Where to fly - Orange County, Southern California

[SoCalDude]

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

Ah! I didn't think about losing VLOS. On occasion, I'll fly outside a restricted area (like a park), but then fly over it to capture video/pics, etc.

The California state park rule out here is that it is allowed unless specifically posted not to fly.

 

[Bonedad]

Hey Guys n Gals.. I have a P3A and want to get some practice flying, learning my bird before the summer. I'm going to be taking her on fishing trips out in the Pacific so need to learn as much as possible so I don't lose her and have to buy a Mavic or P4 (which I will probably do anyway haha). My question.. is it legal to fly the Santa Ana River ? I'm not looking for stunning visuals right now, just somewhere to get used to flying. I'm in Yorba Linda... Thanks so much, Aaron

 

[HarleyKen]

Hey Guys n Gals.. I have a P3A and want to get some practice flying, learning my bird before the summer. I'm going to be taking her on fishing trips out in the Pacific so need to learn as much as possible so I don't lose her and have to buy a Mavic or P4 (which I will probably do anyway haha). My question.. is it legal to fly the Santa Ana River ? I'm not looking for stunning visuals right now, just somewhere to get used to flying. I'm in Yorba Linda... Thanks so much, Aaron

I don't see any reason not to fly the riverbed as long as there are not any NFZ's where you are flying.
Are you taking your bird out on a boat while fishing?

 

[Bonedad]

I don't see any reason not to fly the riverbed as long as there are not any NFZ's where you are flying.
Are you taking your bird out on a boat while fishing?

I don't see any reason not to fly the riverbed as long as there are not any NFZ's where you are flying.
Are you taking your bird out on a boat while fishing?

Yes, I have a few 3 day trips planned and would love to get some video and pics. Thanks HK

 

[HarleyKen]

Yes, I have a few 3 day trips planned and would love to get some video and pics. Thanks HK

Then you better brush up on your hand launching and hand landing. Lots of videos here to show you how much "fun" it is to landing from a pitching and rolling vessel. [emoji15][emoji15][emoji15]

 

[Bonedad]

No doubt, I've seen several videos showing the fun to be had.... I've got some work to do and some time to put it before I go. I've had the bird for a little over a year and haven't ventured out of my own backyard, time to s&#t or get off the pot.

 

[HarleyKen]

I've had mine since January and flown 32 times here in Dana Point and a trip to Maui. Love flying over the water. Something about the water and coast that is so peaceful.
Also lots of room to practice during the week when the crowds are small. Not looking forward to summer this year.

 

[SoCalDude]

Hey Guys n Gals.. I have a P3A and want to get some practice flying, learning my bird before the summer. I'm going to be taking her on fishing trips out in the Pacific so need to learn as much as possible so I don't lose her and have to buy a Mavic or P4 (which I will probably do anyway haha). My question.. is it legal to fly the Santa Ana River ? I'm not looking for stunning visuals right now, just somewhere to get used to flying. I'm in Yorba Linda... Thanks so much, Aaron

Certain parts of the river should be okay, depending on if it falls inside a radius of five miles of an airport or not. It also depends on if there are any NOTAMs/NFZs for the area.

If you prefer to have local lessons, check out CraigsList.

 

[regdawg]

I've had mine since January and flown 32 times here in Dana Point and a trip to Maui. Love flying over the water. Something about the water and coast that is so peaceful.
Also lots of room to practice during the week when the crowds are small. Not looking forward to summer this year.

I'm headed to Maui in May, staying at the Royal Lahaina. Any recommendations and/or tips for flying in Maui? This will be my first airline travel with the P3P [emoji5] . Excited and nervous nonetheless.

 

[Bonedad]

Certain parts of the river should be okay, depending on if it falls inside a radius of five miles of an airport or not. It also depends on if there are any NOTAMs/NFZs for the area.

If you prefer to have local lessons, check out CraigsList.

Thanks SCD!.. I'm in Yorba Linda, Anaheim so I think I'm clear of airports. Good idea about the CL, I just need airtime and used to trusting my quad

 

[HarleyKen]

I'm headed to Maui in May, staying at the Royal Lahaina. Any recommendations and/or tips for flying in Maui? This will be my first airline travel with the P3P [emoji5] . Excited and nervous nonetheless.

Oh you're going to have fun there. I did most my flying around Kapula and the northern end of Maui. Go search out the blow hole and surrounding area.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=dzh4LUhEUDJ3NXZXd1JtUFVzMDkzbW5BWXJBYWtn

I flew Hawaiian Airlines and carried my gear and all as carry on. They didn't blink an eye. Just make sure your batteries are at 50% and don't bring too many. I only brought two with me in my hard case.

 

[Andy@hivemapper]

Just dropping this in in case any one is still searching for a place to fly - Top 10 places to fly in Orange County by Hivemapper.

 

[Mavic.joe562]

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.

When are you free to fly ....I new to the beach seen don't want to get in trouble ...I was planning on going tomorrow morning

 

[SoCalDude]

The earliest I can go would be Wednesday evening.

 

[Mavic.joe562]

The earliest I can go would be Wednesday evening.

I could do that I'm free around 4-7pm

 

[SoCalDude]

I can get there around 6:30 PM or so.

 

[Mavic.joe562]

I can get there around 6:30 PM or so.

OK I work at 10 so we could fly for a bit

 

[John Locke]

I'm headed to Maui in May, staying at the Royal Lahaina. Any recommendations and/or tips for flying in Maui? This will be my first airline travel with the P3P [emoji5] . Excited and nervous nonetheless.

You really need a good backpack to have fun, IMO. Taking the craft to remote places to fly is my idea of adventure and solitude. My wife and I like hiking the trails in Hawaii to find nuggets of sites, sounds, and views. We'll be on Maui in early June ourselves, and we were just on Oahu a month ago. Great opportunities to capture great water scenes and mountain terrain. For a backpack I recommend ThinkTank Helipak, good for any Phantom, holds lots of stuff and made of really good materials, feels professional. The best practice is to fly from launch sites where there are no people to see you flying. Nothing worse than someone bothering you while you're trying to focus on flying and put some good shots together. Make sure to eat on the roof at a Fleetwoods, in Lahaina, owner Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac drummer) lives nearby and stops by from time to time.

 

[John Locke]

Here's a jewel of a flight spot. About 2hrs from OC, the scenery off this cliff overlooking Grapevine hill is incredible this month. The hills are green, and there are areas of wildflowers to cruise over.

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[SoCalDude]

OK I work at 10 so we could fly for a bit

Unfortunately, I am unable to make it this evening. We'll have to reschedule, but as of right now, I'm not sure when that time is. I'll keep you posted.