Just did a Long Range Flight...

[Meta4]

I wonder what you mean there is no rule and the 400 foot doesnt apply to home? Isn't home the same as AGL? What do you mean?

I mean exactly what I said:

It is possible go beyond 400ft above home point without breaking your rules
There's no rule that limits your height above home - just AGL.​

All the rules you care to find are about flying at some height above ground level.
None refer to a restriction based on height above your launch point.
There are situations where it make a difference since the earth isn't flat and people don't always fly straight up above their launch point.

 

[andrew259]

The way I understand it is that if you were on a cliff 1000 feet high, you are allowed to fly 400 feet above your home point. If you fly a foot away from your home point and over the cliff you would be 1000 plus 400 feet high. In other words, strictly illegal.

Correct - I've flown my inspire 80m BELOW my home point... (I stood on the edge of a lagoon), so the legal height would be 200m above this point.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DennisR]

I mean exactly what I said:

It is possible go beyond 400ft above home point without breaking your rules
There's no rule that limits your height above home - just AGL.​

All the rules you care to find are about flying at some height above ground level.
None refer to a restriction based on height above your launch point.
There are situations where it make a difference since the earth isn't flat and people don't always fly straight up above their launch point.

I have no idea what you mean. The laws say you cant fly higher than 400 feet. This is from your home point.. not from anywhere else. How can you get in a situation where you can fly higher? If you are on a 1000 feet tower you can fly 400 feet high, but if you fly away from the tower you would be 1400 feet high and breaking the law.

 

[jon b]

I understand your points of all who contributed well, I think you are right and I am wrong. This will not happen again and thanks for letting me see such issues with my craft operation.

Thanks,
JC

As the saying goes... "takes a big man to admit he's wrong" And, in the forum, it takes everyone's comments and opinions to make the site rich and interesting. Thanks for ALL the comments and perspectives... It's why I return to the forum often.

 

[DennisR]

I have no idea what you mean. The laws say you cant fly higher than 400 feet. This is from your home point.. not from anywhere else. How can you get in a situation where you can fly higher? If you are on a 1000 feet tower you can fly 400 feet high, but if you fly away from the tower you would be 1400 feet high and breaking the law.

This is a quote from the law.. "With a drone comes great responsibility, so besides the basic 400-foot operation ceiling, and always keeping the craft within your line of sight, other rules should apply."
It is very clear. I really want to know where you can fly more than 400 feet above your home point. In other words, the place you take off from. The ground is the ground where you are taking off from. Thats why one can get in trouble flying into a valley and going higher than 400 feet above the take off point. A normal aircraft works different. It is always the height above sea level.

 

[DennisR]

This is a quote from the law.. "With a drone comes great responsibility, so besides the basic 400-foot operation ceiling, and always keeping the craft within your line of sight, other rules should apply."
It is very clear. I really want to know where you can fly more than 400 feet above your home point. In other words, the place you take off from. The ground is the ground where you are taking off from. Thats why one can get in trouble flying into a valley and going higher than 400 feet above the take off point. A normal aircraft works different. It is always the height above sea level.

The FAA Advisory Circular 91-57 is one page, dates all the way back to 1981, and states simply that model aircraft operators – in this case people flying drones – cannot fly their crafts more than 400 feet above the ground, must keep them within sight, and should not operate within five miles of an airport without first informing the airport’s operating authorities or aircraft control tower.

 

[Meta4]

It is very clear. I really want to know where you can fly more than 400 feet above your home point. In other words, the place you take off from. The ground is the ground where you are taking off from. Thats why one can get in trouble flying into a valley and going higher than 400 feet above the take off point. A normal aircraft works different. It is always the height above sea level.

1. Airplane regulations relating to clearance heights are not linked to sea level - think about it ... (mountains)
2. Same for drones
No-one cares what height you fly above your home point.
What is important is how high you fly above the ground directly below your drone.

 

[DennisR]

1. Airplane regulations relating to clearance heights are not linked to sea level - think about it ... (mountains)
2. Same for drones
No-one cares what height you fly above your home point.
What is important is how high you fly above the ground directly below your drone.

Im a pilot and aircraft altitudes are adjusted to sea level. Some strips are 2000 feet above sea level and some are 100. thats the only way it can work. You have to set the altimeter to the sea level so all aircraft are flying at the same height on their instruments. Its not the same for drone and if you went to training you would know this. If fact, the 400 limit is set above your home point. If you are in a valley you can go 400 feet high. If you are on top of a cliff you can go 400 ft high but if you fly down the cliff, you must keep with 400 feet from ground level. This is basic stuff. I suggest you do a little reading.

 

[SixtyMike]

The FAA Advisory Circular 91-57 is one page, dates all the way back to 1981, and states simply that model aircraft operators – in this case people flying drones – cannot fly their crafts more than 400 feet above the ground, must keep them within sight, and should not operate within five miles of an airport without first informing the airport’s operating authorities or aircraft control tower.

Just a note. AC 91-57 was cancelled and replaced with AC 91-57A https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_91-57A.pdf
on September 2, 2015. The new 3 page document references PL 112-95, Section 336 pertaining to those of us that operate sUAS as hobbyists.

I carry a couple copies to show folks querying the legality of where I'm flying. I'm 4/4 for getting people to back off when they realize I'm following the rules.

 

[Meta4]

Im a pilot and aircraft altitudes are adjusted to sea level. Some strips are 2000 feet above sea level and some are 100. thats the only way it can work. You have to set the altimeter to the sea level so all aircraft are flying at the same height on their instruments. Its not the same for drone and if you went to training you would know this. If fact, the 400 limit is set above your home point. If you are in a valley you can go 400 feet high. If you are on top of a cliff you can go 400 ft high but if you fly down the cliff, you must keep with 400 feet from ground level. This is basic stuff. I suggest you do a little reading.

And I suggest that you think a little more flexibly.
Flight levels are ASL but the rules are full of other heights and limits that are AGL
If you can't work it out, explaining yet another time won't make any difference.
Height above ground level is not always the same as height above home point.

 

[DennisR]

And I suggest that you think a little more flexibly.
Flight levels are ASL but the rules are full of other heights and limits that are AGL
If you can't work it out, explaining yet another time won't make any difference.
Height above ground level is not always the same as height above home point.

I think you are confused or something else. you are allowed to fly 400 feet high maximum. Thats above your home point. If you want to go over a mountain that requires you to go higher than 400 feet, then you are illegal. Simple. If you dont want to fly into the mountain then you need to shift your position so you dont exceed the 400 feet. The 400 feet limit as I was taught is above your home point.
If you are in a valley you can fly 400 feet. If the valley is 600 feet hight ,then you cant.

 

[Meta4]

I think you are confused or something else. you are allowed to fly 400 feet high maximum.
Thats above your home point. If you want to go over a mountain that requires you to go higher than 400 feet, then you are illegal. Simple. If you dont want to fly into the mountain then you need to shift your position so you dont exceed the 400 feet. The 400 feet limit as I was taught is above your home point.
If you are in a valley you can fly 400 feet. If the valley is 600 feet hight ,then you cant.

If that's what you understood from your training, you weren't listening properly.
Above ground level means above the ground below your aircraft - not above your home point.
It doesn't matter where you launched - that's irrelevant.
What matters is how high you are above the ground directly below your aircraft.
I'm tired of typing the same thing over and over.
Once should have been enough.
I won't be responding to this nonsense any more.

 

[Mazz]

I think you are confused or something else. you are allowed to fly 400 feet high maximum. Thats above your home point. If you want to go over a mountain that requires you to go higher than 400 feet, then you are illegal. Simple. If you dont want to fly into the mountain then you need to shift your position so you dont exceed the 400 feet. The 400 feet limit as I was taught is above your home point.
If you are in a valley you can fly 400 feet. If the valley is 600 feet hight ,then you cant.

The altitudes are AGL. On a down hill you must go down and on an uphill you can go up. Full size aircraft also abide by these rules, 500ft above the terrain (this changes in different areas).

 

[RaptorMan]

Max height is 400AGL no matter where you are. If you are at the top of a 1000 foot cliff and you take off your drone you can climb to 400 feet above that point, but you can't fly out over the rim of the cliff even if you were to drop down to near ground level at the top. When flying at a specific altitude above sea level, say, 200 feet above sea level if you fly towards a hill your clearance to the ground will decrease so even if you maintain 200 feet above sea level you height above the ground could easily drop to zero.

Imagine a hill 500 feet above a valley floor ... if you were to take off from the valley floor and head up the hill at some point you're going to have to climb in our drone or you impact the hill. You should be able to climb the hill in such a way as to not exceed 400 feet above the ground where the drone is. If you ascend to the top of the hill and are legally only 200 feet above the ground at that point you will be 700 feet above your home point and all perfectly legal. You could have taken off from the top of the hill and climbed to 200 feet and been exactly where you were before.


Brian

 

[Meta4]

The 400 feet limit as I was taught is above your home point.

You might like to do a little revision of your understanding.
Here's what the rules you fly under say .....

CIVIL AVIATION REGULATIONS 1988 - REG 157
Low flying

(1) The pilot in command of an aircraft must not fly the aircraft over:

(a) any city, town or populous area at a height lower than 1,000 feet; or
(b) any other area at a height lower than 500 feet.​

(2) An offence against subregulation (1) is an offence of strict liability.
(3) A height specified in subregulation (1) is the height above the highest point of the terrain, and any object on it, within a radius of:

(a) in the case of an aircraft other than a helicopter--600 metres; or
(b) in the case of a helicopter--300 metres;​

from a point on the terrain vertically below the aircraft.

 

[DennisR]

You might like to do a little revision of your understanding.
Here's what the rules you fly under say .....

CIVIL AVIATION REGULATIONS 1988 - REG 157
Low flying

(1) The pilot in command of an aircraft must not fly the aircraft over:

(a) any city, town or populous area at a height lower than 1,000 feet; or
(b) any other area at a height lower than 500 feet.​

(2) An offence against subregulation (1) is an offence of strict liability.
(3) A height specified in subregulation (1) is the height above the highest point of the terrain, and any object on it, within a radius of:

(a) in the case of an aircraft other than a helicopter--600 metres; or
(b) in the case of a helicopter--300 metres;​

from a point on the terrain vertically below the aircraft.

To my understanding, its the same thing. I can see what you are saying but I never gave it a thought it was under the aircraft. to me it was the height the craft was allowed to fly. i was trying to explain that the craft is not allowed to fly more than 400 feet. This to my understanding is above a valley floor or mountain.

 

[DennisR]

You sound like Bill Cosby

i dont know if that means anything but when you earn $30,000 to $40,000 a month working from home alone producing commercials like I do, then I guess you can sling off at me. I paid $10,000 for my drone license and charge $550 an hour. Im trying to learn from this forum.

 

[10forty2]

Wow....... horse....dead...beaten-upon..... seems that the debate is pretty well covered. ;-) Fly responsibly and follow the rules. It's like my parents used to tell me..."if you know the rules and you have to ask if it's okay to do, it's probably not okay."

 

[RaptorMan]

Wow....... horse....dead...beaten-upon..... seems that the debate is pretty well covered. ;-) Fly responsibly and follow the rules. It's like my parents used to tell me..."if you know the rules and you have to ask if it's okay to do, it's probably not okay."

This thread has been rode hard and put away wet!


Brian

 

[gray52]

So are the new controllers putting out more power than the original one? So we could buy a new one and pair it to our inspire and get a range boost straight away?