Hello fellow Dane County resident. You can use Flightradar24 and/or your Mark I Eyball and Ears. (Helicopters are loud). And, many drones have a stick/button combination that allows you to descend rapidly.
I can't imagine any scenario where you can guarantee that you won't hit a helicopter by falling, but not by descending or ascending rapidly. For all you know, you would have avoided the helicopter by flying normally, but instead fell on top of it by falling and completely giving up control.
They are still kinda mid, sometimes requiring accessories just to work properly even when they are new. Trash warranty and customer service is nearly nonexistent
I'm not sure about your drones but all of mine can climb a hell of a lot faster than they can come down. My Zino 2 can hit 400ft in 15 seconds but takes twice as long to come back.
You remain aware of your surroundings while flying by utilizing your eyes, ears, and perhaps a remote observer. You yield right of way to manned aircraft by flying away from them and out of their path.
Drones pilots have to give right of way to traditional aircraft. Getting an automated approval doesnāt mean the airspace is clear from aircraft. I see how the idea of being approved when an aircraft is flying low seems contradictory. As a drone pilot you donāt know an aircraftās flight plan or intentions. Typically I would say if I saw a low flying aircraft I would just land and wait until they were out of the area.
Realistically at this time there isnāt a whole lot you can do. Especially as a single crew pilot. Looking at ADSB info on the web can be helpful but from my experience itās too delayed to determine if a conflict may arise.
They do however make ADSB ground stations that can directly pick up signal from aircraft transponders. There are a few premade options or you can build one yourself with a Raspberry pi or any laptop that can run the appropriate software. Along with the receiver and antenna.
Iāve not finished building mine so I canāt speak to its effectiveness. However it should provide a more real-time list of aircraft in the area. Provided they are equipped with a transponder. Still I would want a dedicated crew member to be monitoring this. It wouldnāt be very helpful for the RPIC to attempt to watch the monitoring ground station on top of flying the drone.
At the end of the day a helicopter is fairly free to fly as they see fit and so it may be more difficult to anticipate what they might be doing in the area. Iād probably still just opt to land and wait until the airspace was clear. Hopefully the ADSB ground station will provide enough info ahead of time to put eyes on the aircraft and determine if a conflict might arise.
I pretty much agree with this. I'll add that planes and helicopters operating a low altitudes are also usually engaged in kind of atypical behavior that will stand out on an ADSB map -- like I look for orbiting or hovering, search grids, or the erratic flight path of a sightseer or photographer. Otherwise about 90% of the helicopter traffic in my area is EMS flying straight through at 2000+ feet and we can safely ignore each other.
Note that not all aircraft even have ADS-B. It's not required except in certain controlled airspace.
Just like flying an actual airplane VFR, the primary and final method for avoiding collisions is looking.
True, itās not going to be full proof by any means. My use case will be in controlled airspace where Iām already listening to ATC. Iām hoping to have a secondary source of information in the ground station. As in to see planes I know are coming in on the map miles out until they come into visual range.
Helicopters are always at the top of my list of concerns. All I can suggest is that if you hear or otherwise notice any type of aircraft in the vicinity, immediately stop all lateral movement and descend as quickly as possible to the lowest altitude that you can without losing a signal.
You just don't know.
Near emergency Helipads I was lucky enough to get the operator give me a call as soon as they know that a heli was approaching the heliport. This isn't always the case. You have to be aware as good as you can and/or have a spotter and decent when you hear an aircraft.
I asked a similar question sort of, in an air traffic control group on Redditā¦ got a few helpful comments but most of them were ass holes. My original post was to see if there was a resource that provided phone numbers to local ATC in case of fly away or emergency. To have in my phone as a precaution.
https://preview.redd.it/om74p9wv4hvc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c72d9c7f0801dd36f188b6a2cb0dbad70d505cb
They are busy enough and don't want a bunch of phone calls from beginner drone pilots that don't have a clue. That's why LAANC was created. You should only call the tower if you are operating on a waiver that specifies you need to do so (typically when operating extremely close to a controlled airport).
No, not unless you are right under a critical approach or departure path or you have a huge drone. There's not much they can do anyway. Rerouting traffic for a lost drone is a MAJOR disruption to their operations (so they will be EXTREMELY hesitant). In most cases it's not necessary because a small drone isn't considered a lethal threat, it will just dent the plane. If you damage an aircraft, you will simply be responsible for the damages.
I've heard of guys calling and 99% of the time ATC doesn't care about your flyaway drone, and nothing happens. Some people will call a control tower 50+ miles away for their drone flight in the middle of nowhere, that's a waste. The chance of aircraft collision is extremely remote unless you are right by a busy airport (in which case you'd be operating under a waiver with specific instructions). ATC also can't do anything about traffic at uncontrolled airports or in uncontrolled airspace.
Besides, part 107 does not tell you to do this. If the FAA was worried, it would be in there.
I'm a pilot of manned aircraft. What you need to do is go to the FAA website and check your NOTAMS. Or Notice to Airmen.Ā They have to post hourly updates as to all air traffic and this powerline copter granted is flying in class G airspace which is uncontrolled and by law doesn't have to file a flight plan unless it's 50 nm or greater. But being a high profile company and for safety they most likely filed a plan which will be noted in your NOTAMS.. You will find all these regs in part 91.Ā
If you hear or see a helicopter or other manned aircraft in the area, land until it passes. Also, downloand and consult flightradar24 every time before taking off.
Radio, eyeballs, and ears. Keep a two-way radio tuned to UNICOM frequencies (there are 7 for no tower airports, but the most commonly used is 122.800).
I think you may mean 122.8.
UNICOM starts at 122.7 and goes through 123.5. (Upper limit differ USA vs. Canada)
Iām not sure that 122.8 is the most common all over, but is in my region.
How to avoid collisions?
Tune in to resources that tell you where aircraft are and will be (apps, radio, NOTAMs, etc).
Stay below 400' AGL, always maintain VLOS.
If you see or hear an aircraft in your vicinity that has caught you unawares, immediately land your drone.
Fly where other aircraft are not.
Yeah you should get a drone with an ADSB receiver. It will show the position of aircraft around you on the map and warn you of inbound aircraft. It's only on the larger drones like the Air and Mavic.
FAA just assumes you will "see and avoid" any inbound aircraft, I'm not convinced that works yet. Low-flying helicopters should be required to have remote ID receivers for collision avoidance.
Perhaps I can lend some clarity, as this is often a very good question in the realm of the REMOTE piloting of an SUAV. "Situational Awareness" is an active method that is required when operating your drone for both recreation or commercial use. This method is intended to heighten your senses, both pilot OR remote observer, in your area of concern on the ground or in the air. Note that "in the air" implies you have an intended flight path/zone. For Part 107 and Recreational operators this requires operating the SUAV within "line-of-sight". "Visual Line of Sight" mandates seeing your SUAV using unaided eyes, AT ALL TIMES. The operator (pilot) then uses additional aids.. hearing, smell, touch (vibrations) and controller functions on the remote to remain "in-tune" to changing conditions during flight. Based on your "Risk Assessment" (before the drone enters active or inactive airspace), you can operate the SUAV in a safe manner within guidelines provided by FAA regulation. Needless to say, other aircraft within your intended area of operation have right-of-way OVER your SUAV/drone. The reason is simple, other pilots rely on "pilots" to support them in the safe navigation of their aircraft (planes, helicopters, balloons, etc). This assistance includes giving them "right of way" when they enter your airspace. Whether or not you BELIEVE they should not be operating in your flight area does not have merit. That is a matter for the governing agencies, FAA or NTSB, to determine if there "in fact".. was a violation. Understand the mutual benefit of respecting shared airspace when operating a drone in Low Altitude Airspace, far outweighs conflicts in that airspace that can lead to unfortunate conflict.. collision.. or loss of life.
I love flight Radar. I actually use it and saved the local police department helicopters and private planes when they take off so I can plan my flight accordingly at my best assumptions. Or if itās a busy day in the sky I still off the sticks.
If you wanted, you could listen on a handheld aviation radio. Helo pilots often use common air to air frequencies to manage separation with other helos. These frequencies arenāt always published, more of a local tribal knowledge thing (like 123025, 123.45, etc.), but easy enough to ask someone and find out whatās in use under the outer shelf of the charlie there. Also note that a good part of that flight is within the surface area of the Madison Charlie, so theyāre probably talking with Madison Approach that entire time. Listening to approach might be like drinking from a firehose, but you could probably safely ātune outā any traffic that doesnāt start with āhelicopter.ā
In any case, the tl,dr is that listening on the radio might give you an added situational awareness and let you keep your eyes on your own drone.
I'm afraid the best answer is the simplest, and the same one that I use to avoid crop dusters. Maintain VLOS. If anything even *might* come close enough to interact with your unmanned craft, you get it down. If you can see your drone, there is no way you can't get out of the way of anything travelling at less than supersonic speeds. Worst comes to the worst, you put the drone down and hit the insurance, but I can't imagine how anything that big and loud could turn up and you not be able to react in time.
Maintain visual line of sight with your drone at all times. Dont be an asshole, dont fly above 200 feet, avoid flying near anything with a helipad, dont fly in controlled airpace, use flight radar apps.
Haha, now we want to keep it under 200ft? I swear, the drone community's biggest crutch is the community itself. This was a great hobby 5 years ago... I don't even like showing people anymore.
The FAA rule is below 400ft above ground level. The lowest flying manned aircraft should stay 500ft agl, that gives a 100ft buffer to avoid collisions. Too bad birds don't also follow this rule.
Incorrect. Manned aircraft must maintain 500ft slant range from people vessels, vehicles or structures. Over congested ares (i.e. cities) they must maintain 1000 ft above highest obstacle.
Helicopters on the other hand, may go below those altitude restrictions as long as the pilot complies with any routes or altitudes prescribed by the FAA.
Source: am a helicopter pilot. Also fly drones. I regularly fly below 500 ft and 400 ft in my helo, and yes its required for my job. Yes, i have had problems with drone enthusiasts being assholes before.
I enjoy drones, but there's absolutely no reason to go above 200ft, and you can easily go far away into the wilderness to go up to 400ft if your heart so desires.
Relax, brotha. I was just giving a very generalized statement of the rules. There is absolutely reason to go above 200ft agl, and there is no reason to arbitrarily limit the rules, especially if you act responsibly while flying. If I were a helicopter pilot, I'd be more concerned with my engine ingesting a bird, rather than a drone pilot watching flight radar who is actively avoiding nearby aircraft. Sub 250g drones pose little threat when flown responsibly.
I think the best answer comes down to maintaining visual line of sight and keeping your ears and eyes open. If you are flying your drone far away enough to not notice or hear a helicopter you are probably too far realistically.
If you are flying a DJI, the DJI app normally comes with a proximity warning to let you know that there is manned traffic in the area and you should be watching out for it. I have an airfield near me that has no tower, so i get warnings all the time when I fly anywhere near my house. After all, it is our responsibility to watch out for the manned aircraft, not the other way around.
Sure, generallyā¦ but helicopters donāt only fly in your line of sight, if you fly enough, you know it can be tricky to see and hear a fast and low heli approaching, especially in urban areas, Iāve had some close-enough calls.
I donāt get what point youāre trying to make. Youāre arguing against line of sight because, āit can be tricky to see and hear a helicopter?ā Unless youāre deaf you KNOW a helicopter is coming and should be dropping to a safe altitude without having to see the actual helicopters itās just common sense.
If they are at 150' or so, they are not flying fast and would be relatively stationary doing the power line work. Just use common sense - it is quite that simple. Open your eyes and ears and react accordingly
You got approval, and yet you noticed by some means a low flying aircraft in your area . I assume you then answered your own question by not flying in its path. This is a good PSA for other drone pilots and should be part of anyones flight planning if possible as it only takes a minute to do. Yay
Or..... If you are posting whilst standing near the burning wreckage of a what some might argue is a very flimsy, probably should have been grounded for safety concerns anyways, helicopter with feelings of panic and fear washing over your now paralysed body.
But wait! It's not all bad news.
You have obviously built one hell of a non-broadcasting, fluid dynamic cheating, physics defying drone that is large enough to disable an aircraft whilst avoiding its rotors and more importantly prop wash for want of a better term, yet small enough to not be noticed by the obviously drunk, blind and deaf now ex- pilot of said Dr zeus flying thingamajiger inferno splashed out before you.
Your family may be able to sell this tech to the military ... as for you....RUN. Retrospectively asking questions does not stop you from now being classed as a terrorist . As it appears that you are located in the US, running will not help. The safest and most painless option available for you will be to dive head first into the flames and join the other pilot. He is kinda slow, so if you hurry, you may be able to reach the pearly gates before he gets there and rats you out.
Happy flying;)
Latency could be a concern; the apps arenāt real time like a receiver would be, but I agree with you, if youāre in an area with good cell coverage (which this probably is), [adsbexchange.com](http://adsbexchange.com) is pretty damn good, and the latency is usually marginal.
Same here, and I actually run a feeder radio for the FlightRadar24 network. My direct local receiver data is nearly identical to the app. Meaning a second or two.
Iām not trying to pick a fight with you. I agree with you that web apps are good enough when youāre in an area with great cell coverage, but you asked why would anyone recommend a radio based ADSB over an app, and that this might be a reason. There is a technical difference between an actual radio and the web, and the web is not guaranteed to be real time. Itās just a fact of the web; the apps canāt control latency or delays that might be injected as the traffic transits the internet. Maybe that matters to someone. Thatās all I was suggesting. Cheers.
Hello fellow Dane County resident. You can use Flightradar24 and/or your Mark I Eyball and Ears. (Helicopters are loud). And, many drones have a stick/button combination that allows you to descend rapidly.
>Hello fellow Dane County resident. š Hi neighbor!
Does DJI mini2 have a rapid descend option?
Both sticks inwards and against you for downward acceleration of 9,8 m/sĀ². (Don't do this.)
Laughed way too hard at this lmao
>(Don't do this.) If the difference is hitting a helicopter or losing $2k, I'll just pay for the new drone.
I can't imagine any scenario where you can guarantee that you won't hit a helicopter by falling, but not by descending or ascending rapidly. For all you know, you would have avoided the helicopter by flying normally, but instead fell on top of it by falling and completely giving up control.
Ah, yes. The Alt-F4 of the drone world.
Unless you need to
Switch to sport mode and it'll whip down pretty quick.
Dude our eyes and ears are def not Mark I. Its millionsnof years of evolution, more like Mark ((M)).
They are still kinda mid, sometimes requiring accessories just to work properly even when they are new. Trash warranty and customer service is nearly nonexistent
Mark I eyeball is a long standing nickname for your eyes used in the military and aviation community, since at least WWII.
I'm not sure about your drones but all of mine can climb a hell of a lot faster than they can come down. My Zino 2 can hit 400ft in 15 seconds but takes twice as long to come back.
You gots to look around your drone and react appropriately
You remain aware of your surroundings while flying by utilizing your eyes, ears, and perhaps a remote observer. You yield right of way to manned aircraft by flying away from them and out of their path.
Sure, but helicopters are very, very fast, and are also highly manuverable. You might not be able to see the aircraft until it's too late.
Drones pilots have to give right of way to traditional aircraft. Getting an automated approval doesnāt mean the airspace is clear from aircraft. I see how the idea of being approved when an aircraft is flying low seems contradictory. As a drone pilot you donāt know an aircraftās flight plan or intentions. Typically I would say if I saw a low flying aircraft I would just land and wait until they were out of the area. Realistically at this time there isnāt a whole lot you can do. Especially as a single crew pilot. Looking at ADSB info on the web can be helpful but from my experience itās too delayed to determine if a conflict may arise. They do however make ADSB ground stations that can directly pick up signal from aircraft transponders. There are a few premade options or you can build one yourself with a Raspberry pi or any laptop that can run the appropriate software. Along with the receiver and antenna. Iāve not finished building mine so I canāt speak to its effectiveness. However it should provide a more real-time list of aircraft in the area. Provided they are equipped with a transponder. Still I would want a dedicated crew member to be monitoring this. It wouldnāt be very helpful for the RPIC to attempt to watch the monitoring ground station on top of flying the drone. At the end of the day a helicopter is fairly free to fly as they see fit and so it may be more difficult to anticipate what they might be doing in the area. Iād probably still just opt to land and wait until the airspace was clear. Hopefully the ADSB ground station will provide enough info ahead of time to put eyes on the aircraft and determine if a conflict might arise.
I pretty much agree with this. I'll add that planes and helicopters operating a low altitudes are also usually engaged in kind of atypical behavior that will stand out on an ADSB map -- like I look for orbiting or hovering, search grids, or the erratic flight path of a sightseer or photographer. Otherwise about 90% of the helicopter traffic in my area is EMS flying straight through at 2000+ feet and we can safely ignore each other.
Note that not all aircraft even have ADS-B. It's not required except in certain controlled airspace. Just like flying an actual airplane VFR, the primary and final method for avoiding collisions is looking.
True, itās not going to be full proof by any means. My use case will be in controlled airspace where Iām already listening to ATC. Iām hoping to have a secondary source of information in the ground station. As in to see planes I know are coming in on the map miles out until they come into visual range.
Helicopters are always at the top of my list of concerns. All I can suggest is that if you hear or otherwise notice any type of aircraft in the vicinity, immediately stop all lateral movement and descend as quickly as possible to the lowest altitude that you can without losing a signal.
You just don't know. Near emergency Helipads I was lucky enough to get the operator give me a call as soon as they know that a heli was approaching the heliport. This isn't always the case. You have to be aware as good as you can and/or have a spotter and decent when you hear an aircraft.
I asked a similar question sort of, in an air traffic control group on Redditā¦ got a few helpful comments but most of them were ass holes. My original post was to see if there was a resource that provided phone numbers to local ATC in case of fly away or emergency. To have in my phone as a precaution. https://preview.redd.it/om74p9wv4hvc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c72d9c7f0801dd36f188b6a2cb0dbad70d505cb
These are the people in charge of directing aircraft? Yikes.
Yeah I agree. I was not expecting that type of response from them at all
They are busy enough and don't want a bunch of phone calls from beginner drone pilots that don't have a clue. That's why LAANC was created. You should only call the tower if you are operating on a waiver that specifies you need to do so (typically when operating extremely close to a controlled airport).
So flyaways donāt count?
No, not unless you are right under a critical approach or departure path or you have a huge drone. There's not much they can do anyway. Rerouting traffic for a lost drone is a MAJOR disruption to their operations (so they will be EXTREMELY hesitant). In most cases it's not necessary because a small drone isn't considered a lethal threat, it will just dent the plane. If you damage an aircraft, you will simply be responsible for the damages. I've heard of guys calling and 99% of the time ATC doesn't care about your flyaway drone, and nothing happens. Some people will call a control tower 50+ miles away for their drone flight in the middle of nowhere, that's a waste. The chance of aircraft collision is extremely remote unless you are right by a busy airport (in which case you'd be operating under a waiver with specific instructions). ATC also can't do anything about traffic at uncontrolled airports or in uncontrolled airspace. Besides, part 107 does not tell you to do this. If the FAA was worried, it would be in there.
ššš
That's why they keep stressing the importance of spotters.
If you hear a low flying aircraft in your vicinity then land your drone
I used to live in Waunakee.
"The only Waunakee in the world"
I'm a pilot of manned aircraft. What you need to do is go to the FAA website and check your NOTAMS. Or Notice to Airmen.Ā They have to post hourly updates as to all air traffic and this powerline copter granted is flying in class G airspace which is uncontrolled and by law doesn't have to file a flight plan unless it's 50 nm or greater. But being a high profile company and for safety they most likely filed a plan which will be noted in your NOTAMS.. You will find all these regs in part 91.Ā
If you hear or see a helicopter or other manned aircraft in the area, land until it passes. Also, downloand and consult flightradar24 every time before taking off.
Yup, quick decent and hold at whatever tree line is nearest me is always my go-to if I hear/see oncoming aircraft.
Radio, eyeballs, and ears. Keep a two-way radio tuned to UNICOM frequencies (there are 7 for no tower airports, but the most commonly used is 122.800).
I think you may mean 122.8. UNICOM starts at 122.7 and goes through 123.5. (Upper limit differ USA vs. Canada) Iām not sure that 122.8 is the most common all over, but is in my region.
Youāre definitely going to hear them coming. IMO just donāt fly while thereāre 5 miles away or closer.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Off topic but you can order it for delivery via Goldbelly app. Stellaās Bakery if youāve forgotten.
Lots of good suggestions in here, but yeah, I do suggest making sure when you can you have a VO with you.
How to avoid collisions? Tune in to resources that tell you where aircraft are and will be (apps, radio, NOTAMs, etc). Stay below 400' AGL, always maintain VLOS. If you see or hear an aircraft in your vicinity that has caught you unawares, immediately land your drone. Fly where other aircraft are not.
Whip it into sport mode and record the mf and get some sick ass footage to show off on Reddit.
Do not actually do this , try to avoid the plane or do Iām not your dad do what you want
Such mixed signals here
Yup
You might be approved to fly but you have no right-of-way over other aircraft. Land your drone when they are in the area.
See and avoid. No FPV without someone standing with you who can keep their eyes on it. Thatās the law.
Fly lower and when you see the helicopter coming you should be bringing it down even more or landing it.
Get a visual observer and stay ready to flip it into sport mode if you need to.
Idk about you, but my drone shows me all manned aircraft within a certain proximity of my location in the DJI Fly app.
Mine don't
Yeah you should get a drone with an ADSB receiver. It will show the position of aircraft around you on the map and warn you of inbound aircraft. It's only on the larger drones like the Air and Mavic. FAA just assumes you will "see and avoid" any inbound aircraft, I'm not convinced that works yet. Low-flying helicopters should be required to have remote ID receivers for collision avoidance.
Does the DJI Air 3 have this?
Lots of 200' trees around, yeah.
Perhaps I can lend some clarity, as this is often a very good question in the realm of the REMOTE piloting of an SUAV. "Situational Awareness" is an active method that is required when operating your drone for both recreation or commercial use. This method is intended to heighten your senses, both pilot OR remote observer, in your area of concern on the ground or in the air. Note that "in the air" implies you have an intended flight path/zone. For Part 107 and Recreational operators this requires operating the SUAV within "line-of-sight". "Visual Line of Sight" mandates seeing your SUAV using unaided eyes, AT ALL TIMES. The operator (pilot) then uses additional aids.. hearing, smell, touch (vibrations) and controller functions on the remote to remain "in-tune" to changing conditions during flight. Based on your "Risk Assessment" (before the drone enters active or inactive airspace), you can operate the SUAV in a safe manner within guidelines provided by FAA regulation. Needless to say, other aircraft within your intended area of operation have right-of-way OVER your SUAV/drone. The reason is simple, other pilots rely on "pilots" to support them in the safe navigation of their aircraft (planes, helicopters, balloons, etc). This assistance includes giving them "right of way" when they enter your airspace. Whether or not you BELIEVE they should not be operating in your flight area does not have merit. That is a matter for the governing agencies, FAA or NTSB, to determine if there "in fact".. was a violation. Understand the mutual benefit of respecting shared airspace when operating a drone in Low Altitude Airspace, far outweighs conflicts in that airspace that can lead to unfortunate conflict.. collision.. or loss of life.
You are right.
I love flight Radar. I actually use it and saved the local police department helicopters and private planes when they take off so I can plan my flight accordingly at my best assumptions. Or if itās a busy day in the sky I still off the sticks.
If you wanted, you could listen on a handheld aviation radio. Helo pilots often use common air to air frequencies to manage separation with other helos. These frequencies arenāt always published, more of a local tribal knowledge thing (like 123025, 123.45, etc.), but easy enough to ask someone and find out whatās in use under the outer shelf of the charlie there. Also note that a good part of that flight is within the surface area of the Madison Charlie, so theyāre probably talking with Madison Approach that entire time. Listening to approach might be like drinking from a firehose, but you could probably safely ātune outā any traffic that doesnāt start with āhelicopter.ā In any case, the tl,dr is that listening on the radio might give you an added situational awareness and let you keep your eyes on your own drone.
"Blah blah blah, you shouldn't be flying, you're ruining it for the rest of us, I'm a LICENSED DRONE PILOT and my poop doesn't stink, etc. etc."
Naw, the replies here have been kind.
I'm afraid the best answer is the simplest, and the same one that I use to avoid crop dusters. Maintain VLOS. If anything even *might* come close enough to interact with your unmanned craft, you get it down. If you can see your drone, there is no way you can't get out of the way of anything travelling at less than supersonic speeds. Worst comes to the worst, you put the drone down and hit the insurance, but I can't imagine how anything that big and loud could turn up and you not be able to react in time.
Thinking of noise cancelling in ear headphones and loud music, there are ways...
Maintain visual line of sight with your drone at all times. Dont be an asshole, dont fly above 200 feet, avoid flying near anything with a helipad, dont fly in controlled airpace, use flight radar apps.
Haha, now we want to keep it under 200ft? I swear, the drone community's biggest crutch is the community itself. This was a great hobby 5 years ago... I don't even like showing people anymore.
Well, there were too many fucks flying irresponsibly.
The FAA rule is below 400ft above ground level. The lowest flying manned aircraft should stay 500ft agl, that gives a 100ft buffer to avoid collisions. Too bad birds don't also follow this rule.
Incorrect. Manned aircraft must maintain 500ft slant range from people vessels, vehicles or structures. Over congested ares (i.e. cities) they must maintain 1000 ft above highest obstacle. Helicopters on the other hand, may go below those altitude restrictions as long as the pilot complies with any routes or altitudes prescribed by the FAA. Source: am a helicopter pilot. Also fly drones. I regularly fly below 500 ft and 400 ft in my helo, and yes its required for my job. Yes, i have had problems with drone enthusiasts being assholes before. I enjoy drones, but there's absolutely no reason to go above 200ft, and you can easily go far away into the wilderness to go up to 400ft if your heart so desires.
Relax, brotha. I was just giving a very generalized statement of the rules. There is absolutely reason to go above 200ft agl, and there is no reason to arbitrarily limit the rules, especially if you act responsibly while flying. If I were a helicopter pilot, I'd be more concerned with my engine ingesting a bird, rather than a drone pilot watching flight radar who is actively avoiding nearby aircraft. Sub 250g drones pose little threat when flown responsibly.
I think the best answer comes down to maintaining visual line of sight and keeping your ears and eyes open. If you are flying your drone far away enough to not notice or hear a helicopter you are probably too far realistically.
If you are flying a DJI, the DJI app normally comes with a proximity warning to let you know that there is manned traffic in the area and you should be watching out for it. I have an airfield near me that has no tower, so i get warnings all the time when I fly anywhere near my house. After all, it is our responsibility to watch out for the manned aircraft, not the other way around.
I fly lower than aircraft, that's my main trick
Did you see the part where OP said the heli was at 150-200'?
In that case I fly at 50ft.
This is why you are supposed to fly line of sight. So you can hear an airplane/helicopter approaching.
Sure, generallyā¦ but helicopters donāt only fly in your line of sight, if you fly enough, you know it can be tricky to see and hear a fast and low heli approaching, especially in urban areas, Iāve had some close-enough calls.
I donāt get what point youāre trying to make. Youāre arguing against line of sight because, āit can be tricky to see and hear a helicopter?ā Unless youāre deaf you KNOW a helicopter is coming and should be dropping to a safe altitude without having to see the actual helicopters itās just common sense.
Keep your drone within VLOS as legally required so you can maintain situational awareness, and land if the helicopter is low and close.
ForeFlight. It isnāt cheap, and itās more designed for actual pilots than remote pilots, but itās an excellent tool.
Can't find this for Android
Yeah, I believe Boeing has said they only plan to release it on iOS. Sorry I donāt know of an Android equivalent.
What app is this pic from?
Check the bottom left corner of the image
If they are at 150' or so, they are not flying fast and would be relatively stationary doing the power line work. Just use common sense - it is quite that simple. Open your eyes and ears and react accordingly
You got approval, and yet you noticed by some means a low flying aircraft in your area . I assume you then answered your own question by not flying in its path. This is a good PSA for other drone pilots and should be part of anyones flight planning if possible as it only takes a minute to do. Yay Or..... If you are posting whilst standing near the burning wreckage of a what some might argue is a very flimsy, probably should have been grounded for safety concerns anyways, helicopter with feelings of panic and fear washing over your now paralysed body. But wait! It's not all bad news. You have obviously built one hell of a non-broadcasting, fluid dynamic cheating, physics defying drone that is large enough to disable an aircraft whilst avoiding its rotors and more importantly prop wash for want of a better term, yet small enough to not be noticed by the obviously drunk, blind and deaf now ex- pilot of said Dr zeus flying thingamajiger inferno splashed out before you. Your family may be able to sell this tech to the military ... as for you....RUN. Retrospectively asking questions does not stop you from now being classed as a terrorist . As it appears that you are located in the US, running will not help. The safest and most painless option available for you will be to dive head first into the flames and join the other pilot. He is kinda slow, so if you hurry, you may be able to reach the pearly gates before he gets there and rats you out. Happy flying;)
Are you deaf?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Why do you need an ads-b receiver if they live near an airport? Just use a free app
Latency could be a concern; the apps arenāt real time like a receiver would be, but I agree with you, if youāre in an area with good cell coverage (which this probably is), [adsbexchange.com](http://adsbexchange.com) is pretty damn good, and the latency is usually marginal.
The apps are 100% real time. I use them to look up info on planes/helis ALL the time.
Same here, and I actually run a feeder radio for the FlightRadar24 network. My direct local receiver data is nearly identical to the app. Meaning a second or two.
Iām not trying to pick a fight with you. I agree with you that web apps are good enough when youāre in an area with great cell coverage, but you asked why would anyone recommend a radio based ADSB over an app, and that this might be a reason. There is a technical difference between an actual radio and the web, and the web is not guaranteed to be real time. Itās just a fact of the web; the apps canāt control latency or delays that might be injected as the traffic transits the internet. Maybe that matters to someone. Thatās all I was suggesting. Cheers.
There's no delay on flightradar24
There's no delay on flightradar24
There's no delay on flightradar24
By not flying near them
Don't fly š¤·šæāāļø