Pre-Purchase Rules/Regs question

[htims05]

I'm considering getting my first real drone/quad - not one you get in target - likely a mavic or spark. My intended use is purely for play...most often I'd probably use it to see if my gutters on my house are clogged .

But overall the use would be to just fly in my back yard, above the treetops some to see the lake, golf course, etc.


My question is about the notifying the airport(s) if your within 5 miles of them. According to UAV Forecast/AirMap/B4UFLY/Hover, my home is showing right on the exterior edge of a 5-mi ring for a small airport. There is about 3 - 4 of them. Am I understanding correctly that every time I want to step outside to fly for 15-45 min I have to call each one of them, even if I'm below 400ft? What if I don't go above the tree line - seems silly to call an airport to say I'll be flying a toy at 100ft or less???

I even widened the map view on those apps - apparently I live in an area with hundreds of small airports and heliports....if the above is true, I'd have to drive at least an hour to fly in an area without having to notify at least one (and that may not even be in a place of interest to fly). So if that's the case, considering I'd be just doing this to play, I may just save my $1K+ due to the hassle of the drive and/or calling 4 different airports every time (I suppose that's the point of the regulation, to deter people from buying these).


Thanks for any input/thoughts and or confirming if my thinking is correct.

 

[microlinux]

In the US you have to notify all airports an heliports within 5 miles, regardless of the height you fly at. The point is not to deter people from buying drones and model aircraft, it's to keep the National Airspace safe and predictable. To you, it's a toy. To manned aircraft, it's a hazard.

Fly under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft

It's not difficult to call airports/heliports. If you fly in an area frequently, you may be able to work out an agreement with them.

 

[htims05]

Thanks - I'll probably pass on buying it then, the cost-to-ease ratio is too high considering how many I'd have to call. If I worked out an agreement, is this like something formal written document signed by both parties? I don't know that I'd want it any other way, when messing with the FAA/federal gov't I would want to just have a one time verbal agreement that may not be the same opinion as the person running the tower the next day.

Some of these are heliports - a couple for major hospitals that get life-flights frequently....

 

[htims05]

Random question - did all this come about when drone's became popular - about 15 years ago or so I used to fly sailplanes/gliders with 120in wingspans - which could easily get up to 500+ feet when circling inside a thermal. I don't recall any of us in the club dealing with rules/regs back then?

 

[neggy]

If you want a challenge, study for and take the FAR Part 107 test.

that wipes out almost all of the 5 mile BS.

It is going to cost you $150 dollars, and a few hours of your time, but by the time you are done you will know quite a bit about flying not only drones, but airplanes.

This hobby, (like most others) can be addicting.
Buy the best you can afford if you have "the bug", that way you won't have to spend more to "upgrade" later.

There are affordable entry level drones too if you are unsure if you want to drop big dollars on something you may not want to get too involved in.

The reality of the situation... the 5 mile rule is a joke.

If you stay below 400 feet, if you always have your drone in sight, if you don't do stupid things or start looking in your neighbors windows chances are you will never have a problem.

As a Private Pilot and a 107 certificate holder, I think these drone regulations about 5 miles is complete and total BS.

But when you give an inch, they take a mile, and if the FAA opened the sky to sUAV's you'd see people doing dumb things, and you will see examples if it posted in these forums.... things like flying at 1600 feet, at night.

 

[flockshot]

I agree with your analysis, in that if you find the rules too restrictive, don't enter the hobby. Good call.
I wish more people would look at it as realistically as you have, rather than just break the rules (which is why we need to have all these rules).

 

[Former Member]

OP, are you in the USA? If so, what city and state are you in?

 

[htims05]

OP, are you in the USA? If so, what city and state are you in?

Tega Cay SC

 

[htims05]

I agree with your analysis, in that if you find the rules too restrictive, don't enter the hobby. Good call.
I wish more people would look at it as realistically as you have, rather than just break the rules (which is why we need to have all these rules).

Yep - I'm just not liking what I'd have to do to be legal - and I'm not going to go the route of the 107...so I'll likely just stay out - until I end up living somewhere I can play with one without having to make calls every time I get a whim to go fly (ie not have a pre-planned event).

 

[Former Member]

OP you are 20nm from Charlotte Intl and 5 miles from Rock Hill.

 

[Classic flyer]

In the US you have to notify all airports an heliports within 5 miles, regardless of the height you fly at. The point is not to deter people from buying drones and model aircraft, it's to keep the National Airspace safe and predictable. To you, it's a toy. To manned aircraft, it's a hazard.

Fly under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft

It's not difficult to call airports/heliports. If you fly in an area frequently, you may be able to work out an agreement with them.

Tell it dawg

 

[htims05]

OP you are 20nm from Charlotte Intl and 5 miles from Rock Hill.

View attachment 37059

Correct. There's also 4 heliports within the 5 mile ring based on the apps I'm looking at. And If I go north of Charlotte where there's more landmarks worth flying around, the apps tell me 15 airports would need notification! haha.

 

[tcope]

What you may also find is that you can talk to the people at the airport and explain your flight. They may tell you that you only need to call if you go higher or further out when just flying in your backyard.

Let me first say that, yes you are requires to call every "airport" within 5 miles.

With that said, personally I don't call small helipads such as at hospitals if I'm miles away and just going to fly 100' up in a park or something (many times I'm just doing some quick testing). Am I in violation of Sectoinn 336? Yes. Sometimes I go over the speed limit as well. One time I rolled through a stop sign as I was in the middle of no where and could see for miles that no one was around.

I did not call this airport:


Feel free to look at a map for Hite, UT. It's an old mining runway. I think people still use it to practice touch and goes. It has a covered picnic table (terminal).

I think you understand my point.

 

[Just_nick]

Random question - did all this come about when drone's became popular - about 15 years ago or so I used to fly sailplanes/gliders with 120in wingspans - which could easily get up to 500+ feet when circling inside a thermal. I don't recall any of us in the club dealing with rules/regs back then?

Times have changed, and the number of people entering the hobby and being stupid is increasing, sadly, because the reliability of devices and ease-of-entry is entirely different. The amount of initial costs and the unreliability of devices meant that you were spending quite a bit of time before you were in the air, and even then it wasn't long. Brushed motors were the norm, and the nitro engines were about as reliable that that neighbor that asks to borrow tools.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Random question - did all this come about when drone's became popular - about 15 years ago or so I used to fly sailplanes/gliders with 120in wingspans - which could easily get up to 500+ feet when circling inside a thermal. I don't recall any of us in the club dealing with rules/regs back then?

If you flew gliders, you dealt with rules. Gliders or sailplanes operate under FAR 91

 

[Classic flyer]

If you flew gliders, you dealt with rules. Gliders or sailplanes operate under FAR 91

I believe he is talking about RC sail planes/gliders

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I believe he is talking about RC sail planes/gliders

Ah yes, my bad!

 

[htims05]

^^ Yep R/C