Trouble with FAA and Police

[tcope]

How did a DJI product even leave the ground that close to an airport?

Geomap does not stop flights around small airports.

 

[ac0j]

Geomap does not stop flights around small airports.

so all the people whining about nfz's must be wanting to fly near international airports and such?
I am glad I am far away from a large airport!

 

[tcope]

so all the people whining about nfz's must be wanting to fly near international airports and such?
I am glad I am far away from a large airport!

Geomap locks out more than just large airports.

 

[ac0j]

Geomap locks out more than just large airports.

Hmmmm. I have never run into anything locked out by geomap. Must need to be around bigger, busier places I guess. I never think to drag my Mavic along when I visit large cities.

 

[texasgrape]

You can agree to terms and get a one time token to fly in a no fly zone along that you take full responsibility for your actions flying it.

He was not in a 'no fly zone'-he was simply within 5 miles of an airport for which he notified ATC because he was flying as a hobbiest--a DJI drone isn't going to prevent you from flying there unless the area is prohibited one

 

[dbrockman2]

The only thing I can think of is either you did, or they THINK, you violated the airport boundaries. They would never give approval to fly over the field that wasn’t in writing. Looking at the satellite maps, where near the field where you. If you were at the corner of Dunn and 211 in the approach path of 26 (departure corridor for 8) then you may be hosed. This one will come down to fine print and the details.

 

[zachschul22]

He was not in a 'no fly zone'-he was simply within 5 miles of an airport for which he notified ATC because he was flying as a hobbiest--a DJI drone isn't going to prevent you from flying there unless the area is prohibited one

The Dji app said I was when I was going to take off.

 

[texasgrape]

Flying under Part 107 there are no advisories for the area, however it is not a good idea to fly that close even with ATC permission.
View attachment 45839

There is nothing wrong with him flying where he flew; he did everything he was required to do to enjoy his hobby; it's why many of us took the 107 exam so we could become educated with the rules/laws and follow them as responsible drone flyers--in that 5-mile radius there are subdivisions; homes; city parks; and state parks and many other great places to fly--he did everything according to law--and he went the extra mile like many of us and passed the 107 exam--he did it by the FAA book--not his fault he (we) are more educated than some of the authorities he spoke with--as long as he gave right of way to ALL aircraft he is good--that seems to be the issue here and we will never know about that--we were not there--great discussions! It's how we continue to learn

 

[zachschul22]

The only thing I can think of is either you did, or they THINK, you violated the airport boundaries. They would never give approval to fly over the field that wasn’t in writing. Looking at the satellite maps, where near the field where you. If you were at the corner of Dunn and 211 in the approach path of 26 (departure corridor for 8) then you may be hosed. This one will come down to fine print and the details. View attachment 45866

Thanks to flight records here's my flight. I was in that corner but giving way to near by planes that were taking off. I never went above 135ft. Mostly maintained 75ft and lower when I saw planes. Never went over the field.

 

[dbrockman2]

Thanks to flight records here's my flight. I was in that corner but giving way to near by planes that were taking off. I never went above 135ft. Mostly maintained 75ft and lower when I saw planes. Never went over the field.

Which runway were they using?

 

[zachschul22]

Which runway were they using?

They were taking off on that run way my direction/right over my flight path. They were 200+ft already by the time they reached my area. I lowered when I heard a plane starting to take off.

 

[dbrockman2]

They were taking off on that run way my direction/right over my flight path. They were 200+ft already by the time they reached my area. I lowered when I heard a plane starting to take off.

Sorry but you may be hosed. Thats going to fall under reckless and careless operation. You shouldn’t be in the direct flight path of any aircraft. They were most likely expecting you to be down 211 away from flight paths.

 

[texasgrape]

The Dji app said I was when I was going to take off.

DJI will send you warning messages for: Warning Zones; Enhanced Warning Zones; and Authorization Zones--once you simply acknowledge them you can fly! However the latter you must be an authorized DJI user which is simply registering with DJI--simple process

Here is an informative link explaining the process: DJI - The World Leader in Camera Drones/Quadcopters for Aerial Photography

 

[zachschul22]

Sorry but you may be hosed. Thats going to fall under reckless and careless operation. You shouldn’t be in the direct flight path of any aircraft. They were most likely expecting you to be down 211 away from flight paths.

I told them exactly where I was gonna be. They said I'm good to go. I was no where close in line with the planes taking off. I was barely above the tree line. Still lesson learned here.
Police don't know everything even though they act like it.
Get and give more info to the ATC so you really know your in the clear.

 

[texasgrape]

They were taking off on that run way my direction/right over my flight path. They were 200+ft already by the time they reached my area. I lowered when I heard a plane starting to take off.

As long as you gave way to all aircraft you followed the law regardless of whether or not they were taking off or landing "in your direction"--I would not have flown there because perception is everything and your drone could have been knocked off course; but you did nothing wrong as long as you gave way to aircraft; didn't enter the airport; notified ATC and did as they said--I seriously doubt the FAA is going to come after you--they have bigger fish to fry--Later and happy flying!

 

[texasgrape]

I told them exactly where I was gonna be. They said I'm good to go. I was no where close in line with the planes taking off. I was barely above the tree line. Still lesson learned here.
Police don't know everything even though they act like it.
Get and give more info to the ATC so you really know your in the clear.

Good point--when any authority starts to question you over your right to fly very politely ask them: "Which law am I violating?" 99/100 they can't tell you--this is one reason why I got my Part 107 Airman Certificate--I wanted to know the law and be a responsible pilot--

 

[mikemoose55]

here is the problem as I see it.
First off airports and drones do not mix....with / without permission they do not mix. Any issues that arise (no punn intended) is going to come down on you as the odd element out. It is not a drone port.
Secondly you had no idea what air space you were in, if you have a 107 then you should know that you need to understand the air space you are in. This is why they make charts and Airmap review I am pretty sure will never be accepted as a valid answer on a 107 test. Nor will it help your case when you say you followed AirMap recommendations. Orange Cty (MGJ) (KMGJ) is a public airport in Class G space, the airport has no control tower according , at minimum , to Skyvector, www.skyvector.com

Here is your other problem the person you talked to might have been the grounds keeper with no idea they were doing. Furthermore any pilot operating from that airport that day and time and getting a visual on your drone has ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what you are doing . All they know is you should not be there where they fly. There is no doubt one or more pilots dropped a dime on your flight.
We, drone operators are popular targets these days and under the same scrutiny that we are often accused of looking into "my private life". This was really poor judgement on your part.

How far off the runway or airport property were you? Adjacent road near the airport doesn't cut it. My town has a regional airport, Finger Lakes Regional (0G7) class E with a 700 foot floor, small planes and small private jets can be seen there. The public road on the Southern end of the airport is ONLY about 75 YARDS from the end of the runway. You can see pilots and passengers very clearly on taxi and warm-up. Landing planes will be 50 feet over the road. I can fly there as the airspace from 699 feet to ground is open class G.......... BUT it would be suicide to even be there with a drone .
Most likely you will be OK but man you have to use your head.
mikemoose

 

[Cymruflyer]

I told them exactly where I was gonna be. They said I'm good to go. I was no where close in line with the planes taking off. I was barely above the tree line. Still lesson learned here.
Police don't know everything even though they act like it.
Get and give more info to the ATC so you really know your in the clear.

Always get the name of the person you were speaking with at the tower or ATC, so you can specify who told you that you were good to go, flying where you were, should there be a query later on.

 

[Classic flyer]

.. Me. I wouldnt be flying near an airport.

...Me I would of gotten written permission signed / dated and checked and recorded call.

...Me. I wouldnt be flying near an airport.

C Y A that's what it's all about...be safe, fly smart

 

[Cymruflyer]

One more point to consider, when in command of a flying machine, that is as a real pilot, you are able to control what that aircraft is doing, a piloted aircraft does not suddenly climb for no reason, or dart off in any direction for an unknown reason, the worst that can happen, other than a structural failure, is that your engine loses power and when taking off, the standard practice is always to land straight ahead, never try a turn. That is, unless you are at a sufficient altitude to execute a turn to set yourself up for an emergency landing in a better area than that which is straight ahead. When still over the runway and you lose power, you will always be landing straight ahead, it is the safest thing to do, regardless of what is down in front below you.

Now, even if you had permission to fly where you were, and I shall assume you did, there is always the chance, as we have all seen or heard of, that your drone could suffer some sort of malfunction or software failure and suddenly climb straight up or dart off in any direction. This could include right into the path of a departing aircraft and an aircraft which just took off moments ago and still over the airport, is in the most critical part of the flight, until sufficient altitude has been reached to safely set up for an emergency landing, should there be some sort of in flight emergency. Climbing out after lift off, a pilot has a lot going on, looking for other aircraft, checking engine instruments, handling any low level turbulence that might be there, plus you have no vision just in front and below you, due to the climb out angle of your aircraft.

Therefore, if you think about the dangers, it is never a good idea to be flying a remotely controlled aircraft of any kind, so close to flight paths of GA aircraft, regardless of what permission might be given. If there were no aircraft flying, of course this would be a different conversation and there are always quiet times at these small regional airport, so that would be the best time to make a flight like you were making, though I don't know what you were actually needing to do by flying along the road you indicated. As you can now see, which you probably never before considered, you could have suffered a fly away, which may have resulted in a strike with a departing aircraft and if such a thing happened and you injured or killed that pilot/passenger(s), you would live with such regret for doing that, the rest of your life. So you need to ask yourself, is all that worth doing, just to get the footage you were (I am assuming) after, or would it be better judgement to wait for another day when there was no traffic at that airport?

Just so you know, when we fly real aircraft, we always want to know, who or what is in the traffic pattern, even when no tower or FBO is at that airport and all pilots in the area announce blindly, so that all other pilots on the local airport frequency will know what they are doing, as in their intensions and where they are located in the traffic pattern. And if there is small jet traffic, they are usually on long finals and approach at far greater speeds than a single engine piston aircraft, so may announce on long finals 20 miles out and will be there in minutes. That way all local traffic know and expect them and know where to look to see them coming in, and alter course accordingly to either quickly drop in, land and clear the runway, if landing or set up a holding pattern until the jet has touched down.

I hope this has given you some further insight as to what is happening in the sky at a little rural airport and why (because you may suffer an unwanted fly away) it is best never to fly so close to such an airport, or grass strip of any rural airport.