Question for licensed pilots!!

[VictorBravo77]

Here's my limited input: I too fly for my work. I fly mostly outside of the local Class D airspace, but occasionally need to fly in Class D airspace. In my experience I have never been asked for my Certificate or otherwise challenged officially. I have been queried by people as to what I am doing, and after explanation, (I'm doing an aerial survey of facilities related to our facilities..."), they go away satisfied, or do not escalate from there. The Class D airspace near me is not part of any planned LAANC rollout as far as I can tell, so that is not an option currently. As I get the best data for my needs at less than 300' typically, common sense application of Part 107 has been sufficient. Yes I have delayed or aborted sorties in an over abundance of caution due to local air traffic, but any piloted aircraft other than medical transport should not be that close to the ground, if they are, I am not their main problem. So, that said, I continue to fly safely, and am watching as the technology and regulatory environment evolves. Also, I have had DJI products 'quiz' me prior to being able to fly, and having my 107 makes that easy to run through.

Great post! I fly very near the departure end of a trafficked 04 runway. I have had no issues and I've spoken with the tower personnel (i.e. Part 107.41 - certain classified airspace with ATC clearance), as well as LAANC and local airspace authorizations.

A) the pilot is the final authority as to the safe conduct of her aircraft and,
B) the sUAS pilot MUST defer to manned a/c at all times
C) the pilot shall maintain visual line of sight (unless granted a waiver).

Thanks.

 

[GVDD scout]

All of your points are excellent and concise. Just an hour ago i was flying a survey 6.4 miles from the tower, 1.4 miles out of Class D air space, and half way through the grid, i hear and then see a Cessna 172 inbound from the west 'site seeing' at about 1,000' AGL, I'm at 275', so I proceeded through my flight, but with one eye on each craft until he exited my airspace. This is more likely to happen now that VFR sport pilots are enjoying the good weather.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Great post! I fly very near the departure end of a trafficked 04 runway. I have had no issues and I've spoken with the tower personnel (i.e. Part 107.41 - certain classified airspace with ATC clearance), as well as LAANC and local airspace authorizations.

A) the pilot is the final authority as to the safe conduct of her aircraft and,
B) the sUAS pilot MUST defer to manned a/c at all times
C) the pilot shall maintain visual line of sight (unless granted a waiver).

Thanks.

Tell A) to DJI, who seems to think they are the final authority, by taking control away from the PIC with forced landings and nanny intrusions into your ability to fly, along with a buggy GEO implementation that may prevent you from flying, even if every legal authority has already cleared you.

 

[Blessed77]

Tell A) to DJI, who seems to think they are the final authority, by taking control away from the PIC with forced landings and nanny intrusions into your ability to fly, along with a buggy GEO implementation that may prevent you from flying, even if every legal authority has already cleared you.

The DJI geo fencing system is very easy to navigate and bypass. Just as long as you know what you're doing it should never keep you grounded. It only takes a minute to unlock unless you're trying to fly within 1 mile of an active runway. And in that case it takes less than 12 hours. Very simple and easy to work around.

 

[GadgetGuy]

The DJI geo fencing system is very easy to navigate and bypass. Just as long as you know what you're doing it should never keep you grounded. It only takes a minute to unlock unless you're trying to fly within 1 mile of an active runway. And in that case it takes less than 12 hours. Very simple and easy to work around.

Operative words being "should never." Apparently, you haven't been around long enough to know better! Read the various threads on the subject here, and on RC Groups, of your fellow commercial pilots over the last two years! Your post sounds like a quote from a marketing piece for GEO, which is still buggy as ever. Good luck, if you are the PIC and hired drone pilot, where the talent and costs are $50,000 an hour, with only DJI aircraft, when you cannot fly because of a GEO bug, with all permissions in place!

 

[drone photography]

Hey Quick lession.. I live in Ohio. I was flying taking photos of Deer. Everything went well. About 10 days went by I got a letter from the FAA asking me to call the office in Columbus Oh. I did the guy I spoke too said I was flying over people, and I was flying as part 107 with a 101 License. I said how's that I have video and photos of About 100 deer. No people. So then he says I was flying in restricted air space. So I got really [Language Removed] off and ask.. what do you want me to do. He said surrender your license and your drone. I said nope. Take me to court. He told me the FAA can't take you to court but we can call the police. Ok do it. Well I no longer have that drone, or my license. But how ever I am working on a law suite.

 

[bsartist]

Hey Quick lession.. I live in Ohio. I was flying taking photos of Deer. Everything went well. About 10 days went by I got a letter from the FAA asking me to call the office in Columbus Oh. I did the guy I spoke too said I was flying over people, and I was flying as part 107 with a 101 License. I said how's that I have video and photos of About 100 deer. No people. So then he says I was flying in restricted air space. So I got really pisses off and ask.. what do you want me to do. He said surrender your license and your drone. I said nope. Take me to court. He told me the FAA can't take you to court but we can call the police. Ok do it. Well I no longer have that drone, or my license. But how ever I am working on a law suite.

Didn’t you also post about the FAA contacting you about flying over a bicycle event or some such? Boy I guess lightning can strike in one place. ;-)

 

[Blessed77]

Operative words being "should never." Apparently, you haven't been around long enough to know better! Read the various threads on the subject here, and on RC Groups, of your fellow commercial pilots over the last two years! Your post sounds like a quote from a marketing piece for GEO, which is still buggy as ever. Good luck, if you are the PIC and hired drone pilot, where the talent and costs are $50,000 an hour, with only DJI aircraft, when you cannot fly because of a GEO bug, with all permissions in place!

Should never can be said as has never for us. We've flown commercially every day the last 1.5 years since part 107 came out. Never once have we been grounded by dji geo fencing. We'very had to deal with it many times. As we are regularly flying in controlled airspace. We even flown 1500 feet away from the runway at KMIA class B for a week.

It is a very simple process to unlock the dji geo fencing. Just follow the steps. It works like a charm. And never once has it prevented us from flying any of our fleet of drones.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Should never can be said as has never for us. We've flown commercially every day the last 1.5 years since part 107 came out. Never once have we been grounded by dji geo fencing. We'very had to deal with it many times. As we are regularly flying in controlled airspace. We even flown 1500 feet away from the runway at KMIA class B for a week.

It is a very simple process to unlock the dji geo fencing. Just follow the steps. It works like a charm. And never once has it prevented us from flying any of our fleet of drones.

Happy to hear of a positive experience. However, the vast majority of commercial pilots' experiences have unfortunately been different, and they would all prefer a total GEO opt out, given their part 107 certifications.

 

[Surferchicusa]

Related question: does anyone know why a licensed pilot can not fly at night, but a hobbyist CAN??? That’s the reason I’m not getting my license, because I need to be able to fly occasionally at night looking for lost dogs .,. Not for pay, but for my own piece of mind. That, and looking for dogfighting rings so I can notify the proper authorities.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Related question: does anyone know why a licensed pilot can not fly at night, but a hobbyist CAN??? That’s the reason I’m not getting my license, because I need to be able to fly occasionally at night looking for lost dogs .,. Not for pay, but for my own piece of mind. That, and looking for dogfighting rings so I can notify the proper authorities.

As a Part 107 pilot, you can always still elect to make a hobbyist flight before launch, and fly under the hobbyist rules. I'll let someone else answer why Part 107 night flights require an exemption, but less qualified hobbyists have no such restriction. Seems a bit ironic.

 

[BigAl07]

Related question: does anyone know why a licensed pilot can not fly at night, but a hobbyist CAN??? That’s the reason I’m not getting my license, because I need to be able to fly occasionally at night looking for lost dogs .,. Not for pay, but for my own piece of mind. That, and looking for dogfighting rings so I can notify the proper authorities.

As a Part 107 pilot, you can always still elect to make a hobbyist flight before launch, and fly under the hobbyist rules. I'll let someone else answer why Part 107 night flights require an exemption, but less qualified hobbyists have no such restriction. Seems a bit ironic.

Because of the Model Aircraft Modernization Act of 2012. This made it to where the FAA could not make any NEW laws on Model Aircraft Operators who are operating strictly as a recreational flyer.

It's not because "Hobbyist can do it correctly/safely" but because Congress tied the FAA's hands behind their back in terms of hobby regulations. This is very likely to change in t he not too distant future. If the FAA had their way hobbyist would already be taking some degree of "test" to fly and have similar (probably stricter) restrictions than Commercial Operations currently have.

It's VERY ironic and silly but it's what happens when you have a knee-jerk reaction to a new technology and make laws without knowing anything about the technology. Congress screwed this one up in 2012 and I look forward to it being corrected sooner than later.

 

[barefootbeachcombing]

Hey Quick lession.. I live in Ohio. I was flying taking photos of Deer. Everything went well. About 10 days went by I got a letter from the FAA asking me to call the office in Columbus Oh. I did the guy I spoke too said I was flying over people, and I was flying as part 107 with a 101 License. I said how's that I have video and photos of About 100 deer. No people. So then he says I was flying in restricted air space. So I got really [Language Removed] off and ask.. what do you want me to do. He said surrender your license and your drone. I said nope. Take me to court. He told me the FAA can't take you to court but we can call the police. Ok do it. Well I no longer have that drone, or my license. But how ever I am working on a law suite.

How did the FAA know 1) your name and 2) your address to send you a letter?

 

[drone photography]

How did the FAA know 1) your name and 2) your address to send you a letter?

When you Register your drone, they have your name Rader can pick up your drone. I would have to guess they can also trace your drone with GPS since the p3 uses GPS to fly and the FAA wants that money

 

[bsartist]

When you Register your drone, they have your name Rader can pick up your drone. I would have to guess they can also trace your drone with GPS since the p3 uses GPS to fly and the FAA wants that money

Freak show. Just MHO

 

[Meta4]

When you Register your drone, they have your name Rader can pick up your drone. I would have to guess they can also trace your drone with GPS since the p3 uses GPS to fly and the FAA wants that money

Your Phantom dorsnt show up on radar and no-one can track you with GPS.
It just doesn't work like that.

 

[barefootbeachcombing]

When you Register your drone, they have your name Rader can pick up your drone. I would have to guess they can also trace your drone with GPS since the p3 uses GPS to fly and the FAA wants that money

Bwahahahaha

Okay ......

 

[N017RW]

Hey Quick lession.. I live in Ohio. I was flying taking photos of Deer. Everything went well. About 10 days went by I got a letter from the FAA asking me to call the office in Columbus Oh. I did the guy I spoke too said I was flying over people, and I was flying as part 107 with a 101 License. I said how's that I have video and photos of About 100 deer. No people. So then he says I was flying in restricted air space. So I got really [Language Removed] off and ask.. what do you want me to do. He said surrender your license and your drone. I said nope. Take me to court. He told me the FAA can't take you to court but we can call the police. Ok do it. Well I no longer have that drone, or my license. But how ever I am working on a law suite.

That was a great April Fool’s Day post!!!

I overlooked that the first time I viewed this thread.

Please post your FAA letter if you could please. I understand if you need to redact personal info.

Thanks

 

[BigAl07]

When you Register your drone, they have your name Rader can pick up your drone. I would have to guess they can also trace your drone with GPS since the p3 uses GPS to fly and the FAA wants that money

A) Your Phantom is too small to be picked up on RADAR. Even if it did have a "return" the software filters out small returns so that things like MYLAR balloons etc don't clutter up the screen.

B) RADAR only works in very specific areas & conditions. Unless you happened to be flying in an area near a facility the odds of an aircraft at +/< 400' AGL are minimal at best. I'm assuming you was operating in that general altitude.

C) You don't have a full grasp on how our GPS etc works in our aircraft. It's not a TRACKER type thing but the GPS data is sent over the telemetry stream and interpreted/written into the logs. It's not sending out a "broadcast" GPS signal like a GPS tracker does. Two totally different technologies.

D) What money are you talking about? If it's the $150 for taking the test that goes to the TESTING FACILITY and not the FAA. If you're talking about fees & fines from enforcement I'm afraid to say that's pretty much a NON issue currently (unfortunately).

 

[cneedelman]

So do you think that I can get enough off of YouTube to get ready for the test. I just don’t want to spend 2 or $300 to pass it. Give me some ideas of what are the most important things to learn for the 107 test.

Thanx

I used Youtube videos and searched out concepts that I didn't understand for further videos. I also bought Prepware Remote Pilot, a $4.99 App that had practice tests and is well worth it. I scored in the mid 90's, I did study off and on for a few months tho. I do.n't think you need an expensive course to pass this test. There is a Part 107 Facebook page that has many users who will answer any question that you don't understand