I think i know the answer but would like to hear others opinion . I'm in west yellowstone on Hebgen lake . a large body of water about 9 miles long and a mile or 2 wide . 80% of the lake is open air space class g . it is surrounded by mountains that average about 800' to 1100' above lake level . so now the question since i start at the lake lets says that 0 elevation and want fly to the top of the peak at 1000' basically following terrain up . i need to set my max elevation at about 340 to 350 meters . this of course is way over the max flight altitude of 400' . All though at no time will i be more then 150' elevation AGL during the flight . but will be 1000'up from my starting point . what say you all in compliance with FAA rules in part 107 or not
Mountain Flying
- Thread starter lmmavrick
- Start date
Yes, it's 400 ft AGL (Above GROUND Level). I have flown my P3P at 13,700 feet ASL, but still less than 400 feet GAL.
Joe
Joe
I thought so , The reason i had a bit of concern is my log will show 800 to 1100' above take off point .
I even asked DJI about that since I live in wv. I wondered if it would void the warranty. They said as long as I didn't break any laws they had no problem with me flying over 400 ft.
Use caution. 1/3 of Hebgen Lake, (entire East end), is Class E, to protect the approach into, departure out of & the pattern around, West Yellowstone Airport.
i'm ver
I'm very aware of that . that's why in my post i mentioned that 80% of the lake is open air space . from where i stay all the way to the dam is open only the madison arm and grayling arm is closed , with in 5 miles of the airport . today there was a TFR as the firer fighting planes were going to put out a fire on the south shore . they fly right over my campground at about 150' elevation then drop to the lake to scoop up water .Glad the fire is out and the TFR is lifted . I plan on Flying this evening
I am glad your TFR got lifted. You have a nice area to fly there. Lived 16 years in JH.
Do
don't see how flying over 400' would void the warranty ? though it's against FAA rules i fail to see how DJI is the enforcer of that or that it has any bearing on warranty .
Its only against "FAA Rules" if you're operating under FAR Part 107. There is no height restriction in FAR 101.41. It is highly recommended that as a hobbyist you stay below 400' AGL.
101.41 Applicability.
This subpart prescribes rules governing the operation of a model aircraft (or an aircraft being developed as a model aircraft) that meets all of the following conditions as set forth in section 336 of Public Law 112-95:
(a) The aircraft is flown strictly for hobby or recreational use;
(b) The aircraft is operated in accordance with a community-based set of safety guidelines and within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization;
(c) 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;
(d) The aircraft is operated in a manner that does not interfere with and gives way to any manned aircraft; and
(e) 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.
Last edited:
I fly way over 400ft every time I fly due to me living along a mountain ridge and in a valley. I have sent my P3A in twice for warranty repairs. It is 100% not an issue. No one is policing how, where or how high you fly.
That's why I asked . But and there's always a but . Like today where I'm at i can fly over 1100' in elevation and not be over 400 AGL . just wanted clarification on that . Now today no one could fly for about 8 hrs as the forest fire fighting planes . The tankers were coming in low right over me scooping up water to drop on a fire across the lake . At least i think it was a fire , Could have been drills and just a smoke flare they set off for practice . they are fun to watch . They were out here last yr for a fire and flew almost everyday for a over a week
yes AGL not MSL . so depending on where you take off you can reach an altitude of say 1500' and still be less then 400' AGL depending on the terrain you're flying in . This is what i wanted to get clear . as i have some peaks to check out and need to go upwards of 1100' or more . i feel safer fly up then out
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2016
- Messages
- 1,744
- Reaction score
- 791
- Age
- 65
I actually don't understand the confusion between AGL and MSL (FLYBOYJ, that's not a dig against you, your post just reminded me). It seems the argument (when there is one) is always whether one is restricted (via "guideline" or law) to 400 ft above ground level or 400 ft above takeoff position. The clear answer is 400 ft AGL. If one ascends to 400 ft above takeoff point, then climbs to 1000 ft above takeoff point but is only 400 ft above ground level up an incline, one is still within the guideline of 400 ft AGL (assuming one chooses to follow the guideline).
As far as the law or even a guideline, MSL really has no bearing whatsoever other than the physical limitations of the aircraft. If the law OR the guideline stated 400 ft MSL, I could only fly if I dug a really deep hole since my current MSL is about 580 ft. I'm allergic to shovels.
As far as the law or even a guideline, MSL really has no bearing whatsoever other than the physical limitations of the aircraft. If the law OR the guideline stated 400 ft MSL, I could only fly if I dug a really deep hole since my current MSL is about 580 ft. I'm allergic to shovels.
But you also implied that you are flying under Part 107, and so the 5 mile distance to the airport is not relevant - only the airspace class. Since there is no surface Class E around KWYS you are free to fly the entire area provided that you stay out of traffic.
Similar threads
