will the FAA know if i fly over 400Ft?

[Engelsione]

I know the regulations...but sometimes i like to fly over 400ft. Does DJI reports our flights to the FAA?

 

[Flycaster]

Nope.

 

[TreeburnerCT]

No, but if you have an accident and the flight records are requested then DJI will hand them over and any argument will have no leg to stand on. I won't tell you not to do it because that's your decision, but there is a reason they limit us to 400ft, so please be extremely careful and be ready to avoid any helicopters or other low-flying aircraft.

-Joe

 

[msinger]

No, but if you have an accident and the flight records are requested then DJI will hand them over and any argument will have no leg to stand on.

FWIW, DJI will only have the flight logs if they are synced in DJI GO. Otherwise, they will all remain locally on the Mavic and mobile device.

 

[FlyGuy8675309]

If you're dead set on doing this make sure you take some precautions to mitigate risk. (I am not condoning going over 400, but if you're going to do it, you should be as safe as possible!)

1. Use a spotter.
They can keep an eye on the sky and the app referenced below.

2. Use FlightRadar24.com
View air traffic in your area and click on a plane to see their altitude. (THIS APP DOES NOT SHOW HELICOPTERS! You really need to look out for those, as they are more likely to be flying at the altitudes you are flying at.)

3. Fly late at night / early morning with strobes on.
Flying at night with strobes is actually safer than flying in daylight. You can see aircraft easier and they can see you. Stick at least one strobe on top for an anti-collision light. (There should also be less air traffic late)

Again, I don't think you should do this but I'm not your Pop. Be careful!

 

[Kalvik]

(THIS APP DOES NOT SHOW HELICOPTERS! You really need to look out for those, as they are more likely to be flying at the altitudes you are flying at.)

Or any other VFR aircraft that has not filed a flight plan and/or is not transponder equipped.

 

[sar104]

Additionally, while the 400 ft limit is generally a very good one to stick to, it has no force of law under the Special Rule - i.e. recreational flying. It is a guideline only, albeit one that might certainly factor in if the FAA were to pursue a case of endangering the NAS as a result of an accident.

 

[dwallersv]

2. Use FlightRadar24.com
View air traffic in your area and click on a plane to see their altitude. (THIS APP DOES NOT SHOW HELICOPTERS! You really need to look out for those, as they are more likely to be flying at the altitudes you are flying at.)

excellent advice… However you're wrong about one thing: it does show helicopters.

 

[Turnerm]

I'm not a doomsday guy by a long shot but helicopters scare the bejeezus out of me. I so often see them flying around at very low heights.

Any time I hear one in the area I stop flying and immediately look for the helicopter - especially if I'm at any distance from my takeoff location.

 

[woodsglen]

What Turnerm said!
Helicopters, especially State Police Medivacs tend to fly low, I can only assume to avoid other aircraft and fly the shortest distance. With MSP ( Maryland ) flies the AW139's. You can hear them coming a long way off.

 

[MavicMo]

There are ways to legally fly above 400' AGL with some caveats. Apparently you guys aren't members of the AMA or you are Part 107 pilots....

 

[gnirtS]

Or any other VFR aircraft that has not filed a flight plan and/or is not transponder equipped.

Or in fact a lot of commercial aircraft that don't have ADS-B fitted as its not mandatory for them in the US until 2020.

fr24 shows a small subset of aircraft and generally not the ones you're worried about as a drone user (small, low level VFR traffic).

 

[FlyGuy8675309]

excellent advice… However you're wrong about one thing: it does show helicopters.

Hmm.. I've never seen one on there and I look whenever one flies over the house on the way to the hospital.
Maybe there's an option? I'll have to look. Anyway, lots of good info in this thread. I'm learning a lot!

 

[gnirtS]

It can show some helicopters IF they've got an ADS-B transponder fitted and IF its turned on. That's 2 big "ifs". The vast majority wont be fitted with the kit as its not a requirement.

 

[dewster]

Your self conscious will know, DJI knows and Santa won't list you for an upgrade when Mavic 2 is released.

 

[tcope]

There are ways to legally fly above 400' AGL with some caveats. Apparently you guys aren't members of the AMA or you are Part 107 pilots....

Or we just know that as a hobby flier, you can legally fly over 400'. No need to be an AMA member.

 

[dwallersv]

Hmm.. I've never seen one on there and I look whenever one flies over the house on the way to the hospital.
Maybe there's an option? I'll have to look. Anyway, lots of good info in this thread. I'm learning a lot!

I've seen them regularly.

However, I expect, like fixed-wing, there are aircraft that aren't being tracked.

 

[Lamplighter55]

For checking local air traffic including emergency service flights, I use Planefinder (IOS app) from Pinkfoot. Most aircraft fly above 500ft unless in a search or landing mode. Worth keeping in mind that visual pilots will use roads/rail-tracks/rivers and landmarks as guides to position if needed.

 

[Syphon]

I think the key is not if you legally can but should you? I know where I am at, I see aircraft all the time flying at what looks to be 500-700ft. Since legally they can be flying at 500ft, some might. They move very fast and for you to get out of the way, especially when you get over 400ft line of sight becomes more difficult, it is just not worth the risk. Think about it, if you hit an aircraft and actually cause that aircraft to be downed, is it really worth the lives you endangered? Also, if more people start going over the 400ft limit and shared airspace with airplanes and helicopters, new laws and restrictions will be put on us making it even harder to fly legally.

 

[holdthefone]

There's a tv program in the uk about Dubai airport. In one program someone was flying a drone around the airfield. It was picked up on radar, all flights cancelled, a police copter launched to search for it. After 2 attempts the drone was found but not the owner. So, yes they can see you on radar.