Ultralight vs Drone ( Why do Drones have much tighter regulations)
- Thread starter Starman1224
- Start date
You are wrong. Many MANY Manned aircraft operate below 500'. Spend some time reading more and assuming less.
I live within a few miles of an airport. Cessnas circle my house all day long at ~200-300 feet - I could easily bounce one off of a plane if i wasn't being careful. Furthermore, they are so quiet that sometimes you don't even hear them coming.
Occasionally I'm in one of them
I haven't seen anyone in my neighborhood bombing out of their backyard in an ultralight recently, but that would be cool.
You are 100% correct. When we are set up on a short final the engine is at idle and often times barely audible at all. Factor in the noise of our sUAS and the manned aircraft could easily be upon us with no warning.
Then unless they are on take off or approach they are violating FAA rules.
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
Yes from airport 5 miles I completely understand read my post
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
Wrong. Very wrong. You've been getting your information from unreliable sources.
For instance a helicopter can fly at any altitude so long as it can make (or intend to) a safe landing from that altitude. I don't have the desire nor time to give you the exact regs but they are readily available if you want to dig deeper.
FAA:
Anywhere: an altitude allowing a safe emergency landing without undue hazard to person or property on the ground;
Over Congested Areas: an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal distance of less than 2,000 feet;
Over Populated Areas: an altitude of 500 feet AGL;
Over Open Water or Sparsely Populated Areas: an altitude allowing for a linear distance greater than 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure;
Helicopters: If without hazard to persons or property on the surface, an altitude lower than in definitions 2, 3, and 4 above, provided in compliance with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA.
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
Anywhere: an altitude allowing a safe emergency landing without undue hazard to person or property on the ground;
Over Congested Areas: an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal distance of less than 2,000 feet;
Over Populated Areas: an altitude of 500 feet AGL;
Over Open Water or Sparsely Populated Areas: an altitude allowing for a linear distance greater than 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure;
Helicopters: If without hazard to persons or property on the surface, an altitude lower than in definitions 2, 3, and 4 above, provided in compliance with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA.
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
My office is just outside the big red circle on the DJI app and sometimes the helos come by so low they sound like they are about to land on the roof....
I'm outside the airport circle. They do it wherever they want, rule or no rule and heils can do whatever they want wherever. But anyway this has nothing to do with your OP or drones and your OP has nothing to do with drones either
You contradicted your own statement by quoting the regs LOL.
Also take into consideration there could be many other special purpose flights in the area including: Law Enforcement, MediVac, Surveillance, Industrial Inspection (power line right of way clearing etc), AG Spraying, Fire Fighting, Para Gliders and many other manned aircraft well below 500' AGL.
Let's take a single application from above: Right of Way Clearing... here in the mountains of NC (and many other places around the country/world) helicopters are used to cut back the Right of Way to keep trees and such clear of power lines. They use a huge set of saw blades suspended below the aircraft whirling away. We watch them do this 2x a year here from my office. They come across the ridge following the power lines cutting the growth back. When they get to the highway and lake they rise up slightly above the lines and fly straight line to the next section about a mile away (over golf course, lake, fields, houses, etc.) During this relocating flight they are probably 200' AGL. This isn't a pic I took but it shows the set up I'm talking about:
Here's one showing it on the ground
For flights to/from their base they do climb up to cruise altitude (I'm guessing at least 2,000 AGL) but when hopping from one line to the next and such they are flying in the same heights we normally fly our drones.
[quote="Starman1224]
Over Open Water or Sparsely Populated Areas: an altitude allowing for a linear distance greater than 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure;
Helicopters: If without hazard to persons or property on the surface, an altitude lower than in definitions 2, 3, and 4 above, provided in compliance with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA.[/quote]
Take note that it states LINEAR distance not AGL. Makes a huge difference.
To put out a blanket statement that "all manned aircraft, unless close to an airport, will be flying above 500' per FAA regs" is wrong all day long.
Forgot about the crop dusters around here that often fly under the high power lines to spray the fields. We also have the daily oil pipeline inspection plane that flies low as well and covers miles of pipeline in the oilfields.
Okay, the sheriffs helicopter that also lands on the lawn next to a restaurant for lunch.
More fun is to watch the high tension lineman workers get dropped off a helicopter in their Faraday mesh suits to work on the lines. Those guys are nuts, imho, when you see them hit the wand against the line and the sparks fly. I talked to one and he said he often cleans off what look like little volcanoes that form on them and cause radio interfernce and all those pops and snaps you hear near them. He also mentioned he gets 'mildly electrocuted' about once a week too.
So much for that 500 foot rule.
Okay, the sheriffs helicopter that also lands on the lawn next to a restaurant for lunch.
More fun is to watch the high tension lineman workers get dropped off a helicopter in their Faraday mesh suits to work on the lines. Those guys are nuts, imho, when you see them hit the wand against the line and the sparks fly. I talked to one and he said he often cleans off what look like little volcanoes that form on them and cause radio interfernce and all those pops and snaps you hear near them. He also mentioned he gets 'mildly electrocuted' about once a week too.
So much for that 500 foot rule.
Ok I understand not ALL, cases do they fly above 500 feet. But that's the exception to the rule. So using that logic you should not fly your drone at all because of one of the rare situations you are taking about because they can be well below 400 feet. Your missing the point of this post and to be honest I'm done talking about it. Have fun flying in your backyard!
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
Similar threads
