Flight advisories

[Dave Levine]

It seems that most of the area around the area have multiple advisory warnings from heliports and small airports. Now I know that legally you are required to inform each and every one of them if you were flying within 5 miles but my question is how strict is adherence to this standard really expected when one is using common sense and flying at fairly low altitudes. If for example I went to the football field of my high school after classes had ended and flew the Drone no higher than the cop of the bleachers, I'm altitude in which a plane or a helicopter would be suicidal to be at how comfortable would members be in Supply not calling something like that it? Or is it something that you do each and every time without fail, I'm kind of just asking what the general standard is

 

[Dave Levine]

Also, one more question, in looking at apps for airspace there seems to be quite a variation with uav forecast showing I can fly pretty much anywhere except the larger international airport and a small cluster of other places in the PDX area while Kittyhawk shows few very places within a couple hours drive I could go without contacting half a dozen helipads. Is the helipad an optional thing you need to be aware of in the area as UAV forcast default settings might imply or is every heliport and micro-airport a 5 mile radius as Kittyhawks defaults would imply?

 

[Dave Levine]

Wow, holy hell, you can tell I have had too much coffee and yet require sleep, but just diving into this, holy hell!
I mean, there are two advisories in my area that blanket the whole city. I looked them up on google maps and both are small private airstrips that look like ramshackle farms where they maybe have a crop duster or something, maybe a helicopter on the property. So I am supposed to what just call these folk (Looking at the pictures it is definitely just someones private homestead) just to see if the guy is bringing out his bi-plane or whatever today? Is this for real?

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

I filter out the farm airports and little things like that. Those really don't count for practical purposes.

 

[Dave Levine]

How about Helipads? I totally get the hospital ones, though 5 miles seems excessive (the 1 mile default setting UAV Forecast seems a good one to me) a lot are small private Heliports.
Lets pretend I am not concerned with legalities. (Disclaimer: I am vastly concerned about legality and you never break any law anytime for any reason no matter what, ever ever, that was convincing right? it felt convincing.) but am concerned about safety. Is it reasonable to use the 1 mile radius for Heliports in there is clear visibility or is that in safety terms a really bad idea?

 

[J0S0L0]

I see helipads and landing strips everywhere I go that looks interesting. After some checking, a lot of these places don't exist anymore or haven't been used in years.

Just fields of corn and soybean. Today's large boom sprayer are more cost effective, and safer for the environment..

It would be nice to see the list updated...

 

[Dave Levine]

I noticed that, most of them that I looked up on Google Maps it's just a field you don't even see a building or even anything that can be used as a Runway or pad anymore

 

[skyhax]

I know two pros that use this scale. One mile away stay under 80', 2 miles 160', 3 miles 240', 4 miles 320'.

 

[Dave Levine]

That is a pretty decent scale. I think visibility matters a lot as well. If there is a blocked sightline to areas a helicopter or small plane may suddenly "appear" out of as compared to a clear 360 horizon view where you could see any flight coming from a long way off

 

[Kamehameha1]

I fly at my local dog park and its just within the 5 mile radius I just fly low always below 200ft anyway and land if I hear a helicopter and I always see planes coming and going and I am usually not in their direct flight path and at least 300-400ft below them if they were as low as I am I'm the least of their problem I would think and if their flight path is directly over I don't fly.

 

[Kamehameha1]

I mostly fly 10 to 20ft above the ground chasing the rabbits in the fields and exploring with the fpv should I call the tower?

 

[Kamehameha1]

I mostly fly 10- 20ft above the ground exploring the field FPV and chasing rabbits should I call the tower and or heli ports?

 

[Kamehameha1]

.

 

[Saijin_Naib]

I mostly fly 10- 20ft above the ground exploring the field FPV and chasing rabbits should I call the tower and or heli ports?

Yes. You don't have to if you're indoors or tethered. Otherwise, you're in controlled airspace and you're responsible to get clearance. I had a similar issue where I used to live, so I just found another field outside of the controlled airspace.

 

[Dave Levine]

Man, it really just seems a bit insane, I mean, honestly, if a plane is 20 feet off the ground well past 4 miles from the airport, that drone is the least of their worries.