Can I fly around the USS Detroit?

Drestin Black

Drestin Black

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The USS Detroit is going to make it to Detroit, the Ren Cen, tomorrow morning for a couple weeks of tours and ceremony's. Super cool looking.

Two obvious things:

A) it'll be on open public waters and so long as I don't fly over boats I'm ok taking flights over water and around boats

B) it's a US Naval combat ship

So, wondering... what prohibitions or rules deal with this?

Meanwhile I WILL be on a small (43' ft) motor boat that will be going toward, along said and trail the ship for ordinary photos with conventional cameras and there are zero.0 restrictions on all of those actions.

Any UAS or conventional aircraft restrictions I should be aware of? They certainly can't put a NFZ along the entire route it takes across lakes Huron and Saint Clair.

USS Detroit arrival: How to see the new warship

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I'd stay away from war ships imo. The military was notified of quads with explosives or reconnaissance last year and you may set off a bee hive that can and will sting.
 
Lifted Chevy said:
I'd stay away from war ships imo. The military was notified of quads with explosives or reconnaissance last year and you may set off a bee hive that can and will sting.
Click to expand...

Let's see; I'll be between the ship and a dock full of people waiting for her to pull in at the Detroit Riverfront --- I don't think they'll wanna let rip into the crowd behind me LOL

I've been looking up regs, etc. Looks like you gotta keep 500 yards away while she's moving. She not officially in service yet and this is a public relations/showoff tour. I think they'll be a little more lax on photos. I don't plan to fly over or too close to her. Several folks I know with planes and boats are already planning trips to her - it's a rare thing to be sure. No TFRs or NOTAMs (Federal Aviation Administration - Graphic TFR's). The boats can call in via VHF, I'll have my skipper ask for drone flyby/over permission and see what they say...
 
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Drestin Black said:
Let's see; I'll be between the ship and a dock full of people waiting for her to pull in at the Detroit Riverfront --- I don't think they'll wanna let rip into the crowd behind me LOL

I've been looking up regs, etc. Looks like you gotta keep 500 yards away while she's moving. She not officially in service yet and this is a public relations/showoff tour. I think they'll be a little more lax on photos. I don't plan to fly over or too close to her. Several folks I know with planes and boats are already planning trips to her - it's a rare thing to be sure. The boats can call in via VHF, I'll have my skipper ask for drone flyby/over permission and see what they say...
Click to expand...
Yeah it's all about safety so I'd ask for permission first. Holding a camera or cell phone won't get them excited but a flying object that won't come up on radar may change the mood really quickly.
 
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Lifted Chevy said:
Yeah it's all about safety so I'd ask for permission first. Holding a camera or cell phone won't get them excited but a flying object that won't come up on radar may change the mood really quickly.
Click to expand...

Hmm... I suspect that at such close range I might actually show up on radar and that scares me far worse! Ya know, I am not actively trying to break rules -- it's just that... doesn't it always seem like the coolest things to photograph are the ones that always have some restriction?!

I know this ain't no freighter, those guys come out and wave and love my flying alongside, coming at them or even right over top. There isn't much my 5 lb drone is gonna do to these iron and steel behemoths and they don't have any real secrets.

Now, I certainly don't expect permission to go and hover over the USS Detroit (even through wouldn't it be cool to do a landing on their helo deck then quick take off? (stop thinking of it stop thinking of it)) but to do some circles around them 1500 feet out should be of no concern at all! My 450 mm Nikon lens is going to peep WAY WAY more detail than my P4 at 1500+ feet!

Now - interestingly... they have to pass down the Saint Clair River - there are points where it narrows considerably and the shipping channel is very close to land. You could throw a baseball and hit a passing tanker close. And flying over it is 100% OK (up to the Canadian border - which cuts in half the issue of the river width - you an be 100% certain that a US Naval fighting ship wont' be crossing into Canadian waters). So -- basically, there are places where the ship will be within 100 yards of the shore in open US waters. I could take off from land and hover and I'd be closer
 
It will be a great photo, haha...
Something like this -
jail nn.jpg
 
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Just my .02. If there is no NOTAM against this, I'd try everything I could to contact the proper authorities and ask. If I couldn't get a hold of someone, then I'd skip it. I think its too risky especially with the reports coming out (publicized) of ISIL militarizing small drones. Even if you aren't doing anything wrong I think the risk of negative publicity for drones is a possibility...
 
LameDuck said:
Nicely done! I loved seeing this, and I'm sure it wasn't a stress-free flight. You had to have been thinking about all the armaments that were likely tracking you. [emoji106]

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Click to expand...

It's a publicity trip, she's coming to Detroit to get commissioned, so they are very open to everyone flying or sailing close by and getting photos and video. During the docking in Detroit, I counted at least half a dozen drones at various times, plus two news choppers. Didn't see any mishaps, all was smooth sailing.
 

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