hospitals, heliports and an airport about 15 miles away. my drone is registered and im just a recreational pilot.

im just trying to not get in trouble or get any heat from authorities. the only municipal laws that i know of are no parks.

any help understanding this would be greatly appreciated. or better yet, if anyone knows where a good place in pittsburgh is.

sorry if this is repetitive or if i sound totally stupid for even asking. thanks again.

 

[Bliz]

I would like to know more about this area too.

 

[Mavic Mac]

Not sure where you mean exactly when you say "close to downtown". Areas of Saint Clair, Carrick, Overbrook, West Park, etc are in controlled airspace, either from Allegheny County Airport or PIT airport.

A more exact location would help.

 

[KennyJr]

i guess my question is can you fly in a restricted zone as long as you pay attention to all the rules (altitude, vlos, ect). theres a few schools, hospitals, heliports and an airport about 15 miles away. my drone is registered and im just a recreational pilot.

Go to this page and login. Once you do that you can request authorization to fly in controlled airspace up to the limits shown on the FAA UAS Facility map. I got my authorization for my area within a day or two. You just need the Longitude and Latitude for the area you need authorization for. And answer a couple of questions. It took me longer to find the Longitude and Latitude for my area than it took to request authorization.

 

[FG_Rick]

hey everyone,

im in pittsburgh pa, usa.

i dont know if i either dont completly understand or am confused a bit... but i live pretty close to the downtown area of the city and there a bunch of restrictions that pop up when i open up my apps to check before i fly. im consistently in a yellow zone but there is never any authoriztions i would need. i guess my question is can you fly in a restricted zone as long as you pay attention to all the rules (altitude, vlos, ect). theres a few schools, hospitals, heliports and an airport about 15 miles away. my drone is registered and im just a recreational pilot.

im just trying to not get in trouble or get any heat from authorities. the only municipal laws that i know of are no parks.

any help understanding this would be greatly appreciated. or better yet, if anyone knows where a good place in pittsburgh is.

sorry if this is repetitive or if i sound totally stupid for even asking. thanks again.

First, could you be more specific about which apps you are using, and more specific about the yellow restricted zones you are seeing.

As a responsible drone pilot, and since you are asking this question you obviously want to be a responsible drone pilot, you need to educate yourself as much as you can about FAA Controlled Airspace, and Restricted Airspace. Two different things, and both very important for flying a drone. I flew for a couple of years as a recreational drone pilot and didn't really learn about these things until I decided to get a commercial certification. That forced me to understand a lot more. Using AIRMAP I learned just how many small airports and airstrips are located in my area. Luckily, if there is no air traffic control, we don't have to get any kind of permission to fly, but drone pilots ARE responsible for staying away from other aircraft - the other aircraft have the right of way.

If you use the B4UFLY app or AIRMAP, you will get a pretty accurate visual picture of restrictions as long as you zoom in to the specific place you want to fly. AIRMAP will also give you a good listing of what specifically is located within your area.

You mentioned altitude, etc. but the one thing you must ALWAYS remember - and it won't show up on any app - is that we are not allowed to fly directly over people. That can be a real challenge, but it's important; if your drone loses power and falls out of the sky it could seriously injure a person. Even if you are not flying directly overhead, it's best to keep a respectful distance from people; many people get very suspicious and hostile if they see a drone near them - they automatically assume you are spying on them.

 

[bradjm924]

i use airmap, and b4ufly. and when i check i always have the yellow circle around my area or the other few areas i want to fly. i get the yellow ! and it says "airspace restrictions may be in effect" and it shows the hospitals and sporting arenas nearby. it does not say that i need authorization. i checked a few other areas and i do get the authorization option. i cant figure out what airspace class this is because it doesnt say. the airport is about 15 miles away.

we get some air traffic here, mainly helicoptors for the hospitals here and there.

i know for a fact that i dont entirely understand the maps and thats why im asking questions so that i can learn.

i hope that does maybe clear a few things up so that maybe you can guide me a little more.

thank you

as for my exact location. i am roughly 3 miles from the downtown part of the city where our rivers meet and our skyline is present.

 

[bradjm924]

Not sure where you mean exactly when you say "close to downtown". Areas of Saint Clair, Carrick, Overbrook, West Park, etc are in controlled airspace, either from Allegheny County Airport or PIT airport.

A more exact location would help.

spring hill. northside.

 

[bradjm924]

is this helpful at all?

 

[Mavic Mac]

Per the Kittyhawk App they give warnings to check TFRs because of Heinz Field and PNC park. Plus about 1/2 mile away is Univ of Pittsburgh Medical Center and their helicopter operations.

 

[bradjm924]

Go to this page and login. Once you do that you can request authorization to fly in controlled airspace up to the limits shown on the FAA UAS Facility map. I got my authorization for my area within a day or two. You just need the Longitude and Latitude for the area you need authorization for. And answer a couple of questions. It took me longer to find the Longitude and Latitude for my area than it took to request authorization.

so i looked and my area is class e5. and from what i got, that is 700 feet and above, and that would mean im good to fly?

 

[bradjm924]

Per the Kittyhawk App they give warnings to check TFRs because of Heinz Field and PNC park. Plus about 1/2 mile away is Univ of Pittsburgh Medical Center and their helicopter operations.

ok. great. so if therres no listed tfrs, then im good to go?

 

[KennyJr]

so i looked and my area is class e5. and from what i got, that is 700 feet and above, and that would mean im good to fly?

Without knowing your exact location I have no way to know. If you are outside the blue circle in AirMap you should be OK. Within that circle you need authorization which is easy to apply for. Also Some cities prohibit taking off from certain locations such as parks. If I'm going to fly in an area for the first time such as a park I always call first to see if they allow me to do so. If they have an email address I prefer to email as I can print their permission should they allow flights. If I call them I also get their name in case I'm approached.

 

[bradjm924]

Without knowing your exact location I have no way to know. If you are outside the blue circle in AirMap you should be OK. Within that circle you need authorization which is easy to apply for. Also Some cities prohibit taking off from certain locations such as parks. If I'm going to fly in an area for the first time such as a park I always call first to see if they allow me to do so. If they have an email address I prefer to email as I can print their permission should they allow flights. If I call them I also get their name in case I'm approached.

My exact location is northshore. I am in the blue box. Close to the arenas.

I'm sorry to bother you. Either im stupid or just don't understand. Its very confusing.

I'm just trying to stay safe, legal, and not have any issues.

 

[KennyJr]

Looking at your area in AirMap it looks like you're outside of controlled airspace. You'll need to stay clear of the stadiums and watch out for other Aircraft. UAV Forecast is showing a heliport nearby so keep your eyes and ears open. If you're taking off from anyplace other than your own property be sure to get permission first. When I wanted to take some shots in downtown Johnstown I called the city police first to make sure it was legal to take off from a city park.

 

[bradjm924]

Looking at your area in AirMap it looks like you're outside of controlled airspace. You'll need to stay clear of the stadiums and watch out for other Aircraft. UAV Forecast is showing a heliport nearby so keep your eyes and ears open. If you're taking off from anyplace other than your own property be sure to get permission first. When I wanted to take some shots in downtown Johnstown I called the city police first to make sure it was legal to take off from a city park.

Ok. Great. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it!!
I feel relieved and a sense of calm now that I can actually fly around here ?

 

[Deleted member 114292]

My exact location is northshore. I am in the blue box. Close to the arenas.

I'm sorry to bother you. Either im stupid or just don't understand. Its very confusing.

I'm just trying to stay safe, legal, and not have any issues.

The legend in that blue box indicates from 3000 to 8000 feet AGL is controlled airspace so you’re good to go.

 

[bradjm924]

The legend in that blue box indicates from 3000 to 8000 feet AGL is controlled airspace so you’re good to go.

Thank you very much!! I appreciate the help!!

 

[FG_Rick]

My exact location is northshore. I am in the blue box. Close to the arenas.

I'm sorry to bother you. Either im stupid or just don't understand. Its very confusing.

I'm just trying to stay safe, legal, and not have any issues.

Don't ever apologize for asking on these forums. That's what everyone is here for, sharing knowledge and experience. You are NOT stupid, reading the charts is very confusing.

A last reminder (I'm a broken record on this...) it's not legal to fly over people or moving vehicles.

 

[bradjm924]

Thank you!! ??

 

[RkyMtnHigh]

My exact location is northshore. I am in the blue box. Close to the arenas.

I'm sorry to bother you. Either im stupid or just don't understand. Its very confusing.

I'm just trying to stay safe, legal, and not have any issues.

I was an air traffic controller at PIT for a while and you're well below the controlled airspace for PIT and AGC isn't a factor at that location. There is a lot of VFR lifeflight helicopter and news helicopter traffic down that way so just be aware of that. Again, you should be well below their operating altitudes in that location, but the key word is "should", so use caution. Also use caution because that location is at/near Heinz Field and PNC Park, which would be my suspicion for getting your warnings. As far as air traffic control and airspace goes you should be fine.