Where to fly - Orange County, Southern California

[Shan]

I'm planning another trip to Tehachapi Loop in late March or maybe April, depending on the local flower bloom. With all the rain this year it should be spectacular. I'll let you know when and maybe we can put a group together. I've got a couple others interested.

On the way to Tehachapi I plan to stop and fly Gorman over the wildflowers.

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I'm interested in going

 

[andy966]

Hi guys - just bought a Phantom today - live in Irvine by Portola area, got home around 5pm, took the phantom out placed in our park 5 steps from my door flew it up and down tested camera (10 minutes flight time) - landed went inside the house, after 10 minutes Irvine Cop showed up and told me no drones,planes, copters, rockets are allowed in all of Irvine.... I drove to whiting ranch dirt parking lot by the Oakley HQ - huge open field to test it for a few minutes, Park Ranger said "he thinks" its not allowed but to do it anyway since he think its cool and its harmless and was only flying it like 20FT since I am new to the quadcopter-world

So any insights where to fly and would like to film more mountain biking rides as well.

any insights and suggestions from experts in this forum...

thanks !

I was at my sister-in-law's in Irvine in the new condo complexes near Sand Canyon. I was flying my drone around the area and stayed pretty clear of the Great Park. I also made sure to not fly over people and keep the drone fairly high up. About 15 mins into my session an Irvine PD officer drives up. He was amazingly polite and just said, "Someone complained about a drone in the area but I don't know if there are any laws against that, do you?" I said, "I don't know of any but you are more than welcome to check." He gets on his laptop in his car and does a search. After about 5 mins of conversation and searching, he was actually gushing about how cool he thought my drone was and then he says, "I can't find anything, I am sorry for bothering you." "I will make sure dispatch is aware not to waste our time by sending us out to these calls." I said no problem, my battery was almost dead anyways so I headed in. But the experience was great and so if there is some sort of law in Irvine that says "no drone flying" then this officer was unaware. I just emailed the police chief of Irvine to inquire about this since they don't really have any good info on their website.

 

[2nd2non]

Agree on Irvine. I live here and outside of parks where it is clear you can't fly, there are no formal restrictions elsewhere. But most of the west side is within 5miles of JW airport, so I stay on the NE side away from people.


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[andy966]

Irvine PD was very quick to respond, here is what they said:

Thank you for contacting the Irvine Police Department regarding your interest as a hobbyist to operate a drone in the City of Irvine. Presently, the City of Irvine does not have additional drone restrictions beyond the regulations imposed and enforced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems. I am glad to hear that you have already registered your drone with the FAA and have reviewed the FAA guidelines for operating a drone safely. We only ask that you adhere to the FAA rules in order to avoid flying your drone in a manner that could jeopardize the safety of the public and property on the ground. As you may know, those rules include being mindful of the 5-mile restriction associated with airports such as John Wayne Airport.

Again, I want to thank you for taking the time to contact me in advance about the requirements with operating a hobbyist drone in the City of Irvine. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at (949) 724-7209.

So if an Irvine PD officer says something to the contrary, you can advise them that as long as you are more than 5 miles away from John Wayne and adhering to FAA rules, you are fine.

 

[2nd2non]

Only caveat is the parks have their own rules. If you go to that site, you'll see "no launching, rockets, etc...". In fact several parks have these signs. So the point is just launch from the street then fly over the park (as long as no one is underneath) [emoji12]


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[SoCalDude]

While driving out in the high desert, I drove by this water tower and thought to myself, "I've always wanted to fly around a water tower", and I did!

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[2nd2non]

The gray whales are making their annual migration back north. They typically are closer to shore when traveling back with their cavs. Anyone planning to capture them along the coast? Any good spots?


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[John Locke]

Absolutely, I plan on capturing whales migrating along Palos Verdes peninsula, near the Vicente lighthouse. There's a good launch site about 1200' south of the lighthouse, on a cliff. March is a good month for this, through mid April. Bring your binoculars and lawn chair, along with a brockumbrella hat, or screen shade.

 

[2nd2non]

That's weird, I can't find the map I posted, either! So, I re-did a new map(s)...

Overview:

Detail:

Scouted this area today. The scenery is beautiful with rolling hills and greenery. Plenty of space to really blow out your quad. Didn't fly today, but since this is basically located in my backyard, hope to return Friday or next week if winds are low

 

[shurgot]

Any word on whether or not you can fly in Huntington Beach - on the coast/sand areas? It's outside the 5 mile radius of any airport. I could not find any city or county laws saying anything other than obey the FAA rules.

 

[SoCalDude]

As seen in my various posts/videos here in this thread, Huntington Beach (being from here) is my most popular place to fly. It also helps that I live here.

You're good along the coast and beaches as long as all other FAA and community (AMA) rules are being followed. If you fly away from the coast, be aware of other rules such as not taking off or landing in city parks, near hospitals, power plant, police heliport, schools, unprotected people, etc.

Also, FYI, all of HB is in Class E airspace (not that it matters to UAS pilots). There are a couple of areas in Class C and Class D airspace, so be aware of those areas, too. These aren't all the rules, so please do some research for yourself.

If anyone wants to fly the pier anytime, let me know—I can show you the ropes.

 

[DonJuanEstevan]

Also, FYI, all of HB is in Class E airspace (not that it matters to UAS pilots). There are a couple of areas in Class C and Class D airspace, so be aware of those areas, too. These aren't all the rules, so please do some research for yourself.

Correct me if I'm wrong but do you mean HB is Class G up to 700' or am I not seeing a Class E surface line on the TAC?

Is there any other local laws to be aware of right near the pier? I'm headed back out there in May and was thinking of staying the first night across from the pier so any tips you may have would be very much appreciated.

 

[John Locke]

The airspace is fine at the pier. I recommend flying toward the end of the day when there is the least amount of people, or early in the morning. The parking passes will cost a couple bucks for 90 min, you can use a credit card. Launch directly across from the Dairy Queen, that's where most of us fly from. I launch from the parking lot, right next to my car when the least amount of people are nearby. Never had a problem, however I don't fly during the summer when it's packed with people. It's too hard to find a parking space in the summer too. If possible it's nice to get a front row parking space overlooking the sand so you can navigate from inside the car in comfort, after takeoff.

 

[DonJuanEstevan]

That's incredibly helpful information! Thank you very much! I was thinking of doing my flights in two windows. One just at sundown into civil twilight and the other just after sunrise.

 

[HarleyKen]

Dana Point harbor is a great place to fly also. That's where I do a lot of flying there.

 

[SoCalDude]

Correct me if I'm wrong but do you mean HB is Class G up to 700' or am I not seeing a Class E surface line on the TAC?

HB (and, thus, the pier) is in Class E airspace starting at 700' AGL, but as I mentioned previously, it doesn't matter to us sUAS pilots. Look at the sectional map below and I've drawn red arrows pointing at the Class E boundary, as well as an arrow pointing at the pier.

Is there any other local laws to be aware of right near the pier? I'm headed back out there in May and was thinking of staying the first night across from the pier so any tips you may have would be very much appreciated.

There are no other "special" ordinances that I know of. Just follow the AMA guidelines (which includes not flying over unprotected people).

 

[DonJuanEstevan]

Dana Point harbor is a great place to fly also. That's where I do a lot of flying there.

I'll check that out too. Thanks!

 

[DonJuanEstevan]

HB (and, thus, the pier) is in Class E airspace, but as I mentioned previously, it doesn't matter to us sUAS pilots. Look at the sectional map below and I've drawn red arrows pointing at the Class E boundary, as well as an arrow pointing at the pier.

I'm not trying to argue but that faded magenta line means that Class E bottoms out at 700' AGL on the faded side. Below that is Class G. Class E is technically fine for us to fly in except that it normally starts at 700' AGL or 1200' AGL and we aren't allowed to climb higher than 400'. When it goes to the surface (shown by a dashed magenta line) that's when we need prior ATC authorization.
§107.41 Operation in certain airspace.
No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from Air Traffic Control (ATC).

 

[SoCalDude]

No argument necessary. That's why I stated that it doesn't affect us sUAS pilots since we would never (legally) hit the 700' floor of Class E. I also changed that post to include the 700' requirement. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone.

Bottom line is that it is generally FAA legal to fly in the area around the HB Pier, as seen in my videos, it's my favorite place to fly.

 

[DonJuanEstevan]

No argument necessary. That's why I stated that it doesn't affect us sUAS pilots since we would never (legally) hit the 700' floor of Class E. I also changed that post to include the 700' requirement. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone.

Bottom line is that it is generally FAA legal to fly in the area around the HB Pier, as seen in my videos, it's my favorite place to fly.

Oh ok. I was getting super confused and didn't see your ninja edit. Lol. Yes you are correct. You guys have it a lot better for flying out there. Here in Georgia you can't take off or land in a state park. Can't fly into one because you'll lose VLOS because of the trees