Indoor Training Center for no VLOS.

[AirMan05446]

I'm looking at building a covered structure for people to practice flying beyond VLOS. I'm looking for ideas for tasks and obstacles. So far I plan on having a fake roof section that you can "inspect", a tight "alley" to fly down and some trees for a search & rescue op, and maybe some various pieces of infrastructure to "inspect"

Note this is not a "race" type thing - It's for slow, precision operations similar to what a commercial user would be doing.

Any ideas please chime in - I'd love to hear what you guys think.

 

[Fly Dawg]

You do know that commercially you can not fly BVLOS even with an observer.

*At all times the small unmanned aircraft must remain close
enough to the remote pilot in command and the person
manipulating the flight controls of the small UAS for those
people to be capable of seeing the aircraft with vision
unaided by any device other than corrective lenses.

Not saying its not a decent thought though.

 

[Boefinator]

I think that is why he stated it was under a covered structure, FAA regs do not apply indoors.

 

[Fly Dawg]

I think that is why he stated it was under a covered structure, FAA regs do not apply indoors.

Extended Below, Yes they do.

Small unmanned aircraft may not operate over any persons
not directly participating in the operation, not under a
covered structure, and not inside a covered stationary
vehicle.

 

[Boefinator]

Good pull, but in another part of the FAQ they state they don't regulate indoor use, gotta love the FAA. The problem for the FAA on the covered structure issue is that they can only regulate navigable airspace, and just like their assertion that they could require hobbyist to register, it turns out what they think 'aint always right. But to your point for the OP, you're right, better safe than sorry!

 

[Fly Dawg]

Bear in mind, those are commercial use Regs. They do not apply for hobby use. But for what the OP was attempting to accomplish, that may burst a bubble or two. Still not a bad thought though.

 

[AirMan05446]

Anyone present will be involved in the op and will be under a covered structure. But that's just for safety. The FAA does not regulate indoor UAS use -- you guys are reading that rule incorrectly. It means if you are operating a UAV commercially outdoors, people need to be covered by a structure or a non-moving car if you are flying over them. It doesn't mean you can't fly indoors. FAA ONLY cares about the airspace - if you crash a drone into your ceiling or wall they don't care.


Anyway back to the project:

Picture a "control room" and an "arena". Something like this a much bigger "arena". Sides would probably be some type of light fabric-like material or netting.

 

[Mark The Droner]

Extended Below, Yes they do.

Small unmanned aircraft may not operate over any persons
not directly participating in the operation, not under a
covered structure, and not inside a covered stationary
vehicle.

You're not reading this correctly. The statement is discussing people. An AC may not fly over people who are not under a covered structure. Etc.

FAA is not interested in anything going on under a roof.

 

[Fly Dawg]

You're not reading this correctly.

Thank you for that clarification. I keep these documents handy for reference and have read through them thoroughly on numerous occasions. It's like reading any other "legal" document. They can get confusing at times and that said, can be difficult to read correctly. A better wording of that would have been:

Small unmanned aircraft may not operate over any persons not directly participating in the operation or persons not under a covered structure, or not inside a covered stationary vehicle.

Just my opinion, but the BVLOS statement above is correct. My point to that was, if you are "practicing" BVLOS, what's the point? You can't fly BVLOS commercially, that's all I was saying.

 

[Fly Dawg]

On an additional note, this project that the OP is proposing, would be good training for ATTI flying in tight spaces, due to the fact it's highly doubtful you will have GPS under a structure. I have done this through covered bridges before. A bit hairy without prior ATTI flying.

 

[AirMan05446]

Just my opinion, but the BVLOS statement above is correct. My point to that was, if you are "practicing" BVLOS, what's the point? You can't fly BVLOS commercially, that's all I was saying.

You can't fly BVLOS outdoors right now, but I expect that to loosen up as new regs and certs fall into place. Also, some users will be flying exclusively indoors (warehouse security, inspecting plant equipment). Plenty of stuff to get me going.