NFZ Question

[Rustedfrog8]

I am sure this has probably been posted here but I do not actually seem to be finding it. My house sits at exactly the five mile point of a NFZ. To be exact when I view my map on B4UFLY my front yard is in the circle and my back yard is not. The airport that this NFZ comes from is so small it averages about one flight every 10 days according to a guy that works there. Can I launch my drone in my back yard and fly in my front? The reason I want to is there is a huge field across the street that would make for some fun flying. Also how exactly do I go about getting permission to fly there? My new mavic air will be in in a week or two and I want to make sure I am following all of the rules. Could someone possibly link me to a thread that has good information on getting approval to fly in NFZ's that are allowed to be flown in with permission. Thank you.

 

[brett8883]

I am sure this has probably been posted here but I do not actually seem to be finding it. My house sits at exactly the five mile point of a NFZ. To be exact when I view my map on B4UFLY my front yard is in the circle and my back yard is not. The airport that this NFZ comes from is so small it averages about one flight every 10 days according to a guy that works there. Can I launch my drone in my back yard and fly in my front? The reason I want to is there is a huge field across the street that would make for some fun flying. Also how exactly do I go about getting permission to fly there? My new mavic air will be in in a week or two and I want to make sure I am following all of the rules. Could someone possibly link me to a thread that has good information on getting approval to fly in NFZ's that are allowed to be flown in with permission. Thank you.

There is no 5 mile radius rule anymore, it all depends on the airspace you are in. B4UFly has been rendered worthless with this change. I would recommend switching to AirMap or Kittyhawk to learn about flight restrictions in your area. Chances are if that the only airport in the area then you likely don’t have any restrictions but even if you do you likely can use LAANC to request and receive instant approval.

The final authority for learning airspace is this online tool.

ArcGIS Web Application

www.arcgis.com

It’s the only one I really trust but it’s not as user friendly as say AirMap or kittyhawk.

The rules for flight near airports has changed significantly recently so it would be a good idea to review those new rules on the FAA drone zone website especially since it sounds like you live near an airport.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

www.faa.gov

 

[DanMan32]

That's probably not an NFZ. It may be a circle showing area around an airport.

What matters now is controlled airspace. It is in these areas, usually a 5 mile radius around a major or regional airport, that you must get clearance either automated through LAANC or manually through application on FAA's DroneZone website.
Airmap and Kittyhawk apps are the most popular, perhaps only LAANC service providers. They will show you grids within controlled airspace which shows if the area is LAANC equipped and how high you're allowed to fly within a one mile square within the grid.
You can also see the grids on FAA's Facilities Map on the web.

FAA has really made it easier for us.

In addition to the FAA's maps and processes, the map in Go and Fly apps show you DJI's Geofence zones.

Red means you can't fly there without applying for an unlock code from DJI through FlySafe.DJI.com. You'll need documentation you are allowed to fly there.
This usually applies to middle of a runway in controlled airspace, prisons, power stations, etc.

Blue means an authorization zone. Usually that would be immediately around a runway, and runway approach paths. You can self unlock in Go (not yet in Fly) from within the app, but the app needs access to the internet to proceed.
You can also get an unlock code ahead of time from FlySafe site.

Gray means altitude is limited. Typically this would be at the ends of runway approaches around 5 miles out from the airport.

These 3 usually correlate with FAA's facilities map.

Orange is Enhanced Warning zones. You only need to check a few boxes in a popup when you take off from or fly into those.

Yellow is a warning zone. You only get a message at the upper left of your screen that you need to be careful about potential air traffic.

 

[Rustedfrog8]

Ok. Thank you both. I really appreciate it. Last time I flew was early May. I threw a propeller on my Yuneec Q500 and havent flown since. I did not know so many changes had been made. I know then that the app I used said I could not fly where I was. I will have to check it out when I get home and see if I can fly now.

 

[DanMan32]

Yep. Since the passing of the FAA reauthorization act last year, a lot of changes occured. For about a month around May, FAA put the cart before the horse saying hobbyists couldn't fly in controlled airspace at all. Reason being was that FAA wanted us to stop calling airports and ATC and use LAANC instead, but LAANC hadn't yet been opened up to hobbyists.

We're still waiting for and wondering what the knowledge test will be like, which according to the act was supposed to be in place 6 months ago.

 

[brett8883]

Yep. Since the passing of the FAA reauthorization act last year, a lot of changes occured. For about a month around May, FAA put the cart before the horse saying hobbyists couldn't fly in controlled airspace at all. Reason being was that FAA wanted us to stop calling airports and ATC and use LAANC instead, but LAANC hadn't yet been opened up to hobbyists.

We're still waiting for and wondering what the knowledge test will be like, which according to the act was supposed to be in place 6 months ago.

LAANC is available to hobbyists now

 

[DanMan32]

I did forget to mention we soon were able to use LAANC.

 

[brett8883]

I did forget to mention we soon were able to use LAANC.

Ah I get what you were saying now, the history of it.