New-ish Solo Operator in Portland/Vancouver Area

[Todd123]

Greetings Ya'll:

I'm a newish Solo owner/operator in the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA area. I've flown quite a bit, but not lately due to the weather. I've got two Solos - one primary and one back-up, have done different GPS mods in each of them (both with good results), have never had a "fly-away," have never crashed except through my own stupidity, and think the Solo is (or was) a darn good deal for $300.

Question for the collective - does anybody in the PDX area know of good places to fly where you won't get hassled, and where you don't have to call half a dozen different airports before taking off?

Thanks and happy flying!


Todd

PS - I'm also into amateur radio, so if anybody's found a way to combine the two - say an APRS digipeater at 400' - I'd be interested in hearing about it.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 3DRPilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge and for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for
current developments in 3DR quadcopter’s. If your new to RC aircraft be sure to read the manual a few times and watch lots of Youtube videos on the subject to give yourself a good start.
Enjoy!

 

[IrishmanPDX]

Greetings Ya'll:

I'm a newish Solo owner/operator in the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA area. I've flown quite a bit, but not lately due to the weather. I've got two Solos - one primary and one back-up, have done different GPS mods in each of them (both with good results), have never had a "fly-away," have never crashed except through my own stupidity, and think the Solo is (or was) a darn good deal for $300.

Question for the collective - does anybody in the PDX area know of good places to fly where you won't get hassled, and where you don't have to call half a dozen different airports before taking off?

Thanks and happy flying!


Todd

PS - I'm also into amateur radio, so if anybody's found a way to combine the two - say an APRS digipeater at 400' - I'd be interested in hearing about it.

Hi Todd
Newbie in the Portland area myself, using the B4UFLY app was useful and the solo app also has somewhat useful maps installed on it too. The St Johns area on the left hand side of the bridge (if you're facing St Johns is out of PDX airspace, the right side of the bridge however and you're hitting PDX airspace and some helipad warning area's. You can go a good bit up Highway 30 and there's some area's around there to fly, however watch out for the Scappoose airspace if you go too far up. I'm currently looking for some area's where I can use the "follow" modes in a vehicle (with someone else driving of course) where I don't have to worry about power lines or tree's. Not easy in the PNW!

Happy Flying

 

[Todd123]

Hey, thanks so much for your reply. I'll have to check that area out, now that the weather is getting better. Looking at any of the maps like B4UFLY or Airmaps, this place is just awash in airports, heliports, etc etc.

 

[IrishmanPDX]

Hey, thanks so much for your reply. I'll have to check that area out, now that the weather is getting better. Looking at any of the maps like B4UFLY or Airmaps, this place is just awash in airports, heliports, etc etc.

No kidding, just glad I'm not over the Hillsboro side, nothing but airfields and heliports galore. You could fly over Forest Park (it's not a national park) but where to take off from... not sure anyone wants to navigate those tree's. Also can't fly to it from St Johns as there's a lot of petroleum depots there that you can't fly over (although they don't appear on the B4UFLY app, but it still is restricted airspace). Still, it's an excellent excuse for a summer road trip!

 

[Todd123]

Do you know if there's some sort of drone club or group or something along those lines in the area?

 

[IrishmanPDX]

Do you know if there's some sort of drone club or group or something along those lines in the area?

Saw this afternoon that PDXdrones is having a meeting on May 11 at the Lucky Lab 1945 NW Quimby, Portland OR. Kicks off at 6pm apparently. I won't be attending as I'm hugely anti-social... that and I rather be flying! Seriously though, I've been looking for blogs etc that recommend local flight area's, so stumbled across that meetup thing today. 6pm in the evening though just doesn't suit myself so I'll actually be missing out.

 

[Pushjerk]

Sup Dudes. Fellow PNW Solo flyer up here in Whidbey Island, WA.

You dudes should bail on B4UFly, it's a worthless app that shows every historically active airfield and helipad as "no fly zones." That's just not the case. Study up on reading sectional charts, and using a good digital sectional site like VFRMap.com or SkyVector.com you can get the legit lowdown on your local airspace, and where it is indeed controlled airspace where you'd be required to notify ATC of your activity.

A quick look does show your KPDX Class C, and some Class D here and there, but much of the airspace around you guys is Class E and G. Tons of space to fly. Have fun and ask if you have any questions.

 

[Todd123]

Thanks for the info! I just looked at the charts for the PDX area and I have no idea what I'm looking at. So I'll add that to my list of projects.

 

[Pushjerk]

It is indeed pretty intimidating to behold if you don't know how to read it. Plenty of tutorials online. Once you get the basics you'll be golden. Easy peasy Japanesey.