Parking lot night flying?

[ReeseRhys]

Hey guys. New pilot and new to The Forum.

I had a question and I'm sorry if it's rudimentary. I know night operations are prohibited without a waiver. I was wondering if some things are considered acceptable though. I'm referring to flying between 5 and 10 ft in a parking lot with stadium lighting such as a car lot or a high school football field. What about flying in something enclosed such as a parking garage or similar?

I'm asking because with my schedule it is not always possible for me to try to fly during daylight hours. I was hoping that one of the options I suggested above would be legal so that I could at least practice some of my basic maneuvers and get used to the controls a bit more fluidly.

Thanks!

Reese

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

flying between 5 and 10 ft in a parking lot with stadium lighting such as a car lot or a high school football field

Not allowed under the rules afaik.
But one could argue flying at 10' is doing no harm.
I suppose something happening like a flyaway, or RTH idiosyncrasies could cause rise in altitude, so probably best to err on the side of caution.

What about flying in something enclosed such as a parking garage or similar

Allowed inside a building or such enclosed structure.
Not sure a parking garage would be totally enclosed in the spirit of this rule ?
Or how / why one would be flyable to a level of use, loads of rebar in concrete too, could be compass issues.

Flying inside a structure for practice could be fraught with danger of loss of GPS, cause it to go into opti mode . . . or worse atti mode if light / floor pattern isn't suitable for opti to work.
You can also get compass and wifi issues if there sort of interferences are present.

You can remove props (for safety) and start it all up to get a grip on settings etc.

What about a simulator ?
Not sure as I've never used one . . . DJI did have one when I entered the drone World, not sure they still do.

 

[ReeseRhys]

Thanks for the reply!

Not that you inferred it but 'm not looking to skirt rules. No means no. LOL.

I didn't even think about the rebar, etc. Good suggestion!

I've flown a couple of times already. I was just looking to expand even I can fly, if possible.

Cheers!

Reese

 

[RickinWaST]

My recommendation is to set it inside and become familiar with each aspect of the controller. There is a great to become familiar with and fine adjustments. Learn which settings work for you (C1, C2, 5th button, EXP.) and more.

 

[superstarpup]

In the U.S.? Commercial or recreational flying?

 

[Hawkwind]

See the recreational flyer rules (US FAA) posted by @BigAl07 : If flying recreationally, there are no rules against night flying.

Confused about flying at night

My buddy ask me if I can fly my drone at night? I never had in the past so I started to see if I could. I've found a bunch of info and I'm still not sure. Currently.....can a hobbyist fly a drone at night in the US? Thanks

mavicpilots.com

 

[ReeseRhys]

In the U.S.? Commercial or recreational flying?

US. Recreational

 

[ReeseRhys]

See the recreational flyer rules (US FAA) posted by @BigAl07 : If flying recreationally, there are no rules against night flying.

Confused about flying at night

My buddy ask me if I can fly my drone at night? I never had in the past so I started to see if I could. I've found a bunch of info and I'm still not sure. Currently.....can a hobbyist fly a drone at night in the US? Thanks

mavicpilots.com

I saw that thread right after I posted mine. The only problem is did it was pointed out that it's possible that due to the switch over to the modified regulations it simply has not been explicitly stated yet which would put it into a gray area at best until the website is updated

 

[Hawkwind]

Although not forbidden, flying at night is a different experience from daylight flying. You'll want to try to get as much flight time in daylight to practice for daytime flights.

 

[Neil Reid]

I'll let guys more experienced than me address the reg's on this but I can say as a relatively new flyer (just under 100 flights) that flyaways and other unanticipated plot twists are a real thing. Drones are easy enough to lose in good flying conditions; you'd have to be experienced, great at the instruments, and good under pressure to recover from an unexpected event at night. If I learned one thing on this site it's that impatience will get you into trouble. If you don't have a decent place indoors to fly- like a soccer field- or access to an outdoor space that works for your schedule, I'd park it or fly the simulator until managed conditions had reasonable risk profiles.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

See the recreational flyer rules (US FAA) posted by @BigAl07 : If flying recreationally, there are no rules against night flying.

Missed that last para from Big Als last post in linked thread.
From reading other threads on here, I was almost sure that loophole had been closed fairly recently in the US.

It is different flying at night, as with a manned aircraft (where instrument ratings for night / weather are needed) it can be disorientating to some with limited vision from the camera feed.

 

[pmshop]

Just don't get too close to the stadium when there is a game on.
University Interscholastic League (UIL) prohibits drone flights during high school football games.
You are allowed to fly just before kick-off, half time and after the final whistle.
At least in Texas that is.

 

[theDRONEranger]

Flying outdoors after the hours designated by the FAA would be in violation, regardless of 1 inch or 100 feet! Flying inside a a structure, i.e., a warehouse or even your home, is permissible as long as you do not actually exit the structure. The FAA will not control airspace inside a building.

 

[brett8883]

Flying outdoors after the hours designated by the FAA would be in violation, regardless of 1 inch or 100 feet! Flying inside a a structure, i.e., a warehouse or even your home, is permissible as long as you do not actually exit the structure. The FAA will not control airspace inside a building.

FAA does not have designated hours for recreational pilots.

 

[theDRONEranger]

FAA does not have designated hours for recreational pilots.

That is correct! I have to remember to step away from the 107 mindset.
Thank you for clarifying.

 

[ReeseRhys]

That is correct! I have to remember to step away from the 107 mindset.
Thank you for clarifying.

So does that mean that I'm okay to do what I'm asking about?

Also, to clarify my original question, I wasn't referring to flying in a football field during a game or anything like that. All I was referring to was the amount of light that would be in the area so that I could actually see the drone clearly.

My intent is to fly low altitude and just get used to doing circles focused on an object and getting better at reverse perspective flying. Those can both be done at an altitude of 10 feet or so.

 

[BigAl07]

Hey guys. New pilot and new to The Forum.

I had a question and I'm sorry if it's rudimentary. I know night operations are prohibited without a waiver. I was wondering if some things are considered acceptable though. I'm referring to flying between 5 and 10 ft in a parking lot with stadium lighting such as a car lot or a high school football field. What about flying in something enclosed such as a parking garage or similar?

I'm asking because with my schedule it is not always possible for me to try to fly during daylight hours. I was hoping that one of the options I suggested above would be legal so that I could at least practice some of my basic maneuvers and get used to the controls a bit more fluidly.

Thanks!

Reese

As a Recreational/Hobby operator there are "currently" no night flight restrictions. If you can follow ALL other FAA rules applicable to hobby/recreation you can fly at night.

 

[Sjzfly]

Missed that last para from Big Als last post in linked thread.
From reading other threads on here, I was almost sure that loophole had been closed fairly recently in the US.

It is different flying at night, as with a manned aircraft (where instrument ratings for night / weather are needed) it can be disorientating to some with limited vision from the camera feed.

Last I knew you do not need an instrument rating to fly a real airplane at night. It’s a good idea but not required by the FAA.

 

[BigAl07]

Last I knew you do not need an instrument rating to fly a real airplane at night. It’s a good idea but not required by the FAA.

VFR pilots still use instruments (especially at night) we just can't fly into IMC unless we are IFR rated and current.

 

[Sjzfly]

VFR pilots still use instruments (especially at night) we just can't fly into IMC unless we are IFR rated and current.

I agree completely. I have 7 type ratings including GIV, GV and Global Express. And over 13,000 incident free hours all over the world Yes it’s a good idea but not required I still believe.