New Phantom owner - I live near a tiny airport - what's best to do?

[SteveMann]

Hi, please forgive me for a noob type of question. I have a Phantom 3 arriving tomorrow. I live 1.5 miles from a tiny airport. (I might as well say which one... Silver Ranch in Jaffrey, NH). It never occurred to me this could be any kind of issue, until in another thread someone pointed out that I'm supposed to notify the airport of every flight because I am within 5 miles of the airport.

So, how do others handle this type of situation? Is this just a formality that everyone ignores and life goes on just fine? Or, are people really calling up their tiny unstaffed airport with the 2 Cessna's parked on it to let them know of a flight around their back yard?

The airport has no tower. The plane pilots radio directly to each other to coordinate takeoff and landings. Their humble little web site gives a phone number but that's it: Silver Ranch Airpark, Inc., at the Jaffrey Airport in Jaffrey, NH If anyone routinely answers this number, I would be surprised. Is voice mail sufficient to "notify", or do I actually need to speak to a human?

I can't emphasize strongly enough how ridiculous calling them every time would be. Here anyway, I would only fly around my 2 acre back yard and just to the tree tops, mainly for practice. My previous drone was just an AR Parrott and I literally couldn't get it much over the trees without it blowing away uncontrollably. (I had no idea I was a "law breaker" every time I went back and forth in my yard with that toy.) The occasional Cessna that flies by is at least 400 feet up there.

You are only required to notify the airport manager when you plan to fly. I suspect that leaving a recorded message would be sufficient notification, but log or record the call yourself.
Alternately you could write the airport manager and ask for a permanent COA for a half-mile radius from your home up to 400 ft. This way you never have to call again.

Private airport owners are probably not up to speed on the law, so get a copy of Section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. You may need to refer to this when he says something to the effect of "not permitted".

Airport Ownership and Management from official FAA records
Ownership: Privately-owned
Owner: Jaffrey Muni Arpt Dev. Corp
190 Turnpike Rd, Jaffrey Airport
Jaffrey, Nh 03452
Manager: Harvey N Sawyer
Phone 603-532-8870


BTW, my wife and I are looking for a place to retire and Jaffery/Peterborough are on our list to check out.

 

[Porc]

You are only required to notify the airport manager when you plan to fly. I suspect that leaving a recorded message would be sufficient notification, but log or record the call yourself.
Alternately you could write the airport manager and ask for a permanent COA for a half-mile radius from your home up to 400 ft. This way you never have to call again.

Private airport owners are probably not up to speed on the law, so get a copy of Section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. You may need to refer to this when he says something to the effect of "not permitted".

Airport Ownership and Management from official FAA records
Ownership: Privately-owned
Owner: Jaffrey Muni Arpt Dev. Corp
190 Turnpike Rd, Jaffrey Airport
Jaffrey, Nh 03452
Manager: Harvey N Sawyer
Phone 603-532-8870


BTW, my wife and I are looking for a place to retire and Jaffery/Peterborough are on our list to check out.

Thanks for the info. Monadnock is a beautiful area and could be great for your plans.

Sent via Tapatalk on my Android phone. Good news; Tapatalk sucks less than it used to.

 

[richardseguro]

Icom a6 would suffice, as other higher models may include Nav frequencies to handle VOR on aircrafts. What we need as sUAV pilots are Com frequency radios. Since 1996 I believe you do not need a license for handhelds. Ground stations are another story. Also, handhelds should work fine with you and the proximity to the airport and any fly overs is well managed by handhels with 5watt power as long as there is clear straight line. I would say practice with a borrowed one if possible before you invest.