Hi Friends, Can anyone tell me if it is safe to fly a spark at night. My town is having a fireworks show this weekend to celebrate the 4th of July and I wanted to get some aerial videos of it.
Spark at Night
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I am a firm believer in Learning by doing...Stretch your limits and grow.
That said I encourage you to get some flight time in before seeing those fireworks in a way you never have before.
Night time flying is a blast.
It is a rush....
Flashing lights...changes in intensity have been cited as the cause of crashes,,,It is my understanding the flight sensors get overloaded....I call it "confused" and can cause a crash.
Id like to encourage you to get behind the sticks and fly wherever and whenever legal and safe in your are
This is from December of 2018
There really didnt seem to be as many lights as usual....But still fun !
I
That said I encourage you to get some flight time in before seeing those fireworks in a way you never have before.
Night time flying is a blast.
It is a rush....
Flashing lights...changes in intensity have been cited as the cause of crashes,,,It is my understanding the flight sensors get overloaded....I call it "confused" and can cause a crash.
Id like to encourage you to get behind the sticks and fly wherever and whenever legal and safe in your are
This is from December of 2018
There really didnt seem to be as many lights as usual....But still fun !
I
Just make sure you are in a zone you can fly and everything will be ok.
This was last year 600ft from a class D airport with approval from the manager:
This was last year 600ft from a class D airport with approval from the manager:
NRRTRAINS
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Heckmaniac
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Required to have anti-collision strobes on the drone - those that can be seen up to 3 miles away. Got 3 Strobon Cree strobes on Amazon then attached them to cheap landing gear so I don't need to have any tape or fastener directly stuck on the Spark for daytime flights. Here is a pic of the gear with the strobes - I've since cut off the bottom portion of the gear to just below where the strobes are to save on weight and drag when flying.
Heckmaniac
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You can when flying as a hobbyist I believe, in uncontrolled class G airspace with proper anti-collision strobes and following daytime rules. If flying under part 107 you will need to submit a request for waiver and need approval.
I captured the festivities in my are as well.
200 feet straight up and a few feet away was a safe altitude as I was able to capture the main show of our town and see the shows in the surrounding towns as well.
Not to mention my neighbors enjoying the celebration with the store bought stuff launching til midnight.
I had my Cree strobes flashing away and had no problems, other than momentarily blindness by the the little guys when turning them on. ?
It was cool to see ALL of the celebrations on the very far horizon that the Spark sees.
Some advice, light up the landing area with a bright flashlight for the Spark or be cautious when landing in the hand capture as it is night time and the camera on the bottom can't see the ground or your hand as well and the landing may be a little different than what you are used too than the day time.
The new Mavics have landing lights as a feature to help land the aircraft in dark conditions.
200 feet straight up and a few feet away was a safe altitude as I was able to capture the main show of our town and see the shows in the surrounding towns as well.
Not to mention my neighbors enjoying the celebration with the store bought stuff launching til midnight.
I had my Cree strobes flashing away and had no problems, other than momentarily blindness by the the little guys when turning them on. ?
It was cool to see ALL of the celebrations on the very far horizon that the Spark sees.
Some advice, light up the landing area with a bright flashlight for the Spark or be cautious when landing in the hand capture as it is night time and the camera on the bottom can't see the ground or your hand as well and the landing may be a little different than what you are used too than the day time.
The new Mavics have landing lights as a feature to help land the aircraft in dark conditions.
Buddy411
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You don't need strobes, but it's a good idea. You just need to be able to see the position and orientation of the UAV. The stock lighting on DJI drones will let you get pretty far out. Again. the more lighting the better IMO.
Heckmaniac
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I'm no expert on the laws but it was always my understanding that the anti-collision lights you need to put on are not optional for night flights and are not there for you the drone pilot, but for other aircraft that can see the lights a minimum of 3 miles away. The lights on the Spark you will not see 3 miles out.You don't need strobes, but it's a good idea. You just need to be able to see the position and orientation of the UAV. The stock lighting on DJI drones will let you get pretty far out. Again. the more lighting the better IMO.
Buddy411
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That's for commercial/107 flights. Hobbyist just need to be able to see the position and orientation of the UAV.
This is from the FAA recreational flyer dashboard when you view your registration:
Safety Guidance
To fly under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you must:
- Register your drone
- Fly only for recreational purposes
- Follow the safety guidelines of a community based organization
- Keep your drone within the visual line of sight or use a visual observer
- Give way and do not interfere with any manned aircraft
- Get prior authorization before operating in controlled airspace
- Fly at or below 400’ in uncontrolled airspace
- Comply with all airspace restrictions
- Pass an aeronautical knowledge and safety test
No mention of restrictions of flying at night, civil twilight, Etc...
Part 107 has a night restriction.
Buddy411
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Thanks for this. I should also add that recreational night flying is only allowed in Class G airspace. The Waiver for flying in other airspace from approved sites (AMA, etc) is only good for daylight hours.
For those looking for a nice set of lights for the Spark, check these out. I mount the red and green on the port and starboard sides and the white goes on top. I can post pics if anyone wants to see what it looks like. These lights aren't as bright as the Firehouse Arc/Arc II - but with the Sparks limited range they are perfect!
Easylight Chargable White/Red/Green LED Position Lights Ver2 Smaller for RC | eBay
Charging mode: Balance charging 0.1A charging. Micro USB charging also supports Power Bank charging, which is especially convenient for outdoor use. The aerial light is removed and put back into the attached plastic box.
www.ebay.com
Thanks for this. I should also add that recreational night flying is only allowed in Class G airspace. The Waiver for flying in other airspace from approved sites (AMA, etc) is only good for daylight hours.
For those looking for a nice set of lights for the Spark, check these out. I mount the red and green on the port and starboard sides and the white goes on top. I can post pics if anyone wants to see what it looks like. These lights aren't as bright as the Firehouse Arc/Arc II - but with the Sparks limited range they are perfect!
Easylight Chargable White/Red/Green LED Position Lights Ver2 Smaller for RC | eBay
Charging mode: Balance charging 0.1A charging. Micro USB charging also supports Power Bank charging, which is especially convenient for outdoor use. The aerial light is removed and put back into the attached plastic box.www.ebay.com
There is no such waiver for flying in other airspace currently.
Except for AMA sites within controlled airspace, hobbyists have to sit it out until LAANC comes online for hobbyists July 23rd.
Been that way since May 17, 2019
And as I have said many times, FAA should have gotten LAANC online for us FIRST...THEN lock down the towers to where you could no longer call to notify them of your flight.
Thing is with fireworks (and not to take away from your videos) its hard to find the aerial point of reference unless you can see something on the ground as well as the fireworks themselves. I've been thinking about the strobes, we are now allowed to fly here in Canada at night, they are not quite so clear on the visibility requirements as the FAA, but at least for now, I usually fly in rural settings, so there is little ambient ground light for reference... so its not all that appealing to me. The other thing that concerns me a little is Spark's lack of any ultrasonic sensors, so once its dark, unless you have good ambient light on the ground, it may not be able to sense where the ground actually is... could lead to some mishaps... (as mentioned by Spark317)
It helped.
My first flight was a dark landing to my hand, it didn't know where my hand was to land slow and I had to grab it and hold the stick down to finally kill it.
I don't like doing the "flip the Spark" deal to shut it down.
Second flight, tried to land on the deck in the dark and the Spark couldn't see the deck until I flashed my flashlight on the spot, Spark was happy and landed with no problems. ?
In this video, I placed a flashlight on the ground near my landing spot and had no problems.Thing is with fireworks (and not to take away from your videos) its hard to find the aerial point of reference unless you can see something on the ground as well as the fireworks themselves. I've been thinking about the strobes, we are now allowed to fly here in Canada at night, they are not quite so clear on the visibility requirements as the FAA, but at least for now, I usually fly in rural settings, so there is little ambient ground light for reference... so its not all that appealing to me. The other thing that concerns me a little is Spark's lack of any ultrasonic sensors, so once its dark, unless you have good ambient light on the ground, it may not be able to sense where the ground actually is... could lead to some mishaps... (as mentioned by Spark317)
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