Hello,
TL;DR - Just bought a Phantom 3 standard and thinking about returning it.
As a new owner of a Phantom 3 standard I wanted to add this to the forum and get some feedback. I live in Staten Island one of the (5) boroughs of NYC and 4.1 miles away from Linden Airport in New Jersey and 5.9 miles away from Newark Liberty, according to B4YouFly. I have (2) Heliports in the same area I wish to fly my new Phantom. So, I decided to email the airport and ask what number I need to call when I fly my quadcopter; its a public airport and no tower. The manager emails me and says:
- "You may not operate within 5 miles of a public use airport."
I reply with:
- Thank you for the quick reply. However, it does not state I cannot fly; only that I need to contact the tower if present. Please see attached image (B4UFly app screenshot). Unless I missed something I can legally fly in Staten Island, if I call and let you know.
His Reply:
- I am unclear as to what you are looking at, however as a public use airport we do not authorize such activities irrespective of being notified. I believe there are areas of Staten island that are 5 miles away from Newark International and Linden Municipal airports.
This starts an email dialogue and write a lengthy email to see if we can clear up some confusion and better understand my contacting him and my intentions with my Phantom. He then simply ends the conversation with:
"Also, Linden and Newark are within Class "B" airspace. & You are still within class B airspace."
I ask experienced Pilots here. What does this mean? Does he have the authority to say no and prevent me from flying my Phantom?
I want to be able to fly in certain areas of the island but to be honest it appears that owning a Phantom anywhere close to NYC is not worth it. I don’t mind traveling to other areas to fly with my son, but I have a Large field of private property I am authorized to be on and use that I would like my son and I to use on the weekends.
-Phantom Newbie