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Anyone in near Philadelphia?

Burdman44

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Nov 3, 2017
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39
I'm out near Phoenixville, PA (about 30 minutes west of Philly). Would love to network with other local drone pilots/exchange good local flying spots/etc. Holla!
 
Hey Burdman44
I'm in Montgomery County near Chestnut Hill.
Just ordered my Spark last week and anxiously awaiting it.
I'll get back to you when it arrives.
Stan
 
Awesome Stan, sounds good. You're very lucky to have Fort Washington and Fairmount parks right next to you - **** good flying out there!
 
Awesome Stan, sounds good. You're very lucky to have Fort Washington and Fairmount parks right next to you - **** good flying out there!
According to the PA DCNR, there are only 4 or 5 state parks where you can fly. Ft. Washington isn't one. Also, running the B4UFLY app shows about 20 heliports (all corporate) within 5 miles of my house might see 1 helicopter every two weeks.
So,not as easy as it seems. Fortunately, Fairmount Park seems pretty much OK anywhere.
 
According to the PA DCNR, there are only 4 or 5 state parks where you can fly. Ft. Washington isn't one. Also, running the B4UFLY app shows about 20 heliports (all corporate) within 5 miles of my house might see 1 helicopter every two weeks.
So,not as easy as it seems. Fortunately, Fairmount Park seems pretty much OK anywhere.

Lol, I've admittedly not run the app prior - have always just let the no fly zones do their thing/have all the alerts on. And thx for the heads up on the state parks - I knew there were only a few national parks that had designated RC aircraft zones in them/rest were off limits (live right next to valley forge...I'd kill to fly in there, lol), but the state parks were recommended by my neighbor (long time drone racer), so I never looked them up, lol. Just been lucky I guess - only ranger that ever approached me while flying in one was only interested/wanted to know more about it (cost, cam specs, etc).
 
I'm looking forward to getting my newly purchased mavic/spark in the air as well. I'm in Collegeville so any good spots we can find together would be awesome.
 
Sorry guys - been awhile since I checked back...winter sucks, haha. Good to know there are so many local Spark'ers! We'll definitely get together soon!

Pier 68.....Fly from here across Delaware River to Camden as far as to 676.View attachment 2398

Dude - sick spot! I will absolutely try that this weekend if the weather stays the way it's currently forecast.

Northeast Phila

Good stuff man - I'll post locations/times in here once the weather fully breaks and I start going out most weekends - would be great to get a few Sparks together for a "family" shot, lol.

I'm looking forward to getting my newly purchased mavic/spark in the air as well. I'm in Collegeville so any good spots we can find together would be awesome.

3 words my friend: Schuylkill River Trail. The fiance and I routinely take the bikes from Phoenixville to Conshohocken on it, and there are tons of great flying opportunities along the way. Depending on how 'ballsy' you are, they are some incredible shots of the river to be had around various rapids, canal locks; even a few river-side bars with patrons that are only too happy to pose, lol. Granted, it can be some VERY DIFFICULT/DANGEROUS flying (only to the Spark; not people) as most of the river is lined with trees you must fly over or under to get out over the water, but once you're very confident on the sticks, it's a lot of fun (and right now is the best time as you can see more before all the trees re-foliate).
 
Hey all - hope everyone's getting some good flight time in between all this rain! Wanted to share this map that a guy on one of my FPV drone groups just shared on the book of faces. There are definitely some parks and other things in here that are technically off-limits to drones, so use your own judgement, but this guy's been flying for a long time, and has done a great job of recording the interesting places he's found around our area.


FPV Road Trips - Google My Maps
 
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Anyone wants to wander across the bridge into S. Jersey. I fly a Spark and there are several spots I fly either down the Rancoacas creek from Delran area or from Florence Twp (Roebling Park), flying accross the Delaware and then immediately takes you over several adjacent lakes on the PA side of the river (very good area, and wide open). No immediate airports to have to notify and spoke to local police no they don't have any drone policies regarding drone flying in the area. Have some YouTube footage I can share of the Delaware River flights I've made if interested.
 
Hey all - hope everyone's getting some good flight time in between all this rain! Wanted to share this map that a guy on one of my FPV drone groups just shared on the book of faces. There are definitely some parks and other things in here that are technically off-limits to drones, so use your own judgement, but this guy's been flying for a long time, and has done a great job of recording the interesting places he's found around our area.


FPV Road Trips - Google My Maps
What do the different color markers mean - anything?
 
What do the different color markers mean - anything?

No idea, sorry homes. Against the key on the left, it looks like he started color coding based on location and got away from it after a while, but that's just a guess. The names associated with the individual points have been most "telling" about each location in my experience with this map thus far, but I'll try to remember to ask him next time I see him.
 
Hey guys, new pilot here. I'm located in Hatfield and have been doing research on where best to fly the spark...seems like a lot is off-limits. I recently read state parks are restricted. Anyone have some recommendations for this area? I read in the thread you can fly over the schuylkill river? How far down is one able to fly before it is off-limits? I would assume the closer to Philly you get the more restricted it is.

thanks!
 
Hello from the Hoosier Heartland, Stairwaytonevin.

There's a couple of apps worth having as a drone pilot.

UAV FORECAST & AIRMAP.

Both are available free in the app stores.

UAV FORECAST has info about filight conditions in your area.

AIRMAP will show you flight restrictions in your area.

Welcome to the Forum.:cool:
 
Hey guys, new pilot here. I'm located in Hatfield and have been doing research on where best to fly the spark...seems like a lot is off-limits. I recently read state parks are restricted. Anyone have some recommendations for this area? I read in the thread you can fly over the schuylkill river? How far down is one able to fly before it is off-limits? I would assume the closer to Philly you get the more restricted it is.

thanks!

Spark 317's suggestions are good ones. Most parks are technically off limits, but very few people I know observe this (from racing/freestyle flyers to camera craft pilots). You're most likely to have issues in the national parks that are heavily patrolled by Rangers. Valley Forge park is particularly unfriendly to drone pilots because the AMA club fixed wing guys that have permission to fly on the edge of it rat out quads to the wanna-be-cop Rangers - been kicked out of there a few times, lol...the leaves in the fall are just too tempting - gorgeous out there.

Beyond that, I've never had an issue in a state or municipal park. Had cops/rangers/security roll up to ask questions about the hobby out of genuine interest, but no problems. One of my favorite places to fly all types of quads is a scenic dog park near my place - zero issues in well over a year at this point.

Schuylkill-wise, the trail is usually decently patrolled, but again, in and out of the parks it runs though west of Conshohocken I've never had anyone stop me. Can't speak for east of conshi tho.

In my experience, just being respectful/courteous around others has worked (but obv follow all safety regs - airports, venues, altitude restrictions, etc). Don't go anywhere near people, and/or do anything else that might scare or otherwise antagonize others - including ruining the moment the couple enjoying the same sunset as you is having with your 'swarm of angry bees', lol.
 

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