Newbie Q/A

[infamousevans]

Hey Guys/Gals,

I've done a lot of personal research on the Spark. I read a lot here, and also watched a lot of what to do, and what not to do videos on YouTube. I just had some questions that I can't seem to find clarification on.

1. Do I/Should I indefinitely register my spark with the FAA?
Some say I should, some say I shouldn't given my intentional use. Some say do it as strictly a precaution. What would you guys suggest? I only intend on using the drone for recreational purposes and adhering to the AMA guidelines.

2. All of my applications that check flight permission have my home/surrounding areas in an orange bubble due to proximity to an airport. The apps all say to "notify of flight" and provide a phone #. Must I do this if I stay under a specific feet ceiling? Can I not fly at all?

3. Is swapping the battery difficult?. I decided to start with 3 batteries. Is swapping batteries a pain in the ***? Does it de-sync everything from the controller when you need to do it? Pre-flight seems important, but also timely. Will the battery swap require another pre-flight check each time, given the usual flight times is only 12-15 minutes before it's needed?

4. In a rural area. Trees, houses. How good/bad is the signal?
Some say its terrible, while others say its fine. Others say to definitely pickup a signal booster if I intend on flying it in my neighborhood.

I appreciate your feedback!

-John

 

[AeroMirage]

1) Yes. This is required regardless of intended use.
2}You cannot fly in NFZ at any height without permission /clearance.
3)Not at all. Turn off bird, change battery, restart. You can leave the Remote on.
4)I never fly out of VLOS and have no problem with signal anywhere. Those that do are usually trying to fly longer distances.

Signal boosters focus / aim the signal of the remote and do nothing to the signal coming from the bird.

 

[infamousevans]

Thank You Mirage I appreciate the info!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

When you register, you don't register your drone (if you're a hobbyist) you register yourself. You're given a number and then you could affix that number to multiple drones. Getting Started

 

[Bubbles!!!]

100% would just be rephrasing mirage to answer the questions. Addition to the last one, if you're using android, in my experience, the OTG cable is a must, if your use an iOS device though you're fine anywhere xD

 

[les.warden]

When you register, you don't register your drone (if you're a hobbyist) you register yourself. You're given a number and then you could affix that number to multiple drones. Getting Started

Just adding to FLYBOYJ, registering yourself is under the 336. Register 107 only if you’re going commercial, then you have to register EACH drone AND you must get a license via testing. I registered under 107 mistakenly and had to re-resister under 336. Only a $5 mistake.