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Touched a cloud with the drone
- Thread starter Constant Drone
- Start date
Perhaps not relevant at all from a legal standpoint, don't know, not a lawyer but from a safety aspect it's a 'good to know'.
Too bad we have to discuss "law" so much.
I'm far more interested in every other aspect of UAVs but it's the climate we appear to be in.
Part 107 regulations do not apply to recreational flight. Part 101 applies, and says nothing about any of this. Part 101 does require you to follow a CBO (i.e. AMA) guidance. AMA guidance also says nothing about cloud clearance. The recently-passed Public Law that supersedes Section 336 and will eventually be incorporated into 14 CFR also says nothing about cloud clearance.
Nosebump
Well-Known Member
Some random thoughts here:
I was bringing a plane back from its annual inspection today when lowering ceilings forced me to (-reluctantly) file IFR. It was either that or climb above the muck. To fly VFR, I must be 500' below the clouds, and it's a good rule. You never know when someone else is going to pop out of the bottom of a cloud, and the 500' gives you a little reaction time.
When I entered the overcast, the moisture in the clouds quickly dampened the windscreen to where water was streaming off. -That's pretty normal. If I were flying my drone though (-which was in the back of the plane) that moisture would've thoroughly soaked the motors, camera lens, and everything else. The moisture would've been pulled in through the cooling openings in the front, totally soaking the circuit boards. The batteries wouldn't be happy either, I imagine.
A drone below 400' would not have presented a flight hazard to me or my aircraft. I must adhere to MDA's (-minimum descent altitudes) while flying IFR, but I would suspect that the exposure to that much ambient moisture would increase the possibility of the drone failing, creating a hazard to those on the ground.
So the question that comes to mind: The picture might be great, but is it worth the risk, or damage to the drone?
I was bringing a plane back from its annual inspection today when lowering ceilings forced me to (-reluctantly) file IFR. It was either that or climb above the muck. To fly VFR, I must be 500' below the clouds, and it's a good rule. You never know when someone else is going to pop out of the bottom of a cloud, and the 500' gives you a little reaction time.
When I entered the overcast, the moisture in the clouds quickly dampened the windscreen to where water was streaming off. -That's pretty normal. If I were flying my drone though (-which was in the back of the plane) that moisture would've thoroughly soaked the motors, camera lens, and everything else. The moisture would've been pulled in through the cooling openings in the front, totally soaking the circuit boards. The batteries wouldn't be happy either, I imagine.
A drone below 400' would not have presented a flight hazard to me or my aircraft. I must adhere to MDA's (-minimum descent altitudes) while flying IFR, but I would suspect that the exposure to that much ambient moisture would increase the possibility of the drone failing, creating a hazard to those on the ground.
So the question that comes to mind: The picture might be great, but is it worth the risk, or damage to the drone?
almost the same as private pilot VFR separation and visibility requirements. VFR Private pilot is 3 statute miles visiblity, 2 statute mile horizontal clearance 1000ft separation above and 500 below. These requirement change for night operations...
anything interesting or of note in part 107 about night ops with respect to drones or is it just a BIG NO NOT EVER DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT...
you bring up a valid point, let me say this, what could i have hurt, um the tree's below maybe a birds nest. Maybe you didnt see where i was flying. and how i set up.. Furthermore nobody makes ILS approaches thru my area, i know this because i have flown all the iLS approaches in the area, so you lost me there unless you're just being hypothetical.
I took off from sugarloaf mountain which is at 800ft agl and the ceiling was right there i didnt even really have to gain that much altitude. Maybe i should move to a higher elevation so i can play in the clouds while meeting the current guidelines..
Oh, one last thing, i've opened up and repaired my drone on numerous occasions and i can tell you that just from the abuse i have put mine thru that this aircraft is sturdy, well made and will take a hit.
I took off from sugarloaf mountain which is at 800ft agl and the ceiling was right there i didnt even really have to gain that much altitude. Maybe i should move to a higher elevation so i can play in the clouds while meeting the current guidelines..
Oh, one last thing, i've opened up and repaired my drone on numerous occasions and i can tell you that just from the abuse i have put mine thru that this aircraft is sturdy, well made and will take a hit.
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I am pretty sure you need 500’ under cloud base. So if cloud base is at 500’ hypothetically, you could only gly at 100’ AGL
Why is this discussion still going? Just look up 14 CFR Part 101 and the AMA Safety Handbook. There is nothing about cloud base or ceiling.
Cheech Wizard
Well-Known Member
So between about 1:04 and about 8:20 you could not see the drone at all? And battery was just about at the point of no return?
Cheech Wizard
Well-Known Member
I think I was over 400' when taking this one..
That's a nice picture, were you surprised when you looked at it later?
JDawg
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JDawg
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