Flying within an airport restricted zone.......

[Hendricks]

Under normal circumstances, I would never fly my P4 anywhere within an airport restricted zone.

Here in Canada, the rules are that you cannot fly within 9 kilometres (about 5 miles) of an airport.

However, just barely inside the restricted zone, here where I live ,there is a great spot to capture sunsets as well as expansive views of our harbour. I fly from this vantage point quite a few times and where I am is nowhere near any low level aircraft. Additionally, I have an app on my iPhone ( Flight Radar24 ) which enables me to check to see if there are any aircraft anywhere near where I am flying.
I've checked and I'm flying one-third of a mile inside the restricted zone......still putting me at least 4 miles from our local airport.

Just wanted to check in with others to see what people think.

 

[Great Pumpkin]

Under normal circumstances, I would never fly my P4 anywhere within an airport restricted zone.

Here in Canada, the rules are that you cannot fly within 9 kilometres (about 5 miles) of an airport.

However, just barely inside the restricted zone, here where I live ,there is a great spot to capture sunsets as well as expansive views of our harbour. I fly from this vantage point quite a few times and where I am is nowhere near any low level aircraft. Additionally, I have an app on my iPhone ( Flight Radar24 ) which enables me to check to see if there are any aircraft anywhere near where I am flying.
I've checked and I'm flying one-third of a mile inside the restricted zone......still putting me at least 4 miles from our local airport.

Just wanted to check in with others to see what people think.

Maybe instead of checking with this forum, you ought to check with the local airport's control tower. They may tell you "no problem," just keep below some minimum altitude and don't get any closer.

 

[Mark The Droner]

I think a good reason the five mile radius law should be adhered to (besides the fact that it is a law) is that manned aircraft pilots know for certain that there are no low-flying drones within those five miles. After all, they know for certain that the law states that a drone pilot must call the airport if he was planning on flying. So the manned aircraft upon takeoff can happily gain altitude within those five miles at his leisure without worry of a drone coming through the windshield. Once he's outside the five mile radius, all bets are off, and he needs to be sure he's up where he should be (which presumably would be 500' min).

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

Not good without consent of the Control Tower. As has been said, if they say good, then you are golden. They may ask you to call or leave a number or whatever, but if you get permission and don't cause them a problem, again your golden.
Otherwise, find a new place.

 

[MassDrone]

I'm a pilot - single engine 4-seater type. I agree emphatically with the comments above. Sometimes I do get notified by Air Traffic Control about drone activity outside the airport area and I generally avoid those areas if easily done. I would be startled to see an unexpected drone flying within 5 miles of the airport. That's where I'm flying much closer to the ground, and at the same time, my ability to multitask and concentrate is essential to my survival. Throw in an unexpected drone suddenly coming into my field of view, even below me, and all my concentration is now directed away from the task at hand - landing or taking off safely.

Please, either go a short distance further from the airport before you take your sunset shots, or talk to the tower.

 

[BigAl07]

As a Private Pilot myself I can't tell you how disheartening it is to hear this. Admittedly disobeying the rules/law and admittedly putting your own desire to fly your toy above and beyond the safety of those flying above you.

Also it's good to note that FlightRadar24 only shows the planes that have Flight Following. Depending on the actual airport you're flying next to most might have Flight Following or few to none. It's a gamble and one I'm not willing to take with my UAS and one I would rather no one else with a UAS would take while I'm up in the air flying trying to enjoy life and freedom.

Is that sunset picture(s) really worth another person's life or harm?

 

[Fester]

Two questions to ask. Is this a full fledged airport with a tower? What’s the terrain around you and between you and the airport?

 

[Dronefriend]

How high are you flying? If you stay under 50-60 meters I could have done the same.

 

[Hendricks]

Points well taken, guys.

Thanks.

I can easily adjust my take off point by hiking in through woods about a quarter mile.

This, then, would put me slightly outside the restricted area.

 

[BigAl07]

How high are you flying? If you stay under 50-60 meters I could have done the same.

What about those "What If" moments? Lose of orientation? Loss of Signal (RTH event)? Low Battery RTH?

It's not just about where you "intend" to fly but what happens if you're flight doesn't go exactly as intended. In Aviation we are always thinking worse case scenario and always going "What if. . . ."

 

[Dronefriend]

What about those "What If" moments? Lose of orientation? Loss of Signal (RTH event)? Low Battery RTH?

It's not just about where you "intend" to fly but what happens if you're flight doesn't go exactly as intended. In Aviation we are always thinking worse case scenario and always going "What if. . . ."

I always have RTH height set at 50m or other similar low height when in such situations.

I do admit that it is a bit risky. If the Phantom got one of these fits you can read about and decides to go to space on its own, it would be risky until it died from battery failure. Not being sarcastic.. but I think that risk is so low and, if that happened it would be bad wherever I’d be flying.

 

[Mark The Droner]

...
I do admit that it is a bit risky.....

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but many recreational pilots don't realize this: The moment they decide to break a hobbyist rule, no matter how safe or mundane they believe breaking that rule might be, their flight becomes a Part 107 flight.

 

[Dronefriend]

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but many recreational pilots don't realize this: The moment they decide to break a hobbyist rule, no matter how safe or mundane they believe breaking that rule might be, their flight becomes a Part 107 flight.

I dont fly recreationally, and I don’t live in the States. But good point for those who do

 

[jfc]

Just to "try" getting ATC approval to fly within 5 miles of controlled class C airspace, I called the 3 facilities/airports that were within 5 miles of my location. 2 of the facilities the towers were closed and the 3rd one thanked me for calling to "notify" them. They also stated that they did not approve or disapprove any drone flights but made note when contacted. They asked how high, how long, contact info and instructed me to call back when done flying. It took over 2 hours to get the correct number for the tower. It was a Saturday and all the other listed numbers for the facility went straight to voice mail. The ATC supervisor was nice and said normally no one called for approval. The DJI app did require me to accept the fact that I was in controlled airspace and if I did try and launch without acknowledging it the aircraft would shut down. All in all a long process, smoother in the future, I hope. I wish there was a better reference for ATC contact that was more up to date, used the B4UFly app to get the number.

 

[gizmoking]

Under normal circumstances, I would never fly my P4 anywhere within an airport restricted zone.

Here in Canada, the rules are that you cannot fly within 9 kilometres (about 5 miles) of an airport.

However, just barely inside the restricted zone, here where I live ,there is a great spot to capture sunsets as well as expansive views of our harbour. I fly from this vantage point quite a few times and where I am is nowhere near any low level aircraft. Additionally, I have an app on my iPhone ( Flight Radar24 ) which enables me to check to see if there are any aircraft anywhere near where I am flying.
I've checked and I'm flying one-third of a mile inside the restricted zone......still putting me at least 4 miles from our local airport.

Just wanted to check in with others to see what people think.

In Canada, where I live and I also have a Standing SFOC, the rules (that change like the wind, so always check first) say that a recreational drone user can fly 5.5km from an airport. Commercial users have to be 9km from an airport. Yes, it is stupid, but what they have currently in place. HOWEVER, if the airport is in controlled airspace, then you can't fly inside the controlled airspace unless you have a SFOC and ATC approval. I have talked with all my local airports and airparks, and some are friendly and helpful and others are ignorant or stupid.

As far as I can tell by your comment, the 9km rule would not apply to you (you have to be 5.5km away) and you would be within the law, as long as: It is not controlled airspace, you are not near a built up area, buildings or structures, vehicles, vessels, people or pets. So the bottom line is usually you are near something and wouldn't be "legally" allowed to fly anyway. Write your name address and phone number in small type on a piece of paper and tape it to your drone to comply with that regulation.

The local police don't know the regulations so I wouldn't worry, and the fear Transport Canada is trying to spread about fines is baseless as they only have a couple of inspectors for all of Canada. Keep your drone within visual sight, keep it under 30 meters (300 feet) and don't fly it over people or their homes and you should be OK.

https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/opssvs/flying-drone-safely-legally.html

 

[gizmoking]

Under normal circumstances, I would never fly my P4 anywhere within an airport restricted zone.

Here in Canada, the rules are that you cannot fly within 9 kilometres (about 5 miles) of an airport.

However, just barely inside the restricted zone, here where I live ,there is a great spot to capture sunsets as well as expansive views of our harbour. I fly from this vantage point quite a few times and where I am is nowhere near any low level aircraft. Additionally, I have an app on my iPhone ( Flight Radar24 ) which enables me to check to see if there are any aircraft anywhere near where I am flying.
I've checked and I'm flying one-third of a mile inside the restricted zone......still putting me at least 4 miles from our local airport.

Just wanted to check in with others to see what people think.

Also note the Flight Radar24 only tracks planes with registered flight plans and transponders. There are many small aircraft that won't be seen on there. Float planes and helicopters can sometimes be as low as 300 feet above the ground. Airmap is a GREAT app to use to be aware of where you can fly, and also shows NOTAMs for things like cranes and other drone operators who may be conducting approved missions in your area.

 

[barefootbeachcombing]

Just to "try" getting ATC approval to fly within 5 miles of controlled class C airspace, I called the 3 facilities/airports that were within 5 miles of my location. 2 of the facilities the towers were closed and the 3rd one thanked me for calling to "notify" them. They also stated that they did not approve or disapprove any drone flights but made note when contacted. They asked how high, how long, contact info and instructed me to call back when done flying. It took over 2 hours to get the correct number for the tower. It was a Saturday and all the other listed numbers for the facility went straight to voice mail. The ATC supervisor was nice and said normally no one called for approval. The DJI app did require me to accept the fact that I was in controlled airspace and if I did try and launch without acknowledging it the aircraft would shut down. All in all a long process, smoother in the future, I hope. I wish there was a better reference for ATC contact that was more up to date, used the B4UFly app to get the number.

Are you flying for hobby/recreation or commercial/Part 107?

 

[jfc]

@barefootbeaching I was flying "recreationally" at that time. The area is heavily populated and over an area traversed by boat traffic. The "flight" was more for the "experiance" of jumping through the so called hoops set up for anyone wishing to operate a drone. Under 107 it would have required authorization form the FAA and ATC notification whereas recreational flight only requires ATC notification. Not sure why the rules are more stringent for someone that had to test to become Part 107 certified. Seems as though if you were 107 certified a mechanism would be in place for you to enter your certification and aircraft registration number then it would allow you to fly, with ATC notification as well and restrict recreational flights within that airspace. Seems the rules are somewhat backwards. My interactions with most ATC's have been pleasant and am usually told they are rarely contacted/notified. All in all I can see why many are confused and some just ignore the rules, although I do not condone that practice.

 

[Mark The Droner]

...Not sure why the rules are more stringent for someone that had to test to become Part 107 certified.....

The reason is because the AMA lobbied for it and they have a perfect or near-perfect safety record.

 

[Bad Andy]

When calculating distance from an airport is that calculated from the perimeter, i.e. nearest part of a runway or run-off? Or from the center of the property, or the tower, or what? Just curious...

I find it entertaining that in my neighborhood, two approved UAV air fields are within 3 miles from LGA runway 31 and another approved air field is just a bit over 4 miles from JFK runway 13.