Flight Restriction confusion.

Coffee999 · Aug 13, 2017

Boy, talk about about confusion. It seems like the more I read, as I want to do the right thing, the more convoluted it gets.

Every map I see shows me inside of 5 miles from 3 airports. All are marine airports with no tower. And about 5.3 miles out from the closest towered airport.

The B4Ufly app says that since I'm inside of these 3 marine airports, I have to report to them first. But most everything I read contradicts this because there are no towers there, and are not a high classification airports.

Even within the FAA website, they contradicts themselves depending on what page you are looking at.

So how is a person to keep this all straight?

intrepidusa · Aug 13, 2017

Coffee999 said:
The B4Ufly app says that since I'm inside of these 3 marine airports, I have to report to them first. But most everything I read contradicts this because there are no towers there, and are not a high classification airports.

Even within the FAA website, they contradicts themselves depending on what page you are looking at.

So how is a person to keep this all straight?

Yeah, it's sometimes confusing on what to do. The spot I go to for nice natural flying with forest and rivers/streams is littered with public small aircraft airstrips with no towers. What I did is contact each airfield manager, usually this is the property owner and their phone number is listed on FAA site, left messages if no one answered and that fulfills your "best effort" earnest attempt to contact...be sure to leave your contact info, they will most likely call you back even if days later. Then you have your list of people in your cell contacts. Ask them if they have text capability so next time you send a text message that is kept in records. IMHO contact them all, the guides can be difficult, the more you do the better it makes you look if there is ever an issue. The rule states that you need to give them prior notification, if they don't answer at least you can show you tried, whether there is a tower or not is how I go.

I've made a lot of new friends this way, they all like to text every now and then and most of them now send me schedules of public fly days at their airfields. These are the ones that could cause an issue to happen as these guys like to break their own rules of flight and drop below their minimum altitude at times. I live near the Everglades and they fly over my house at less than 400ft when coming off the glades...it's nuts...minimum time to react. Been trying to get tail numbers and range them using a hunting range finder to report them...but have to be quick.

Coffee999 · Aug 13, 2017

Great reply thank you intrepidusa. I took your advice and have called all three. One requested that I call him every time and not text because he was too old to negotiate text messages, one other said a text is fine, she was quite old herself. The third I have not made contact with yet, but the shaky message stated to speak slowly so he can understand what you're saying. So from what I experienced here, I'm wondering if calling really matters. hehe. Thanks for your help.

intrepidusa said:
Yeah, it's sometimes confusing on what to do. The spot I go to for nice natural flying with forest and rivers/streams is littered with public small aircraft airstrips with no towers. What I did is contact each airfield manager, usually this is the property owner and their phone number is listed on FAA site, left messages if no one answered and that fulfills your "best effort" earnest attempt to contact...be sure to leave your contact info, they will most likely call you back even if days later. Then you have your list of people in your cell contacts. Ask them if they have text capability so next time you send a text message that is kept in records. IMHO contact them all, the guides can be difficult, the more you do the better it makes you look if there is ever an issue. The rule states that you need to give them prior notification, if they don't answer at least you can show you tried, whether there is a tower or not is how I go.

I've made a lot of new friends this way, they all like to text every now and then and most of them now send me schedules of public fly days at their airfields. These are the ones that could cause an issue to happen as these guys like to break their own rules of flight and drop below their minimum altitude at times. I live near the Everglades and they fly over my house at less than 400ft when coming off the glades...it's nuts...minimum time to react. Been trying to get tail numbers and range them using a hunting range finder to report them...but have to be quick.

jchasa · Aug 13, 2017

Dont use B4Ufly, use airmap, drone logbook (which has direct Autel access)or kittyhawk, drone deploy, or any other android, ios drone app. are you fly as a hobbiest or commercial?

Sent from my Z956 using Tapatalk

Coffee999 · Aug 13, 2017

Thanks for the reply. Strickly a hobbiest. I will check out these other apps. Why not use B4UFly?

jchasa said:
Dont use B4Ufly, use airmap, drone logbook (which has direct Autel access)or kittyhawk, drone deploy, or any other android, ios drone app. are you fly as a hobbiest or commercial?

Sent from my Z956 using Tapatalk

Jagerbomb52 · Aug 13, 2017

To many mistakes in it. What do you expect from the FAA.
Use Airmap, much better app.

intrepidusa · Aug 13, 2017

Airmap is by far superior...FAA trips over their own feet most times. The latest info on the text and automated response system from the FAA for major airports seems outdated...they said fall 2017 but they will most likely be late of course.

Tufargon · Aug 13, 2017

I been using UAV Forecast. Is that one any good? Seems to be from what I see.

intrepidusa · Aug 13, 2017

I use UAV Forecast for weather/wind but not for fly zones...Airmap is best for warning and NFZ.

Tufargon · Aug 13, 2017

Thank you!!
I just downloaded it. It seems to put my location a bit off. No matter, I can see my location and am not in a NFZ.

I'm quite close to two of them but I don't fly into them.

Drone1 · Aug 13, 2017

I use Hover. It has Airmap in it. Plus news stories. Weather.

jchasa · Aug 13, 2017

Coffee999 said:
Thanks for the reply. Strickly a hobbiest. I will check out these other apps. Why not use B4UFly?

As said, it is full of holes and inaccuracies, even as a hobbiest Drone U on YouTube is a great resource as well, I mentioned in a previous post how I like Kittyhawk and others like it because you can access Airmap directly in it as well as weather and KP index. Also provides custom checklists. I also use Sailflow which will give you wind currents and their directions.

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