will the FAA know if i fly over 400Ft?

[mbatesco]

I work to stay 400 AGL, It does happen that you will go over accidentally. I set my max altitude higher than 122 meters since I fly over hills and tall buildings. I wish DJI would show actual altitude and altitude above home. Remember DJI does not show altitude over the actual ground the aircraft is flying but height above the home point.

Just be safe, watch for other aircraft. See some of the other recommendations above that are great.

 

[CoolBreeze]

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

FAA might not know...But you will.

 

[danman999]

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....

I assume you hold a recreational, private, commercial or airline transport pilot certificate?

 

[danman999]

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

DJI may not, but pilots flying actual aircraft will if the drone poses a danger to flight. TRACON, ARTCC, FSS or the tower are just a radio click away. Once on the ground we can file an incident report which also goes to the NTSB.

 

[sar104]

I work to stay 400 AGL, It does happen that you will go over accidentally. I set my max altitude higher than 122 meters since I fly over hills and tall buildings. I wish DJI would show actual altitude and altitude above home. Remember DJI does not show altitude over the actual ground the aircraft is flying but height above the home point.

Just be safe, watch for other aircraft. See some of the other recommendations above that are great.

The app cannot show altitude AGL because the aircraft has no way to know what that is.

 

[cderoche]

The app cannot show altitude AGL because the aircraft has no way to know what that is.

That feature would be nice on a Mavic 2.

 

[Jay_W]

The drone only knows its altitude from takeoff point which is zero. If it goes downhill from there, you have to add in the downhill to get the true AGL

 

[sar104]

That feature would be nice on a Mavic 2.

It would be nice on any UAV, but it would need an accurate digital elevation model and an accurate absolute altitude for the takeoff point. The former is available with a network connection but the latter is rather harder to achieve since GPS altitude is has significant uncertainty and the barometric altitude is uncalibrated. Additionally, the DEMs describe ground level, not trees or buildings, which may be significant in relation to flight altitudes AGL of on a few hundred feet. It would be useful to have in the mountains though.

 

[dwallersv]

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).

Look, you're spreading disinformation.

"A small subset" is, quite simply, wildly inaccurate. While not all aircraft are tracked, in most urban locales, especially where there are major airports, it shows the vast majority of aircraft. Near ATCs, you can assume you're seeing just about all of them.

Not sure where you're getting your information, but you seem awfully stuck on ADS-B. Why? This is, insofar as F24's data sources go, nearly irrelevant. Yeah, any AC with an ADS-B unit AND no transponder will show up in addition to everyone else.

FR24 uses the same radar and transponder data that the Air Traffic Control system uses, and is being used by Air Traffic Controllers to manage traffic. EVERY SINGLE AIRCRAFT IN AN ATC, regardless of how equipped, is tracked and displayed. Of course, anyone unidentified is not supposed to be there, but they're still on the radar.

Contrary to your pessimism, F24 is an superb tool for seeing what's in the sky around you for most places people live. Only out in remote, rural locations, far from any controlled airspace and airports is there a significant risk of having numerous aircraft in the air that FR24 doesn't display.

Of course, anywhere there is a small plane flying below radar will present a risk. Thankfully, radar coverage is pretty good over most of the populated areas of the US.

 

[Troncat]

Btw...its legal to fly above 400ft if you are flying around/over a tall building building or structure. If its 400 ft tall, you can fly 400 ft above that structure legally, so 800ft altitude would be legit.
#knowingishalfthebattle

 

[cderoche]

It would be nice on any UAV, but it would need an accurate digital elevation model and an accurate absolute altitude for the takeoff point. The former is available with a network connection but the latter is rather harder to achieve since GPS altitude is has significant uncertainty and the barometric altitude is uncalibrated. Additionally, the DEMs describe ground level, not trees or buildings, which may be significant in relation to flight altitudes AGL of on a few hundred feet. It would be useful to have in the mountains though.

I think it only knows where the ground is when its very close to it, ultrasonic sensors.

 

[dwallersv]

Btw...its legal to fly above 400ft if you are flying around/over a tall building building or structure. If its 400 ft tall, you can fly 400 ft above that structure legally, so 800ft altitude would be legit.
#knowingishalfthebattle

Actually, it's legal to fly over 400' AGL with your hobby sUAV, period.

If you exceed 400' AGL, or LOS flight, you will not have committed a violation of any federal regulation or law. State an local laws and ordinances are a different matter, and vary throughout the country.

If you are "caught" flying at 600' by some busybody and reported, it's likely nothing will happen at all (other than someone at the FAA rolling their eyes at another such report). If anything, you might get a cordial reminder letter outlining the FAA recommended guidelines for hobby sUAV flight.

I expect that danman999 is one of those well-known self-appointed monitors that gets plenty of eyerolls for the average 75 phone calls a day he makes to the FAA complaint line. I hear the frustration in his postings over the lack of enforcement he believes necessary. No one's been jailed! Outrage!

Folks, the FAA guidelines are good ones. They provide a basis for learning responsible flight, and developing good habits. You should try to follow them in general.

However, if there is something interesting to see/do with your bird beyond LOS, or at an AGL at 750 feet, carefully plan, get help from more experienced pilots to do that planning, then go have fun and grab some awesome footage. It's entirely legal.

And when done carefully and properly, it's entirely safe.

 

[dwallersv]

It would be nice on any UAV, but it would need an accurate digital elevation model and an accurate absolute altitude for the takeoff point.

How accurate? That's the question (and I don't really have a good answer, just a guess of about 50ft accuracy for this purpose).

Cheap ground radar rangers with 50 ft accuracy are just about here. I think it won't be more than a year or two, three tops that we see this as a new feature in high-end sUAV products.

I do know I'm really hoping, and there's some buzz about it around the net.

 

[MavPro75]

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.

Except for the occasional crop duster

 

[cderoche]

Actually, it's legal to fly over 400' AGL with your hobby sUAV, period.

If you exceed 400' AGL, or LOS flight, you will not have committed a violation of any federal regulation or law. State an local laws and ordinances are a different matter, and vary throughout the country.

If you are "caught" flying at 600' by some busybody and reported, it's likely nothing will happen at all (other than someone at the FAA rolling their eyes at another such report). If anything, you might get a cordial reminder letter outlining the FAA recommended guidelines for hobby sUAV flight.

I expect that danman999 is one of those well-known self-appointed monitors that gets plenty of eyerolls for the average 75 phone calls a day he makes to the FAA complaint line. I hear the frustration in his postings over the lack of enforcement he believes necessary. No one's been jailed! Outrage!

Folks, the FAA guidelines are good ones. They provide a basis for learning responsible flight, and developing good habits. You should try to follow them in general.

However, if there is something interesting to see/do with your bird beyond LOS, or at an AGL at 750 feet, carefully plan, get help from more experienced pilots to do that planning, then go have fun and grab some awesome footage. It's entirely legal.

And when done carefully and properly, it's entirely safe.

I'm much more concerned over piloted aircraft flying around my neighborhood below 400 feet and there's not anything resembling a runway near me for several miles. Gotta keep on a look out for those small aircraft always. The big boys are usually 6000 feet or more when they fly over my neck of the woods. I feel much safer flying late in the evening and night time because of a few of these guys. Not saying they're doing anything wrong, just they are my biggest collision risk, that and maybe the local birds. I think they need an upgraded pilots license to be able to fly at night, that and I'm sure visual flight rules go out the window. I doubt they would notice my little quad until its too late during the daylight hours.

 

[MavPro75]

It would be nice on any UAV, but it would need an accurate digital elevation model and an accurate absolute altitude for the takeoff point. The former is available with a network connection but the latter is rather harder to achieve since GPS altitude is has significant uncertainty and the barometric altitude is uncalibrated. Additionally, the DEMs describe ground level, not trees or buildings, which may be significant in relation to flight altitudes AGL of on a few hundred feet. It would be useful to have in the mountains though.

A radar altimeter would be nice! Maybe in the next updated model, ha!

 

[dwallersv]

@cderoche, excellent example of exactly what I'm talking about. Sounds like you take proper care, have situational awareness, plan accordingly, and are constantly scanning.

That's how it's done. As opposed to the jackoff that powers up, throws it in the air, and flies with abandon so long as they stay below 400'.

Folks, rules don't keep you, or anyone else, safe. Understanding why the guidelines are what they are, and flying on that basis, is what creates safety.

 

[sar104]

I think it only knows where the ground is when its very close to it, ultrasonic sensors.

Correct - 10 m or so.

 

[sar104]

How accurate? That's the question (and I don't really have a good answer, just a guess of about 50ft accuracy for this purpose).

Cheap ground radar rangers with 50 ft accuracy are just about here. I think it won't be more than a year or two, three tops that we see this as a new feature in high-end sUAV products.

I do know I'm really hoping, and there's some buzz about it around the net.

How accurate? Well how accurately would you want to know altitude AGL - the errors in those two values will be the same.

 

[MavPro75]

Btw...its legal to fly above 400ft if you are flying around/over a tall building building or structure. If its 400 ft tall, you can fly 400 ft above that structure legally, so 800ft altitude would be legit.
#knowingishalfthebattle

Providing that the 400 ft above that structure did not place you in controlled airspace