Flying within 5 miles of an airport

[That Cicero Guy]

Oahu has many airports, heliports, Restricted Areas, Special Use Areas, paradrop zones, tour helicopters, etc. all over it which makes flying a drone somewhat of a challenge. I live on the top of Makakilo, Hawaii at 1,000' MSL. I am just about 4 miles from Kalaeloa (formerly NAS Barbers Point) airport. I drove down to the airport and spoke with the local controller in the tower and asked if it were OK for me to fly from the Makakilo Community Park which is 2 blocks from my house. They said "no problem."

For newcomers I recommend the following: Embry Riddle Aeronautical University is offering a FREE course on "Unmanned Aerospace Systems" that is tailored to new drone users. I completed the course on line in just a few short hours and found it interesting and informative. A few good resources I learned about from this course are SkyVector which provides aeronautical maps and info on all airports in the US and B4UFLY.

Thanks for the info about the course! I'm studying for my 107 exam but I am doing every free course and training I can find out there.

 

[Richard R]

I am thinking about buying a used handheld radio that can communicate with the airport towers directly.

Check the threads on this, consensus is that using a radio to communicate with the tower isn't a good idea. first, you don't have the required license and secondly, UHF being line-o-sight, you aren't likely to actually contact the tower unless very close.

 

[Richard R]

Well, I emailed my local airport inquiring what the proper tower phone number would be for informing them of an intended drone flight in the area. The location where I occasionally practice is about 2.5 miles out from the airport and I generally keep it under 200 ft while practicing. The airport manager wrote back with the phone number and informed me that they request 72 hr. notification and drone flight approvals are limited to only Monday thru Friday. I'm guessing each airport might have their own policy regarding how they apply the new rules to their airport. I've only seen the rule that you need to "notify" the airport of your intended flight. Seems like quite a bit of grey area remains with the new FAA requirements for hobbyists.

And 'notify' is still the operative word for hobby flying. Fly in the ointment is that the airport can request that you not fly at a particular time for safety reasons and if you go ahead and fly, the FAA cold consider that to be reckless flying! I would talk with the airport folks some more about the 72 ours, seems excessive. I would ask them why that time period and what notices, etc. they put out after they get that info. Unless they plan on having a not published, something like 1-2 hours before each flying activity wold seem more reasonable. My local airport has been happy with 30 minutes!

 

[Richard R]

This is taken directly from the FAA document "Law Enforcement Guidance For Suspected Unauthorized UAS Operations"
(1) The aircraft is flown strictly for hobby or recreational use;
(2) The aircraft is operated in accordance with a community-based set of safety guidelines and within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization;
(3) The aircraft is limited to not more than 55 pounds unless otherwise certified through a design, construction, inspection, flight test, and operational safety program administered by a community-based organization; (4) The aircraft is operated in a manner that does not interfere with and gives way to any manned aircraft; and
(5) When flown within 5 miles of an airport, the operator of the aircraft provides the airport operator and the airport air traffic control tower (when an air traffic facility is located at the airport) with prior notice of the operation (model aircraft operators flying from a permanent location within 5 miles of an airport should establish a mutually-agreed upon operating procedure with the airport operator and the airport air traffic control tower (when an air traffic facility is located at the airport)).

So if you look at number 5, why would we phone the air traffic control tower when we can radio them? It seems like if the "mutually agreed upon procedure" is to radio, that would be the fastest and best way to contact them.

Again, search some of the previous posts on this. We've pretty much confirmed that a handheld radio would require an FCC station license and that it would be of limited utility. And you would be unlikely to get a tower to agree that that was the preferred approach for contacting them. A handheld scanner on the other hand would come in handy. listening for aircraft reporting in on Unicom or CTAF would give you a heads up that there was an aircraft in the area.

 

[Vzr1]

How is it that the thumb here has her in a turquoise colored tank abut in the video its peach colored?

I think that's the best shot with her peach half out lol..... then click on the video and get nothing!

 

[Sinisalo]

Check the threads on this, consensus is that using a radio to communicate with the tower isn't a good idea. first, you don't have the required license and secondly, UHF being line-o-sight, you aren't likely to actually contact the tower unless very close.

yeah this was posted long ago before all the new laws. I never did do this.

 

[Sinisalo]

Again, search some of the previous posts on this. We've pretty much confirmed that a handheld radio would require an FCC station license and that it would be of limited utility. And you would be unlikely to get a tower to agree that that was the preferred approach for contacting them. A handheld scanner on the other hand would come in handy. listening for aircraft reporting in on Unicom or CTAF would give you a heads up that there was an aircraft in the area.

yeah I am not doing this, this was posted long ago

 

[yorlik]

Well these are the options, I guess I will have to call the FCC:

I'm not going thru more pages.. ground station license is $220.0. They show address to send your moneY to even. What more do you need to know?

Can you link to the thread? I cannot seem to find it by searching.

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[AgileHumor]

I use a Android app called AirPlan. It's better than hover because it will tell you if an airport supports digital copy notifications....and the app will file it for you.

Works great for San Diego airports.

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[AgileHumor]

Sorry, it's called AirMap
AirMap - Android Apps on Google Play

Has phone numbers for ATC too.

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[That Cicero Guy]

Sorry, it's called AirMap
AirMap - Android Apps on Google Play

Has phone numbers for ATC too.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

I saw mention of this in the KittyHawk.io app I downloaded. I was thinking about subscribing to it. Is this digital notification system going to be or currently is the FAA standard for notification the industry is going to use moving forward? Do you receive any kind of notification confirmation receipt, etc.?


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[AgileHumor]

I saw mention of this in the KittyHawk.io app I downloaded. I was thinking about subscribing to it. Is this digital notification system going to be or currently is the FAA standard for notification the industry is going to use moving forward? Do you receive any kind of notification confirmation receipt, etc.?


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I get a phone text message that says:

MONTGOMERY-GIBBS EXECUTIVE: Your flight has been received. Fly safe!

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[Simsbury]

I reached out to my local airport this week for the first time (just received my first drone).

I just called to introduce myself and ask them how they would like to be notified when I fly within 5 miles of the airport.

The airport manager couldn't have been nicer - he appreciated the call and asked me a couple of basic questions. In the end he said that he would like to be notified if I intend to flying within 2 miles of the airport.

Other than that he said I can assume permission and I don't need to notify him.

I wrote it all up and stuck it into my binder so I'll have it if ever anything goes wrong.


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[AgileHumor]

Update - Never mind - That is only for commercial 107 pilots.

This form should only be used to request waivers or airspace authorizations under Title 14 CFR Part 107; it is not for modelers or hobbyists flying in accordance with the Special Rule for Model Aircraft (P.L. 112-95, Section 336).

Original Post:

I noticed this electronic waiver request on the FAA on the FAA FAQ

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Frequently Asked Questions/Help

Airspace/Airports

1. How can I tell what class of airspace I'm in?
   
   Under the Small UAS Rule (part 107) (PDF), operators must pass an aeronautical knowledge test to obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate. This test will quiz prospective operators on how to use aeronautical charts to determine airspace classifications.
   
   For reference, aeronautical charts and a Chart User's Guide are also available on the FAA's website. These charts are the FAA's official source of airspace classifications.
   
   Additionally, the FAA's B4UFLY app, which is designed to help recreational UAS flyers know where it's safe to fly, shows users if they are in controlled airspace (Class B, C, D, or E airspaces) in a given or planned location. If the app's status indicator is yellow ("Use Caution – Check Restrictions"), a user is in uncontrolled (Class G) airspace.
   
   
   
2. How do I request permission from Air Traffic Control to operate in Class B, C, D, or E airspace? Is there a way to request permission electronically?
   
   You can request airspace authorization through an online web portal available at www.faa.gov/uas/request_waiver

 

[CooperstownFlyer]

from what I have been able to find so far, tower can talk over you to other pilots and I haven't found a shred of evidence saying you need to be licensed to operate a radio and transmit on air traffic control frequencies for the purpose of communicating with the air traffic control tower using an approved radio that was built for that purpose.

To transmit to a control tower on aircraft frequencies you have to have a pilot's license or a ground station license. You must also have a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's Permit issued by the FCC. You must use the callsign of your aircraft (N number) you are transmitting from or the callsign of your ground station. You must also use a type-approved radio. However, you can monitor aircraft radio channels for traffic in your area. I monitor the local dispatch service for LifeNet Trauma helicopter services that may be operating in my area and ground my model aircraft whenever they are operating in the area. I don't want to distract their pilots looking for me.