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Should I even bother getting a Spark?

daveallyn

Member
Join
May 20, 2018
Messages
7
Age
48
I live in Fort Walton Beach, FL. When I lived in Central Illinois (middle of nowhere) I had a Syma 5xc and had fun with it, but wanted something more. Now that I moved to Florida, I want to get a spark. While saving up money, I have been reading a lot and found AirMaps. Wow. Looking at AirMaps, there is NOWHERE to fly around here! Yet, I have seen drones being flown by others, and have seen lots of footage online. What is the deal? Are others flying illegally? Are the alerts more of a "suggestion"?

Please help me to understand. Am I going to have to drive an hour or so away in order to fly? If so, how are others flying around here? It is not worth it to me to spend hundreds of dollars for something I will only be able to use a few times a year.

Thank you for your help.
Dave
 
Define "nowhere to fly"? Is everywhere a red area? Or just yellow areas?
Areas that are yellow can be unlocked by the user.
If you are flying for hobby/recreation and are within 5 miles of an airport, you can fly there, you just need to contact the airport.
Having said all that, there's nothing wrong with drying an hour to fly somewhere either.
 
AirMap Web App

multiple special use airspaces, several airports, and a couple of air force bases.

I could drive an hour to fly, I just know my schedule, and would rather be at the beach. That is a large part of why I moved here in the first place.
 
Well, you can't fly in the large red area as the Gulf Islands National Seashore is a National Park Service property.

You obviously can't fly over the military bases themselves.

You can fly in the yellow areas if you are flying hobby/recreation. You just need to notify each airport that is within 5 miles of where you will be flying.

Some of the blue areas are MOAs. You can fly there, you just need to use extra caution for the military operations.

Some of the blue areas are Restricted Areas. You can't fly there when they are active (which might be all the time but it might not be). And you should check the altitude at which they start (which might be surface but might be a higher altitude).

Special Use Area A292 (PENSACOLA, FL) is only active at certain times and days. The same applies to Special Use Area A211 (DOTHAN, AL).
02_Details.jpg.18db5e7dd322ce9da2986625a69320ba.jpg
 
Ah, I see now. I thought the special use area's were always a no fly zone. Thanks for the info.

Where did the chart come from? Is that inside AirMap? or is there somewhere else I can look that up?
 
The one app you should really check is B4UFly. It's the app from the FAA and DJI software is tied into it. I tried to fly one time 7 miles from the Denver airport...Airmaps and UAV forecast said I was good to go (which I was technically). However when I tried to take off, the GO4 app wouldn't let me due to Denver International Airport...the B4UFly app said the same thing. It was BS as I was 7 miles away....
 
The one app you should really check is B4UFly. It's the app from the FAA and DJI software is tied into it. I tried to fly one time 7 miles from the Denver airport...Airmaps and UAV forecast said I was good to go (which I was technically). However when I tried to take off, the GO4 app wouldn't let me due to Denver International Airport...the B4UFly app said the same thing. It was BS as I was 7 miles away....
I live in the Denver area as well - even though you were 7 miles from DIA DJI will still lock you out. There is an area of DIA's class B surface area that extends over 6 a mile radius from airport center instead of the traditional 5.
 
You think airspace warnings are bad? Forget it if you ever plan on using the drone to do any kind of nature photography.

Pretty much everywhere in my great state of new york that is beautiful to photograph, is in a state park... Which is illegal to fly in. They can and will give you a $300 ticket for your first offense. Now even most county and city parks are also illegal.

As is university campuses. Syracuse University is a huge campus here and covers a lot of the photographable parts of the city. But drone use is forbidden. You can request to use one there, but they require you to have liability insurance (even if you are a hobbyist or student) and make a campus police officer sit with you as you fly, breathing down your neck.

Drone use for the general public is dying. Soon there will be nowhere at all you can use them, except for you own private property, and then only if its not in a controlled airspace.
 
but they require you to have liability insurance (even if you are a hobbyist or student)

I haven't used this myself but seen other drone pilots on YouTube use it.

It's on demand insurance when you fly and you decide the flight time and coverage needed.

Screenshot_20180610-220634.jpg

Should be available in the app stores.
 
Never mind.

I scrolled my app up to the campus and at the top of the screen it says, "Not available in New York".
The insurance, not the app.

Darn bureaucrats.
 
You think airspace warnings are bad? Forget it if you ever plan on using the drone to do any kind of nature photography.

Pretty much everywhere in my great state of new york that is beautiful to photograph, is in a state park... Which is illegal to fly in. They can and will give you a $300 ticket for your first offense. Now even most county and city parks are also illegal.

As is university campuses. Syracuse University is a huge campus here and covers a lot of the photographable parts of the city. But drone use is forbidden. You can request to use one there, but they require you to have liability insurance (even if you are a hobbyist or student) and make a campus police officer sit with you as you fly, breathing down your neck.

Drone use for the general public is dying. Soon there will be nowhere at all you can use them, except for you own private property, and then only if its not in a controlled airspace.
Note that the state parks and university campuses can prevent you from launching and landing on their property. They cannot regulate the National Airspace and thus cannot prevent you from flying over those properties.
 
Note that the state parks and university campuses can prevent you from launching and landing on their property. They cannot regulate the National Airspace and thus cannot prevent you from flying over those properties.
this is true... But a lot of these state parks are very large. Good luck flying in from elsewhere with a spark. Even a mavic might struggle. Need an inspire.

Of course, you would have no LOS to the drone, so if you are a 107 pilot you are also breaking the law.
 

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