It just flew away! - <correction> it didn't fly away at all.

[Just Mark]

Those are perfectly reasonable questions. I don't think the OP ever stated whether the flight was hobby or Part 107. His flight would have been illegal under Part 107 for altitude and VLOS (unless he had a waiver for that). It would have been contrary to guidelines if it were under hobby rules.

Part 107 requires you to follow the specified rules (subject to waiver and authorization exemptions), but does not prescribe how to achieve that. If you don't check for TFRs and don't fly inside one, then that is compliant. Best practice, of course, is to check for TFRs before flying.

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Just Mark]

None of those are stupid questions or observations. You're exactly right. And given your awareness of the part 107 regulations and recommendations, you'll do just fine on the test. Make sure you're also comfortable with METARS, cloud coverage, types, and impact; amd runway air traffic patterns.

OP unfortunately lost his drone due to his own misgivings - and I don't say that to be harsh or critical. I just had a crash the other day doing something really stupid that I had no business doing. And I completely own it and have learned from it. That's all we can do.

Thank you for the encouragement, and for your input about the importance on the role of human error when it comes to losing a drone.

 

[FLOATIN]

I also learned alot and think there was a clear focus on problem help and resolution. Sometimes the elbows can get a bit sharp but that is life and part of the price you pay for such a great online community.
Thanks Nole for raising the issue and for the input by Meta4 and all the other drone veterans. Good information.

 

[Quadcrasher]

Absolutely !!!! Lost a P3S due to my own fault, filed a claim, had the money directly deposited into my checking account 3 days later, outstanding service in my opinion.

Sounds fantastic, I wish I was in the USA! Anybody have any recommendations for the UK?

 

[aeronca47]

Don't mean to be critical, just my impression for what it's worth. I belong to numerous forums out of necessity; Biplane Pilot, VW Touareg, Wondershare, Filmora, Serif, and many more. I am sure that most products will eventually require forum membership in order to replace tech support. There is a wealth of help from precious volunteers. As much as I have used electronics over the years and 13,000 flying hours in a host of flying machines over 56 years and flying my P2, I really needed help to get my P4P+ going. I asked for help in this forum and my only response was, "read the manual.". Of course I had read it in total at least twice and tried numerous times to figure out what I was doing wrong. As I have written before, it took 4 very good techies several hours trying to get the beast going. I have no problem admitting lack of ability when I'm on new ground. Every forum I have ever participated in has been extremely helpful and quite pleasant to communicate with; with one exception. At this point, I feel very lucky that I was only told to, "read the manual." Reading the hatefulness of some replies to inquiries, makes it hard for some of us to venture into the target area. A good example might be ,"Toughen up, Buttercup". What a jerk. Please excuse my not being politically correct but a jerk needs to be called a jerk. I expect to feel the wrath of some of the members and that's OK. There are lots of very nice people in this forum but the bad ones should join the rest of humanity. I have never seen such verbal abuse in any other forum. Nor have I seen such infantile tags in any other professional forums. Makes one wonder what kind of folks have joined into this incredible occupation/hobby. This is written in the hope that this forum can be "cleaned up" a bit and marshaled like most others to prevent it from appearing so unappealing and someplace newbies like me would want to be involved in. Anyone reading the responses might be very reluctant to participate. The many good guys in this forum might understand my concern and the others will prove my point.

 

[Russ43Phantom]

I guess, other than prudent safety precautions, there are other advantages to keeping below 400' and maintaining a VLOS.

 

[Khooper802]

I am an experienced pilot with hundreds of flight hours and several drones including the P4 and Mavic Pro. I am not asking for advice but merely telling the story for your own information. I was in beginner mode for a quick photo shoot over a marina. After a few minutes of good flight, the Mavic Pro lost connection and just flew away. Everything was calibrated and I had recorded the RTH location. All batteries and controller were fully charged. The Mavic suddenly rose to over 900 feet in the air (despite my RTH height being set to 100 meters) and just flew away and was non-responsive to manual controls. I hit the RTH button but no response. I tried the combination of manual flight and RTH five times but soon it was nearly 3,000 feet away an over the water. The Find My Drone feature shows it in the water over a mile away. I have opened a case with DJI and they have the flight log records and all associated files and are analyzing. I guess my only question is should I expect a new drone from DJI? I have spent $5,800 with them on my drones, accessories and drones for some of my close friends. I am certainly a good customer.

Same problem with my P3S, after months with a case open still, they wouldn't give me a new drone as, "My flying conditions could have affected the flight losing signal," Even though I was in a field, using an iPod touch so no data or wifi. Chances are they are going to look at your flight on google and find some really dumb reason to not give you a new drone. For example, a power line, even if you were 100 feet away, DJI still would say its affection your flight, like mine.

 

[PhanSurveys]

I hope you don't mind me asking some stupid questions, since I am just studying for my Part 107 and I am hoping this might be a "teachable moment" for me.

Without trying to make judgements, there are some things that seem to kind of contradict best practices in the 107 study guide.

I believe the original poster said that his aircraft went behind some buildings? Regardless of whether this is a commercial or hobby flight, aren't we supposed to maintain visual line of sight at all times? Won't having the drone fly behind some buildings (and losing line of sight) also mean that we will lose connection with the UAS?

Also, if I read correctly, didn't the operator say that he purposely brought the drone up to around 900' AGL? That doesn't seem like that would be legal to me (unless it was to avoid an imminent low-flying danger, such as a helicopter or a hang glider or something like that). I know you can fly up to 400' above the highest obstacle within 400', but those condos don't look to be 500' AGL tall.

And for people who are flying for hobby (I am assuming this was a non-commercial flight) are they still responsible for checking metars / TAFS / notams / TFRs and sectional charts? It seems as though for 107 holders these things are REQUIRED so I thought they might be required for non-commercial flights (although maybe I am confused... maybe they aren't required for commercial flights / 107 holders).

Anyway, I guess I am concerned / befuddled because it seems like the main question behind this thread is whether the original poster should expect to get reimbursed for the loss of his UAS, while to me, the main question should be more along the lines of, "Was this a legal flight?"

Apologies in advance if these are stupid questions and comments. I go in for my 107 test next week and so I am just trying to learn as much as possible ablut all the rules and regulations.

I have my 107, no UAV's aren't allowed to fly over 400ft AGL unless A: avoiding a collision with a manned aircraft. B: Climbing to 900ft AGL in response to an emergency situation (ex; to put out a battery fire or being attacked by a bird) C: flying over a 500ft building/tower which is part of your work.

Under FAA regulations we are required to maintain VLOS but it is understood that it may happen from time to time and we are required to regain VLOS as soon as possible.

As far as hobbiests go, there are no requirements to check METARS/NOTAMS or even let anyone know. People buy these drones and fly them not knowing that they are breaking FAA rules and local laws which are punnishable by fines and jail time depending on the situation. These things aren't just toys and can seriously injure or kill people when used without proper training or knowledge.

Good luck on your test!

Don't mean to be critical, just my impression for what it's worth. I belong to numerous forums out of necessity; Biplane Pilot, VW Touareg, Wondershare, Filmora, Serif, and many more. I am sure that most products will eventually require forum membership in order to replace tech support. There is a wealth of help from precious volunteers. As much as I have used electronics over the years and 13,000 flying hours in a host of flying machines over 56 years and flying my P2, I really needed help to get my P4P+ going. I asked for help in this forum and my only response was, "read the manual.". Of course I had read it in total at least twice and tried numerous times to figure out what I was doing wrong. As I have written before, it took 4 very good techies several hours trying to get the beast going. I have no problem admitting lack of ability when I'm on new ground. Every forum I have ever participated in has been extremely helpful and quite pleasant to communicate with; with one exception. At this point, I feel very lucky that I was only told to, "read the manual." Reading the hatefulness of some replies to inquiries, makes it hard for some of us to venture into the target area. A good example might be ,"Toughen up, Buttercup". What a jerk. Please excuse my not being politically correct but a jerk needs to be called a jerk. I expect to feel the wrath of some of the members and that's OK. There are lots of very nice people in this forum but the bad ones should join the rest of humanity. I have never seen such verbal abuse in any other forum. Nor have I seen such infantile tags in any other professional forums. Makes one wonder what kind of folks have joined into this incredible occupation/hobby. This is written in the hope that this forum can be "cleaned up" a bit and marshaled like most others to prevent it from appearing so unappealing and someplace newbies like me would want to be involved in. Anyone reading the responses might be very reluctant to participate. The many good guys in this forum might understand my concern and the others will prove my point.

This is the internet, where morals are slack and words are spoken with little to no thought of the other persons feelings. You need a thick skin to exist here, if you can't handle it resign yourself to monthly drone meetings (also a great source of information)

Best of luck!
Ray

 

[Just Mark]

I have my 107, no UAV's aren't allowed to fly over 400ft AGL unless A: avoiding a collision with a manned aircraft. B: Climbing to 900ft AGL in response to an emergency situation (ex; to put out a battery fire or being attacked by a bird) C: flying over a 500ft building/tower which is part of your work.

Under FAA regulations we are required to maintain VLOS but it is understood that it may happen from time to time and we are required to regain VLOS as soon as possible.

As far as hobbiests go, there are no requirements to check METARS/NOTAMS or even let anyone know. People buy these drones and fly them not knowing that they are breaking FAA rules and local laws which are punnishable by fines and jail time depending on the situation. These things aren't just toys and can seriously injure or kill people when used without proper training or knowledge.

Good luck on your test!

Thanks for the input and thanks for the kind wishes regarding the upcoming test. I feel pretty confident now, and hae been doing well on the practice tests. Just want to make sure that I UNDERSTAND the reasoning behind things and that I am not just memorizing the answers.

Not to get too far off the track from what the original poster wrote, I think this is a good time to mention to hobbyists that you can learn a lot about general safety by at least studying some of the free 107 study guides out there.

 

[PhanSurveys]

Thanks for the input and thanks for the kind wishes regarding the upcoming test. I feel pretty confident now, and hae been doing well on the practice tests. Just want to make sure that I UNDERSTAND the reasoning behind things and that I am not just memorizing the answers.

Not to get too far off the track from what the original poster wrote, I think this is a good time to mention to hobbyists that you can learn a lot about general safety by at least studying some of the free 107 study guides out there.

What study guides are you using, the FAA study guide or are you taking a course? I was not at all confident about passing my exam but I did manage to pass my first try.

 

[Just Mark]

What study guides are you using, the FAA study guide or are you taking a course? I was not at all confident about passing my exam but I did manage to pass my first try.

I am using a lot of different ones from online (youtube) and the MAIN guide I am using is RemotePilot101.com which is a pretty good course. When I signed up it was $99 for a lifetime membership but I think it recently went up to $149.

 

[PhanSurveys]

I am using a lot of different ones from online (youtube) and the MAIN guide I am using is RemotePilot101.com which is a pretty good course. When I signed up it was $99 for a lifetime membership but I think it recently went up to $149.

Nice, the one I signed up for guaranteed that you would pass if you passed one of the final tests with a 75 or better, but I only had access for one year. When I get ready for my next exam I'll sign up for something better, I am hoping to get a BVLOS when ever that becomes available. Anyway, good luck with your test!

 

[Just Mark]

Nice, the one I signed up for guaranteed that you would pass if you passed one of the final tests with a 75 or better, but I only had access for one year. When I get ready for my next exam I'll sign up for something better, I am hoping to get a BVLOS when ever that becomes available. Anyway, good luck with your test!

Thanks!

 

[tucsondave]

Just a side note here. Click on AirMap at the location this "experienced pilot" was flying:

• AIRPORT
  TREASURE COAST INTL requires FAA and airport notification, flying above 300 ft is hazardous
  +1 772 462 1727

Check out Google Earth. He was flying in the direct flight path of runway 32.
Also he was flying about 3 miles from a Hospital helipad.

It's these people that will get drones banned entirely.
td

 

[DaveP4Pilot]

Just a side note here. Click on AirMap at the location this "experienced pilot" was flying:

• AIRPORT
  TREASURE COAST INTL requires FAA and airport notification, flying above 300 ft is hazardous
  +1 772 462 1727

Check out Google Earth. He was flying in the direct flight path of runway 32.
Also he was flying about 3 miles from a Hospital helipad.

It's these people that will get drones banned entirely.
td

Once I realized the flight was over Ft. Pierce, FL I remembered the airport was not far away since my in-laws live close to there. According to the sectional chart the marina is just inside the dotted blue line of the class D airport. The airport code is FPR. Even if the flight was just outside the class D airspace at 700' elevation it is Class E airspace. That location does line up very neatly with runway 100/320. Sorry no screen shot of the chart, wasn't sure how to post it.

 

[Hamltnblue]

Here is the google maps link to the location. The flight was in the circular marina to the lower right. Runway is obviously top left
Google Maps

 

[Just Mark]

Just a side note here. Click on AirMap at the location this "experienced pilot" was flying:

• AIRPORT
  TREASURE COAST INTL requires FAA and airport notification, flying above 300 ft is hazardous
  +1 772 462 1727

Check out Google Earth. He was flying in the direct flight path of runway 32.
Also he was flying about 3 miles from a Hospital helipad.

It's these people that will get drones banned entirely.
td

Thanks for posting this.

Out of curiosity, how far out does final approach start for a runway like Treasure coast. I know it is kind of a moot point in this instance since the marina appears to be in Class D airspace anyway, but in general how far out would a manned aircrafft be from the runway when it starts final?

 

[sar104]

Thanks for posting this.

Out of curiosity, how far out does final approach start for a runway like Treasure coast. I know it is kind of a moot point in this instance since the marina appears to be in Class D airspace anyway, but in general how far out would a manned aircrafft be from the runway when it starts final?

It varies with conditions and traffic. But KFPR has a 1023' MSL right pattern and the marina is 6 km from the threshold of 32 so, with a nominal 3° glideslope, aircraft could be entering the glide from the pattern at almost exactly 6 km, 1000 ft above the marina.

 

[Just Mark]

It varies with conditions and traffic. But KFPR has a 1023' MSL right pattern and the marina is 6 km from the threshold of 32 so, with a nominal 3° glideslope, aircraft could be entering the glide from the pattern at almost exactly 6 km, 1000 ft above the marina.

Thanks. just another quick question: would the FAA use KM for measurements? All the test preperation questions seem to show distance in SM.

 

[sar104]

Thanks. just another quick question: would the FAA use KM for measurements? All the test preperation questions seem to show distance in SM.

No - it's all miles. I used km for the calculation and never thought about converting back.