Hutchinson island, Florida

[Palmcomp]

Looking for areas to fly Spark around Hutchinson Island / Jensen Beach Fl

 

[Scottalmas]

I am curious: are you asking because there are a lot of local flight restrictions prohibiting drone use in the area? I ask because my wife and I are strongly considering moving to that area in the next 18 to 24 months and it never occurred to me that inability to fly might be a consideration in selecting an area to relocate to.

 

[Palmcomp]

I am curious: are you asking because there are a lot of local flight restrictions prohibiting drone use in the area? I ask because my wife and I are strongly considering moving to that area in the next 18 to 24 months and it never occurred to me that inability to fly might be a consideration in selecting an area to relocate to.

I’m asking to find out where fellow enthusiasts have found suitable areas to fly. I realize that there are restrictions from airports, like Stuart that extends into part of the Hutchinson island and Jensen Beach, but there are still other areas not affected. The B4UFLY app is useful.

cheers
John
(Seasonal snowbird)

 

[Scottalmas]

Are you able to Unlock in the DJI app and get approval through FAADroneZone pretty easily in that area? I see that Stuart is not on LAANC yet. My neighborhood is near a county airport designated as Class D airspace and with a DJI Warning Zone. I can unlock with all of my DJI drones and the FAA turns around flight authorizations really fast. I submitted an authorization request on a Friday for permission to fly around my neighborhood for the entire month of January, 2020. I got a response on Monday from the FAA granting the authorization and, in fact, EXPANDING it for longer in the day than I had even requested. The next day I got a reminder that it would expire at the end of January so I gave it a shot: I submitted a "renewal" to renew the authorization through the entirety of the year 2020. I got an approval on the same day. It sort of takes the sting out of the fact that the County Airport operator seems to have no idea what I am talking about when I ask about the status of LAANC at that facility. (Schenectady County, NY).

 

[Palmcomp]

I just arrived down here and haven’t yet unpacked the Spark. I’ll give it a try where we are and see what the GO4 app says and will let you know. I may have to go closer to Stuart to deal the lock feature authorizing. I registered the Spark with FAA as a Canadian so I’ll be interested in seeing how it all pans out.
Thanks for your replies and interest. I’ve not yet heard from any local drone pilots.

john

 

[Scottalmas]

No problem. Just remember, registering your drone is not the same as getting authorizing to fly in controlled airspace. The link below should direct you to the FAA DroneZone site for applying for authorization. As long as you are requesting authorization to fly below the maximum height set forth in the grid map for that area, don't be afraid to request authorization for as long as you might be down there. It could take a while for the FAA to get back to you (they allow themselves 90 days but my experience was much, much shorter than that).

FAA DroneZone: FAADroneZone

Grid Maps: ArcGIS Web Application

It looks to me like most of the Hutchinson Island / Jensen Beach Area is actually pretty open for flight. There is a small area with a 0ft ceiling, but most of the rest of the area actually has very high ceilings (200 to 400 feet), or are outside of the the controller area all together.

And if you have the time, stop into La Borgata in Palm City for possibly the best Italian food you will ever have. Of the hook good. La Borgata

Enjoy

 

[Palmcomp]

Thanks for the info. Yes I realize the registration doesn’t authorize flights in controlled airspace. I’m still on the learning curve and am anxious to get out to fly. Very windy here these next few days.
Thanks for the tip on Italian spot in Palm City. Might have to give it a try.
John