Noob very confused about No Fly Zones, please help!

[fmscott2]

I'm very confused.

I'm considering purchasing a P3S but live in a city (Montgomery, AL) with helipads, regional airports, and an air force base nearby. I'm sure I'm inside of one or more NFZ at once. My question is, as long as you contact the tower operator, can I still fly under 400 ft in a NFZ? Or does the DJI Go app prevent you from even taking off?

I'm asking because I don't want to get a drone if I have to go way out in the countryside to fly it. I don't own any farmland or rural property. I want to be able to fly close to home in parks, soccer fields, etc.

 

[shurgot]

My suggestion would be to download one of the airspace apps from the app store (Airmap for drones, B4UFly) and see what type of notifications/authorizations would be required. You might get lucky, and simply have to submit electronic notification via the app.

The drone itself will still allow you to fly, unless you are within no-fly radius of a major airport (this is much smaller than the 5NM radius). DJI publishes this radius somewhere on their site, but I cannot remember it off hand.

 

[fmscott2]

So I downloaded the B4UFly app and I'm outside of the airport radius but I'm within the radius of two heliports (hospitals). The app says "Warning - Action Required. Contact airport operator/control tower of your flight." Does this mean DJI Go app will still let me fly as long as I call the helipad operator and probably submit electronic notification via the app?

 

[shurgot]

So I downloaded the B4UFly app and I'm outside of the airport radius but I'm within the radius of two heliports (hospitals). The app says "Warning - Action Required. Contact airport operator/control tower of your flight." Does this mean DJI Go app will still let me fly as long as I call the helipad operator and probably submit electronic notification via the app?

Sounds like you're good to go. You may be able to notify the heli-ports once and advise them of your operating times and locations. Someone on here may have more experience with heli-ports - but from what I understand these apps are overly cautious and identify them as airports. IMO: if you're 5-miles away from any Class B-E airport, then you're good to go as a recreational user (providing these heli-ports are in Class G airspace) - but don't quote me on that.

 

[fmscott2]

Sounds like you're good to go. You may be able to notify the heli-ports once and advise them of your operating times and locations. Someone on here may have more experience with heli-ports - but from what I understand these apps are overly cautious and identify them as airports. IMO: if you're 5-miles away from any Class B-E airport, then you're good to go as a recreational user (providing these heli-ports are in Class G airspace) - but don't quote me on that.

Ok. That sounds pretty reasonable. Thank you for your help. As someone who doesn't own a drone right now, it's very hard to get up to date information about the rules. Even still, some of the rules are confusing so thanks for your patience with my noob questions.

I would think that I could fly in city limits near a heliport as long as I 1) stay under 400ft and 2) accept whatever risk notice that DJI will likely pop up on their app.

 

[shurgot]

I learned all this very quickly after buying a drone first, and then trying to find a place to fly it afterwards - all while living in Los Angeles. There are a few more things you want to be weary of if you're going to fly in a neighborhood. #1 - your neighbors might not like it - so be respectful - they may complain, and law enforcement isn't quite up to speed on drone laws yet. Make sure there aren't any city or county laws that prohibit take-off or operation of a UAS (or model aircraft) - search your municipal codes for "model" - and something should come up. Also make sure you follow the FAA regulations about flying over people and busy areas, schools, and be aware of any privacy laws that might affect photography.

 

[LoneDrone]

Hi and good luck on getting your new drone.

I'd like to make a suggestion and keep in mind that this is coming from a new flyer also...
Search this forum like crazy about no fly zones, no drone zones, sectional maps, etc.
There is a ton of info you should know to be safe, and safe is the key word in flying.

I live in the mountains and there are a number of restrictions I have to observe. Living in a city there must be more.

Just a suggestion.
Do a good search.
Have fun with flying [emoji3]


Sent from my iPhone

 

[ROD PAINTER]

The B4UF app says you must notify tower if there is one or notify owner of airport if within 5 miles. Does not say any thing about notifying Heliports.

 

[tahir]

I'm very confused.

I'm considering purchasing a P3S but live in a city (Montgomery, AL) with helipads, regional airports, and an air force base nearby. I'm sure I'm inside of one or more NFZ at once. My question is, as long as you contact the tower operator, can I still fly under 400 ft in a NFZ? Or does the DJI Go app prevent you from even taking off?

I'm asking because I don't want to get a drone if I have to go way out in the countryside to fly it. I don't own any farmland or rural property. I want to be able to fly close to home in parks, soccer fields, etc.

Hi
I am in Sydney, Australia. What we need to find here is
1. Which type of Air space we want to fly (Next 2 points are for if we are in uncontrolled Airspace)
2. Which Aerodrome is nearby and is it certified or not
3. If certified then we look for the Frequency, on which we have to communicate just before the operation. If not certified then we get the genral automatic broadcast from the aerodrome and act with caution.
4. If we are in controlled airspace then we must get a prior approval even if we fly less than 400 ft.

Hope this will help