Pittsburgh Point State Park Video

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Brought the P3A to work today and got some video of the Point in downtown Pittsburgh. I thought it turned out good, was sweating bullets the entire time.

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Awesome :) I'm from Pittsburgh too (Cranberry area). I'll be taking my P3P downtown once I get my backpack and extra batteries in the next week or so (hopefully). I have a bunch of saved points on a Google map that I want to fly at.
 
Awesome :) I'm from Pittsburgh too (Cranberry area). I'll be taking my P3P downtown once I get my backpack and extra batteries in the next week or so (hopefully). I have a bunch of saved points on a Google map that I want to fly at.

Nice, I am in Cranberry too, past the auto auction. Can't wait to see what kind of video you get.
 
Oh awesome. I've been practicing in the baseball/lacrosse/soccer field at the new North Catholic High School lol.

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Brought the P3A to work today and got some video of the Point in downtown Pittsburgh. I thought it turned out good, was sweating bullets the entire time.

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Looks really nice, I know about the bullets.
 
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Westmoreland co here... Anyon give you **** for flying there? DCNR, PORT AUTH?
 
Westmoreland co here... Anyon give you **** for flying there? DCNR, PORT AUTH?

I saw some station square security guards drive past me but they never said anything, not sure if they even saw me. Not sure they'd have much of an argument anyway. I've always said if someone doesn't want me flying where I am then there's not really any point to arguing.. better off to just move somewhere else.
 
Washington County here.....Good to see some fellow Southwest PA people! Great video, Great View. I used to live in the NorthSide towards Sewickley and would drive past this every morning.

I'll hopefully be posting some footage from a Car Show in Wheeling,WV ( after a very very windy day and some surprise altitude drops) once i get it edited and corrected.

Also, if you ordered an extra battery package through the Hobbytown in Robinson, the batteries and GPC Rolling cases should be in this week FYI.
 
Anyone looking for work near Pittsburgh or Young Wood Pennsylvania.
Ariel video photography drone work wanted in Young-Wood PA.
 
Also from Cranberry. Incredible view of the Point. Would have liked to see more. It has become flying a drone you always have to be in stealth mode and as you say, "sweating bullets".
 
Hi All!

Franklin Park here ... I usually fly from my backyard. I have my part 107, I applied for a waiver to film the fireworks on July 4th but was denied (not enough detail of the flight). I would LOVE to drive up to Mt. Washington one morning and get some epic video of the city.

Very nice video!

Rob
 
I always wanted to try flying my P3P over PNC Park during a Bucs night game. I was gonna launch from one of the lookouts on Mt. Washington, but taking off from Point State Park would be a lot closer (and easier). What do ya think?
 
That's right. The FAA has established no fly zones over major sporting events, your Phantom will not even take off while one of these restrictions are active unless you have a very old firmware, which might introduce other issues. I have heard that they are also jamming frequencies used by the wireless signal, I don't have confirmation on that.

I would recommend using AirMap or B4UFly to ensure that you are not about to fly in restricted airspace.
 
It would be illegal to fly over PNC Park.


I believe the FAA regulation only restricts stadiums when there are at least 30,000 people in the venue at the time. Otherwise, you are allowed to fly over an empty stadium, or a smaller one like during a high school football game.

I've seen a ton of stadium flyovers on YouTube so it must be legal when it's empty.
 
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The restriction is based on how many people the venue can hold. In the case of PNC Park and Heinz field, both are true (30k plus). AirMap and B4UFLY clearly show both as restricted areas. The restrictions run 3 hours before and 3 hours after game time. In the case of a High School game, it would be a nice gesture to contact the school before flying. If the footage will be used by the school (another nice gesture), a Part 107 cert is required, as it would be commercial use. Then you get into more regulations, such as not flying past civil twilight (30 minutes after sunset) and not flying over groups of people. Air space restrictions are *sometimes* waivable, but the Stadium restrictions are very real and you will get in a lot of trouble. You said that you wanted to fly during a night game, which is not allowed. I hope I don't see you on the local news ... I would advise you to get familiar with FAA NOTAMS (notice to airmen), as these pop up when important people are in town or passing through. They detail the start and end times and other info ...

Rob
 
The restriction is based on how many people the venue can hold. In the case of PNC Park and Heinz field, both are true (30k plus). AirMap and B4UFLY clearly show both as restricted areas. The restrictions run 3 hours before and 3 hours after game time. In the case of a High School game, it would be a nice gesture to contact the school before flying. If the footage will be used by the school (another nice gesture), a Part 107 cert is required, as it would be commercial use.

I'm not sure how big the no-fly radius is around PNC Park during a game. I'm guessing it aint as large as for airports and military installations. I wouldnt hover directly over the stadium --- maybe over the Clemente Bridge so I can get a nice oblique shot. An aerial photo poster would look great, and I could probably sell a ton of them online. I made about $45,000 last year from my aerial photos.

As far as getting a Part 107 to fly over a high school game, I wouldnt even bother. I've developed a specialized set of skills flying drones for 3 years now and I need to be well-compensated for my efforts. I usually charge $200 an hour, so most schools can't afford that and that's why I stick to my wealthier clients.

Maybe I should just wait until July 4th like this guy?


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Well, do what you want, the regulations are pretty clear:

1. No fly zone around sporting events is 3 miles.

2. Selling your footage without a Section 333 exemption or Part 107 certification is a punishable offense.

Good luck to you, my friend!
 

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