Calling the Airport to Fly a Drone
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Currently, FAA guidelines state that you cannot fly a drone within 5 miles of an airport UNLESS you contact the airport and control tower. I decided to give it a try by calling the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.
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Current FAA rules can be found here:
www.faa.gov/ua...
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Life On Tech
-Jared Serfozo
Very nicely done sir!
Ask permission, know the rules.
So very important.
Best of luck with your channel!
Hello Ken 3 years later
Hello Ken 4 years later
Hello Ken 5 years later
Great job calling. I'm an airport manager and we certainly don't want to discourage people from calling but we also have to look out for the safety of the aircraft coming in and out of the airport. You got connected to multiple people because these things are so new that everyone is still trying to figure out how to deal with them. Every airport is different but in our area I encourage people to call within 5 miles, however, as long as they stay below the 400 ft altitude and avoid aircraft, we don't really care. Where it gets tricky is where they are flying within a mile of the airport and/or near approaches and that can be a dangerous situation. I encourage everyone to enjoy the hobby but be smart and understand that safety is number one on everyone's list.
Spry Guy Studios You an airport manager? It looks like it. Because an ATCO would never write “look out for aircrafts” , how will a drone controlled by an uneducated person separate themselves from a 250kt aircraft?
Before you rip someone about their choice of verbiage, you may want to proof your sentences for proper use of grammar, parts of speech, and sentence structure.
Michael Campbell Considering I’m Croatian, and as such English is far from being my native language, I am moderately curious how well is your Croatian. Please write me a proper sentence in it, and while you’re at it please use as good grammar as you are able.
Alan, this comment has nothing to do with whether or not one can write properly in Croatian; please stay on topic. You were correcting someone on their English. My comment stands.
Michael Campbell Hahaha you sir are misguided entirely. I never corrected his grammar, I pointed out that part of sentence because it is ridiculous to expect from a uneducated drone pilot to watch out for aircraft. I never corrected his grammar, if you read for once with understanding you would see what the point of my comments point was. Expecting a drone pilot to “look out for 250kt aircraft” is ridiculous.
They're treating us like real pilots, we should take that as a compliment. We can still enjoy the skies and be legal at the same time, all good.
It's more that they are treating you as a person that has legal access to the airspace. The airport doesn't own the airspace, they just control it for safety. If you follow their rules, you will be get access without the risk of the FAA catching up with you.
its good practice for the tower guys too, the more this happens the easier it'll be for everyone
You are REAL pilot. You pilot RC aircraft. You are not playing Nintendo
Can you fly above 400ft if you call in your coordinates and altitude?
Lewis Thomas I've been told that I can by an FAA operator. He told me to ask first.
You are the most responsible drone pilot on the planet.
There are a few of us:) But we need to encourage more pilots to be compliant. It doesn't cost anything and is pretty easy. With every other person on the planet owning a drone we need rules and compliance to keep things from getting out of hand. I don't want to be the rouge drone pilot who causes a loss of life accident.
This is cool. I'm a new drone pilot, and found this video from a specific search term "youtube how to call faa drone". You definitely delivered haha. What I would be VERY interested in knowing, is how this will be streamlined in the near future, i.e. making this sort of communication with more "proper" aviation lingo, which I assume would make everything simpler for ATC to handle, since that's the business they deal in. Obviously they wont be able to handle hundreds of drone operators calling in all the time with long winded conversations. Perhaps something like Airmap is the answer?
Loss of life.... very real possibility, not really.
Actually, it is required to call the control tower when flying a drone within a five miles radius of the airport.
Yohann S Sorry you're just wrong. You forget small aircraft and even large. There is a youtube vid of drone hitting wing tip of commercial jet and you see parts of the ac skin flying off. I am a private pilot and a drone pilot. Its not hard to be safe.
Wow, you can tell the difference between an air traffic controllers and everyone else just by how they talk.
Blake M concise and clear is key in their trade!
I wonder if they talk like that at home. "Dinner will be ready in approximately 9 minutes, table set, TV off, we are go"
Actual ATC controllers know that there should be no airplanes that low that far out - even on final to a runway. Helicopters are another story, but they'll be aware of what those are doing.
Your the opposite of Casey Niestat
He's a stupid rich fucker
Thisguy FTW those damn richers...
Thisguy FTW *you're
Thisguy FTW you're*
*You're the opposite of Casey Neistat* you spelled you're and neistat wrong.
As the manager of a local airport, if you call to notify me that you'll be flying a drone, I just take down some of your information, and tell you "happy flying". I'll also call the local police station, and notify them, so that if anyone complains about you, they already know that you have gotten permission from me (this is not at all required, but the local police asked me to do this to help them out).
Doesn't tower have to approve this not Airport management
@@gabrielsasala1875 I agree. No shooting in the dark.
I sure hope they give me the same treatment at Newark Airport 😅 Couldn't pull off at Weequaic Park which is about 3.8 miles away 😩
@@25mrkeys I think it's mainly dependent on what the Airport is currently doing at that time. As it'd been stated in this video by the tower, it depends on the current operations taking place at that time and whereabouts you are located within the designated 5 mile radius and the altitude you're planning to fly.
well done
Did the same thing with our regional airport here today.. only talked to 1 person. 78 second phone call. Cleared for takeoff 400' up and I was about 1.75 miles from the airport.
Thetdubs12 were
Lol what a bunch of BS just to fly drome ,
Hi the police department i be driving my car today from my house to the job do i have permission to do soo .
The problem is when drones first came out people were flying then way too close to planes so that pilots could actually see them. So a couple of A-holes wreck it for everybody.
Same mat Montery Regionals Airport cleared for 400 ft. In about a minute
Thetdubs12 you are a great lol but it do P demar me to come get drunk wit me asap or not home real funny how that works in a while but you doing this weekend if ya wanna get a ride with me real talk on phone number and address and I'll send it thru and what it would of told him that one time and where do we meet her there at all and it is a real buster you are not home right bout dat way mane nun much just chilling right after the plan was talking about how much we owe me for who you talking to April to June to get a chance can I come out of your day been doing a real talk on
Love this! Thanks so much for recording this. :D
Thanks!
I contacted my local airfield if I could fly my drone there and was offered a part-time job in the process! win win!
Awesome!
Personally I think they should have a drone line as one of the telephone options to the control tower for example press 2 for Drone Control.
No beating around the bush then
good idea
That would definitely streamline the process.
i see problems that could possibly happen in the future with that such as " who controls the airspace? the tower or the drone control group", " who is at fault if it comes to a collision " etc
Do not think that the volume of calls for drone operations would justify this in most controlled areas. But it is a nice thought
nah, it'd be better if people didn't fly drones near airports. it's super simple to achieve there is barely anything legal worth breaking the rule anyway.
had to call my local tower today... on and off in less than 3 min... no hassle... told me don't worry about calling back unless i'm going to be closer to them or want to go above 400 feet
Exactly this. An aircraft 5 miles out should be around 1500' if they're on a 3 degree glide-slope as recommended for most airports. Even if you were to half it to 750 feet, that's still really fing high. 300' at two to three miles is a reasonable number for drone operators to keep them out of 90% of air traffic.
My local tower always goes to voicemail
So after the 5th 6th time trying to reach someone I left a message with my info and that I may periodically be flying within the 5 miles and if it’s a problem give me a call back otherwise I’ll take no response as standing approval and not hassle them anymore.
I believe you don't even have to leave your contact info. As long as you have left a message with the appropriate details (when, where, how high) you have officially notified them. But in your case I would have done the same thing and let them know that unless they call you back you will continue to call them to notify them of your flight operations.
swooshdave that sounds like pretty sound advice
Next time I fly I’ll do that with the message I leave instead
You have to call every time before a flight. It’s the rule.. Maybe they will get tired of answering for such a petty issue and change the rules. Call them every time no exceptions
Outstanding! FINALLY, a video on UA-cam that shows sUAS pilots the right way to do things! I'm so tired of watching uncertified VLOG commandos flying wherever they wish without any circumstances.
The ATC guy you spoke to was also very cool. He probably could've said no, but the fact that you went through all the channels to finally reach him must have made a difference. SRQ is within some pretty tricky airspace. They're Class C but have a Class B overlap with TPA to the north, so you know they're dealing with some heavy traffic. Good on him for recognizing your request, asking the right questions, and being polite about it.
Anyway, thanks for posting this video. Hopefully it reaches the right people and becomes a matter of course for those who think they own the skies. Keep up the good work!
Joe Glenn i haven't ever seen a pilot allowed to fly a manned aircraft below 500'. Do you know how many personal drones have caused any type of manned aircraft incidents? I do....NONE! This registration stuff is the type of monitoring and regulation that we have grown accustomed to accepting. Ben Franklin said that anyone willing to sacrifice freedom for security deserves neither. Wish the world had more men like him than mice like you.
+Junior's Samples
Airports are an exception to the 500' seperation rule, or at least they are here in the UK.
Planes will descend below this during landing maneuvers and also unmanned flight restrictions are usually in place around as planes may go below this altitude in an emergency.
For the love of god don't listen to Joe. I was a tower controller the last few years. Street addresses are confusing - because I then have to pull up Google Maps on our tired old government computer - but "5 miles SW of the airport" is not, and we don't need to know the zulu time, that's retarded. We can also typically use place names if it's something reasonably well known like a city park. If we do not recognize a location, we will ask you to restate it in terms of distance and direction from the airport.
Saying you'll be flying at such and so DME from a NAVAID isn't just silly, it's incorrect. Aircraft not equipped with DME equipment cannot know their slant range from a NAVAID.
Joe, I've seen two comments from you talking about "how pilots do it." Talking out of your ass is not how a good pilot operates. A lot of what you said about zulu times and "professionalism" is just laughable - as in we would literally laugh at you after hanging up - but the DME thing is just factually inaccurate. In aviation, misinformation can cost lives, so a good pilot doesn't deal in it. Would it kill anyone if I (wrongly) said I was 3.9 DME from wherever, probably not. But take your own advice.
@@joeglennaz oh look, an armchair pilot. Please uninstall your copy of X-Plane.
very cool - and definitely the approach to take - having an upbeat, friendly attitude when speaking to the tower or flight services is key. i would like to see, upon gaining ATC permission, being given an ATC approval number - which could be as simple as your FAA registered sUAS number - PLUS a flight approval number from the tower - especially WITHIN the variable 5nm airport radius. then when a police office walks over to you, tells you to land because he/she has some idea of how close to the airport you are, in addition to whipping out your sUAS Pilot Certificate, you have the controller's name, contact number (for confirmation) and the ATC approval number. I say this because you didn't officially apply with a Letter of Authorization or have a Certificate of Waiver - as you were flying right then and there. Also, I noted the controller mentioned you would be flying within close proximity to their Final - so that proof of approval seems more necessary than otherwise. thank you for posting!
Good points. Thanks.
You basically said what I said..Deleted my comment : ). Good points!
simon gentry a quick point to expedite the process is to say distance and direction. Leave out the location.
Can someone confirm or deny... I was thinking you couldn't go over 200 feet in class D space because helicopters could be at 200?
Black and White all and for VERY justified reasons. If your within the five miles, you do not fly. That's it...plain and simple. Fucking piss ants looking to bend rules to suit their own desires (who cares about the pilots and passengers that have to avoid dummies like this). I've got 3 drones and follow the rules to ensure I can continue flying my drone. It's this approach that's going to take a plane down, resulting in a disaster and all of us stop flying due to a national ban. Well done you fucking idiots!!!
Not true. Plain and simple. Thanks for your eloquence. Just yesterday, here is how the conversation went.
ATC: "Hello this is ATC"
Me: "Hi I'm a part 101 drone pilot, I wanted to call and notify you that I'll be flying 2.5 miles north east of you, my max altitude will be 150 feet and I'll probably be in the air for about 20 minutes."
ATC: "Sounds, just give me a call when you are done flying. Thanks."
Me: "I'm the Part 101 drone pilot that called earlier, just wanted to let you know that I'm all finished flying. Thanks so much."
ATC: "Great, thanks for letting me know and have a great day!"
FAA has the guidelines for you to see on their website.
Wow he actually did it! Lol. Calling a control tower seems intimidating to me. I don’t want to bother them with my dumb drone flying request haha.
its not dumb, drones are unmanned aircraft, not toys.
It's better to bother them than risk an accident.
I cant imagine there will be any planned flights at
Resignation Screwery No, it is indeed better that a rescue helicopter hits a drone and they possibly die. Logic.
I tried to contact my local control tower... They told me to make a request through the FAA website and that it would take 60 to 90 days to get authorized. The tower wouldn't even talk to me... They just directed me to the FAA website.
I'm in the middle of nowhere in New York State, but within 5 miles of a county airport. I just called them. It was great! Only one transfer, then Ross said no problem! I asked him if I needed to keep calling him (I'm flying from my house). He laughed and said please don't. Good experience here!
Sean Michael I am in Warren County. Just give them a call! After you get permission, ask if you need to call every time you fly. Hopefully, they just say HAHA! No please.
+DerekJava I also live in upstate NY and there's this airport called "Stewart International Airport" and my apartment happens to be barely within the 5 miles radius. Wondering if it would okay to fly a small drone like the Mavic Air without calling them.
I live in the Town o Newburgh, im wondering the same thing.
Willys Metz best to call especially since stewart is a military airport in addition to a small civilian airport.
Sean Maeder can I do it threw Laanc when it come to the Northeast? Also do I have to notify the FAA because it says it on airmap.
I cringed every time I heard you say "notify" instead of request permission. Thanks for making the video:D
I was thinking the same.... however upbeat your tone a better choice of words can go a long way. Well done on the video anyway as it was easy on the eye.
The law states that all we need to do is NOTIFY the airport. Not ask for their permission.
scanjackson Yes you need ATC premission for where he was located. he was in class C SFC Airspace.
You absolutely need Premission in his case
No you don't. Only if you're flying a commercial operation under part 107.
I thought he was operating under 107.
There's a publicly listed airport control tower phone number. Use that number first. Ask for the tower chief. This is the equivalent of the manager on duty. Give the location to them as if you were sitting in the tower about to describe the drone activity to other pilots in the area. "I'll be operating 4.8 miles south west of the field at or below 200 feet." That will instantly translate to them being able to alert aircraft "Caution for drone activity 4.8 miles south at or below 200 feet" As a full scale pilot inbound, I don't know the names of harbors, parks, streets, bridges, but I DO KNOW WHERE 4.8 miles southwest of the field is.
you first said 300 ft then 250 ft. now 100ft then back to 150 ft
He first said under 300. Is 250 feet or 150 feet more than 300?
Zack L. AGL or MSL?
@@joelborden3242 He is lucky because that altitude would be the same over the ocean. 1 foot over the ocean is 1 ft AGL and also the same as 1 ft MSL 👍 But from drone perspective and tower perspective it is AGL. I hear police choppers talking to ATC in terms of above ground.
Lol, recording that call was probably more unlawful than flying the drone within 5 miles of the airport.
they both have stipulations allowing the behaviour, so no, they are both roughly equally unlawful.
In general, it is legal in most states to record a telephone conversation if you are part of that conversation, or at least one member of the conversation has given consent (protecting the conversation from being recorded secretly by an outside party). Specifically, in these states, you may record any phone conversation without getting the other person's consent.
Flat Top indeed and well said! Texas is one of those states where only one party needs to know/consent. Florida I am not sure.
Key word "probably". Means you don't know shit.
Pawel goliszek lol. Yup
I'm an ATC specialist and all we care about is when, where and how high. We could care less what you do as long as you don't interfere with operations. And we're a military field!
Steve Phares So not a real ATCO, gotcha
Depends on the branch. Many or even most military approach controls work a substantial amount of general aviation or airline traffic. When I was Air Force, military operations were a minority of the traffic I worked, especially when New York went to SWAP. I was just as much a controller as the people working at the similar FAA facility one state over.
@@BlackOpSource im in the air force got a drone and i live actually 3.5 miles away from the base. Do i call CT on base and request permission?
@@Jaysdatruth The new guidance is to go to www.faa.gov/uas/ but I'm not sure if military facilities are tied into that system, I know contract facilities often aren't.
If the website isn't working out for you, contact the tower and they can point you in the right direction.
2:15 that sounds like Maggie from The Walking Dead!
😂
People freak out when people do stuff by the book 😂
They just don't expect it.
All airport towers is gonna be bombarded with calls for drone permission in the next year or so LMAO TY for doing this, I’ll keep this in mind... 👍🏼👍🏼
Awesome video! I have been asking the same question!
Now it's tap tap tap and you get a LAANC text message. So glad they made it easier and streamlined for us. Happy flying!
Well, I live in Poland which is sometimes treated as 3rd world contry, but we have developed application called Drone Radar that automates this whole process :) As far as I know developers are going to test it in US too this year :D
No way poland is 3rd world country you have a lot of great stuff and your income is not that low. A reference for 3rd worls countries is Central America (even all Latin america) part the middle east and africa are just too fucked up so they are something else
10 bucks says this controller announced it to arriving aircraft. Advise: UAV 1 mile south of ringling bridge, Alt less 200 feet.
As a pilot for 30 years here is the deal. If you call them, tell them the VECTOR (radial) distance and altitude (the FAA maintains a database that tells them how high you can fly where) you will get permission under part 106. The proper request is, I am a UAS pilot providing notification to (name of tower) as required under part 106 of the FAA regulations. Key factors: 1. Know your distance from the airport. Your first use call the airport by its name from that point use the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) airport code for that airport when you speak to the tower.2. Have your distance from the airport in Nautical miles to the tenth of a mile, remember a nautical mile is .17 miles MORE then a statute mile. 5 nautical miles is 5.85 miles on google maps or any ground based map printed3. sound like you know what your doing. 4. 4. Don't call it a drone."Good afternoon/morning Sarasota, N148FD (use your drones N Number or hobby reg. number) is a unmanned registered small UAs that will be flying today, 4.2 nautical and 5 statute miles from Sarasota Airport on a 040 degree radial with the nearest cross streets of A1A and main street flying today under part 106 from 4pm local time, today to 4:15 local time for a 15 minute flight at a altitude of 150 feet, if that altitude is acceptable to you. I am the pilot and my direct phone number is xxx xxx xxxx, should it be necessary to contact me at any time. I am familiar with FAA regulation governing my flight today and am ready to copy your authorization.then say nothing, answer any questions but stick to the script... When the ATC personal give you your clearance, write down and changes and read it back and that should like this:Copy Sarasota, read back: N148FD is cleared for operation 4.2 nautical miles from KSRQ on 040 radial for operation under part 106 from 1600 to 1615 hours today to a altitude of 150 feet, can I get your initials please?"XXX, (tower staff) your read back is correct, have a nice day."- Thank you for the help XXXWrite that down: That is IT. It should take all of 60 seconds and no more...Again try your best to refer to it as a UAS, not a drone. Be swift and concise with your words. Do not chat, get to the point and use as few words to do it as you can, that is what controllers are trained to deal with when pilots talk, do yourself and the system a favor and learn the lingo. This is a 45 second process if you give them what is needed and follow the process.
Concur. Legal flight is largely about planning. You can't "Aviate, Navigate & Communicate" without thorough, prior planning. It should be easy to provide ATC with what they need, provided you have done your homework. Like Don Logan, I prefer to have a distance/bearing, but sometimes just use compass points when flying over more than a few degrees of space, e.g., "operating at or below 400 ft AGL, 5 miles North-Northwest of runway center/tower/reference point." As a practical matter, airspace belongs to the people responsible for controlling it - so I ask permission and record the confirmation when 'inside the ring,' but notify controllers when operating at or just beyond the airspace border. Controllers WANT you to communicate with them. Preferably, in their language - so study and practice is required. Fly (i.e. 'aviate, navigate & communicate') like a professional and you will be treated like one. I'm a Part 107 Remote Pilot. But I always fly as if I'm sitting in the left seat and lives depend on my actions - because they well might.
Don Logan Do you recommend communicating letters, names, and initials phonetically as well?
Yes, it adds clarity.
As a Tower assistant I get where you are coming from but I think it's a little over the top. Calling the tower by its ICAO designator? Giving statute miles too? Receiving and reading back a full clearance? It's a drone , not a plane (everyone knows what a drone is, no need to worry about calling it a UAS.) This advice will make people totally overthink what is required and will probably discourage people from phoning the tower, which is the opposite of what we want and what this video is trying to encourage. The way this guy did it was perfect, and if he had phoned the tower directly instead of the switchboard the whole thing would have taken less than a minute
Don Logan just wondering but you reference part 106 a lot and being new to this I see part 107 is there a difference or is 107 just a revision or something?
I always contact my close by regional tower. They just want my FFA registration number and the address that I'm flying at. Also altitude and time in air. Its really easy to be 100% compliant. And you should be compliant since people freak out over drones and call he cops all the time. I shoot real estate and include drone photos. I get the cops called on me all the time but when I prove that I'm compliant I have no issues.
How do you prove it to the cop when they show up. I live in Ahole land (NYC so you have to deal with NYPD) and i would like to know how i can just shut them up before they make it more then what it is, Especially if i already Notified the airport. I plan on flying just for fun. So more like 10-15min tops and I'm not trying to take the drone more then 200 ft. I also plan on having a Radio to listen to the tower while flying.
You simply tell them you notified the tower and as long as your following local laws, have your drone registered with the FAA and notified the towers if within 5 miles then you don't have to "prove" anything. The cops can ask if your in compliance and as long as you are, you don't have to prove anything.
They (the cops) would have to call the tower/airport confirm your statement. But help them out, by providing the ATC's name, ph number, and any auth codes the tower tells you. It goes a long long way to let them feel you're working with them to help make their jobs easier. They'll generally return the professionalism & courtesy you give them, while the opposing person who call them is all tweaking out about your 2lb Skynet AI T200 Chihuahua-Yorkie mix kill-capture unmanned-unholy drone.
Kevin Harrington there's a private airport by me that doesn't even have a published phone number
they have no tower and when I Google map it there's no Planes in the satellite picture
I quess this is one that's out of commission
If you are flying for commercial purposes, real estate ads are commercial, then you are not legal if you do not have a sUAV Remote Pilot license. It is NOT easy to be 100% compliant. It cost me $250 for online training and a month of intense studying, before driving 50 miles to take the P107 Knowledge Test ($150). In many cases, if within 5 miles of Class B,C or some Class D airspaces you need to file an authorization online with the FAA and wait weeks to get permission. They are not even authorizing commercial use of a drone inside Class B airspace and just started authorizing Class C airspace on a very limited basis. Because of limited staff to enforce the present regulations the FAA depends on local law enforcement to challenge drone operators about their compliance with the law. Unfortunately most local law enforcement personel have not been educated on the details of the latest regulations causing harassment of legal flyers of commercial drones. You only call the towers if you are flying recreationally. I am not allowed to call the tower if I am flying commercially. The tower will get a notice from the FAA that I have authorization and my phone number to call me if any conditions change and pose a threat to safe navigation. Commercial use of drones by recreational operators is illegal and jeopardizes the businesses of compliant commercial drone operators.
After all my research to buy a drone I am getting discouraged but that may be what the authorities want.
i called my control tower no one answered so i just flew my quadcopter
savage level 1000
wowow 0182 your profile picture tho!!!! 😂😂😂
wowow 0182 ahahha lmao
BRUHHH
I dont even call.. 2.3 miles from the runway
My airport technically cleared me for under 200 feet but they were like “we can’t really do anything about it it’s under your discretion no need to call us when you need to fly”?? Within 3 miles
Try to keep in mind that you are requesting permission to fly in their space, not telling. Fine point, but important distinction. FAA is currently trying to shift to online permission to minimize distractions for the tower. They do have a job to do.
agreed, hopefully a more streamlined system pops up soon.
Tim Trott The way I read it is that drone pilots only need to notify the tower of flight, not request permission.
The wording, as with most government documents, is just vague enough to cause you problems. Essentially, you are calling to warn the tower that you will be in the vicinity so they know not to route something through you... but at the same time if there's already something routed there they can tell you no you can't fly at that time. And yes, you won't be in the way of anything if you're at 200 ft and the airplane is at, say, 5000 ft... it's more of a ultimate safety "just in case" thing. UAVs physically can fly higher than the ceiling of 400 ft, so if something happens and you lose control causing it to fly straight up, suddenly without warning you're a hazard.
section 336 rules:
"when flown within 5 miles of an airport, the operator
of the aircraft provides the airport operator and the airport
air traffic control tower (when an air traffic facility is located
at the airport) with prior notice of the operation"
No, the airport cannot withhold permission. I've always called the airport and have never been told they "discouraged" it. We an odd thing to say.
If anyone cares to notice, our maximum altitude of 400 feet is usually well below traffic pattern altitude and that gives all of us at least 1000 feet separation from aircraft. When we are flying above objects it's the same and aircraft that are manned have rules of separation as well. So if we all follow part 107 and get proper clearance from a control tower in controlled airspace and the proper waivers for flying over people or at night we will all be safer and more knowledgeable about flight safety!
Tried to call mine, No answers. I live in the middle of nowhere, where apparently billy bob and his pilot buddy is never around their phone.
Most airports don't care as long as your not near or over 400ft. It takes longer to find the number to the towers then it does to let them know. Lol
Recently in Palm Springs, California. Hearing impaired, I sent an email message to the person listed on the FAA page for the PS airport as the FAA contact. I requested a dialog to "establish a mutual agreement" on flying my drone w/i the five mile limit. I requested reasonable accommodation to conduct this dialog via email. I got no reply. The person listed as the FAA contact at the airport was an employee of the City of Palm Springs (the airport is operated by the City) so I contacted the public relations person for the City via email ... and got no reply. Then I sent an email message to the Mayor's office ... and never got a reply. Figuring I satisfied "due diligence" to comply with the FAA "Advisory Notice," I went ahead and flew my drone.
You should apply for a waiver.
Wow you have a lot of patience! Goood on you, love
Agree with the comments that say you should "request permission" not notify, You are in controlled airpace from the surface to 4000 ft I would assume technically they don't have to say yes.. . Sure the regs say "notify" but in common phraseology between pilots and controllers requests are made not demands. Listen to 20 mins of ATC to get a feel for it. I would go the route of just being professional and conversational and say " I am looking to fly a drone 4.8 miles south of the airport at 150 AGL or lower 15 mins from now." Those guys are busy and making the request in the same manner as a pilot will be efficient, understandable and likely to get a green light.
Called an airport in my area and was told as long as I'm not within 2mi and stay under 400ft I don't need to make anymore notifications. I was very happy with how easy it was!
JamesIronSights They are smart to cut down on future calls. Any pilot will be well above 400 feet anywhere a mile from an airport. The 2 mile request is how it should be. I don't think it makes much sense to have to call the airport when your 4.5 miles away and not in line with the runway. As someone who can fly, altitude is your friend and pilots generally don't like to fly low.
Looking back in time here... Thank God for instant approval through the app that is available now.
I don't know if anybody else mentioned this, but you should have gotten the name and extension number of the person who gave you permission. First of all, if the police get involved, it's better to say "I called the tower and spoke to John Doe" instead of "I spoke with some guy at the tower". They can then contact the tower and confirm it with that person. Second of all, if you want to fly there in the future, you'll know who to ask for. The next time you call, and don't have a name, you might get someone unfamiliar with the rules and just tell you "no". Anyway... I'm glad it went smooth for you.
operator thought to herself "holy shit someone actually called for this?'
Great video! My local tower is easy to talk to and has never said no! What is interesting is that the tower supervisors I have spoken with say I am the only one that actually calls before I fly. Which is like WOW! I know there are more drone owners in my area so what are they doing?? Thanks for posting this!
I don't believe they can't say no but they can tell you if there are any operations going on that you will be in serious jeopardy of interfering with. They can object but can't refuse you from flying.
"Can an airport operator object to model aircraft flights near an airport?
Yes, an airport operator can object to the proposed use of a model aircraft within five miles of an airport if the proposed activity would endanger the safety of the airspace. However, the airport operator cannot prohibit or prevent the model aircraft operator from operating within five miles of the airport. Unsafe flying in spite of the objection of an airport operator may be evidence that the operator was endangering the safety of the National Airspace System. Additionally, the UAS operator must comply with any applicable airspace requirements." www.faa.gov/uas/faqs/
the law says you have to notify, not get permission.
The other drone pilots are probably doing what I do, and flying outside of controlled airspace, where no notification is required below 400'.
I am within a few miles of a fairly busy airport in Fort Worth (not DFW), and the two times I have contacted the tower, they have been really nice about it. They ask the same information as S-BIA, but also ask that you notify them when you are finished. SInce they are usually busy, I normally fly elsewhere to avoid being a pest or making enemies. There are so many airports in our area, that I just pay for a membership to an RC park so that I can relax. Makes for some really boring videos though!
see people that's how its done a phone call while having a coffee and they are usually good about it.
I called for the first time yesterday, and the guy I spoke to at the tower couldn't have been more kind and accommodating to my request. I will no longer be scared to call!
If only all drone operators are as responsible as you.....well done
As a pilot, I do appreciate you taking your time to call the tower to get a clearance, if you will, from them to fly your drone. I wish every single drone pilot did you've done in this video. I personally want to thank you. Fly safe.
I actually used to live 1.2 miles from a small local airport and fly in my backyard and the fields on both sides of the house. Eventually they told me just to not even bother calling unless I was flying above 400ft or going to be in a new location that wasn't my home, haha. Apparently all the normal air traffic just knew my house and that I wasn't a threat and just stopped caring.
Super interesting and informative, thanks for doing this!
I don't know the last time you climbed a ladder to 150ft and dropped a tape measure down, but clearly you were flying that inspirometer-ma-doo-hickey at 183ft to 233ft. Im gunna have to write you up.
I did this when i was flying in Scotland. They were so friendly and they thanked me for getting in touch.
Just like when you call public offices in Italy... 😬😂
This is just typical bureaucracy: no one has the balls to make a call.
I contacted a tower in anchorage AK 3 miles from the airport. They discouraged it but gave me the approval only after telling me to watch out for turbulence from other aircraft. All in all they were cool they just asked for a call when I was done.
Should have said under 400 ft to see what the response will be
What a run around until the last person. A hundred bucks worth of people's time.
Were you even flying higher than the Bridge ...
The way to go, if you want to flight a drone . 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I wish Dallas / Fort Worth was as nice.
Nice vid. Actually showed that calling them really isn't a big deal. Some interesting comments below as well. Cheers for the vid.
As most things in our country, the only people that are going to be affected by these drone rules are the ones of us that actually register and try to fly smart. I believe this Christmas saw the biggest purchase number of drones yet so very shortly these towers are going to be inundated with calls and they will stop answering. Rules and regulations only punish those trying to adhere to them. The people that don't register are the ones that are going to be flying crazy and getting away with it. Sad
After searching through youtube, I will like to update you that from the FAA interview (ua-cam.com/video/g76Q3LvB8oE/v-deo.html) with Kevin Morris, the Director of Operations for the FAASTeam, for part 107 operators, we are only suppose to use the online request for Airspace Authorization (www.faa.gov/uas/request_waiver/) instead of calling the ATC directly.
I live within a 5m radius of this stupid helipad which doesn't even have a control tower and is rarley used.
"NOT BAD"?! You had to talk to like five different people. You'd think it'd be a lot easier than that. And on top of that the first guy and the second girl both wanted to tell you "no" right off the bat even if your only flying a couple of hundred feet. Luckily pretentious a-holes like that aren't the ones that make the decision. I'd say "not bad" if the call was less than a minute and you could call the last guy directly. It shouldn't be more than one guy logging your info down and giving you clearance or not. Not being handed off constantly from one employee to another.
Still a good video. I was wondering if people actually do call the airports! I guess I should too. Hope I don't have to bounce from employee to employee and spend five minutes just to get a simple yes or no.
I did that with Venice, FL Airport and they were super nice about it.
Nice! good to know which airports are cool ahead of time.
FLL (Fort Lauderdale Hollywood international airport is real easy to deal with. My calls usually take under 5 minutes. They are very grateful when I call them.
Dude ur lucky! I did the same thing about 6 months ago when i was a recreational pilot, took about 10 min, no one from control tower answered me and it was a Weekday afternoon, and they kept telling me to leave a message, and I said I was only gonna fly probably about under 100 feet and gave all my info and etc, sadly, to this day I never got a call back :( , but I'm glad it wasn't a problem for you👍
This procedure really does need to be streamlined a little bit. Good grief with thousands of people buying these things all over the country do towers really want phone calls every several minutes with this stuff? I think not. There needs to be some sort of electronic notification. And I noticed the first lady who answered was totally wrong. If you're outside or 5 miles you don't need to call whereas she said if you're within 5 miles you're not allowed to fly at all and then of course she passed it on to somebody else Who then pass it on to somebody else.
Appreciate that you are following the rules. Thanks! And thank you for sharing your positive experience.
I did this where I live in Canada, and it's a lot more confusing then that. I've waited like 4 days for a response from the airport, and still no reply.
I like to land my drone on the wings of commercial airlines as they are just disengaging their parking brakes in preparation for take off. Its cool because the wings are so massive and its fun to land on them
Chris -0 I hope you're joking
Aviation Hub HD
Nah.... Dead serious... He does it in GTA all the time.
Just to even make a stupid mention of that should ban you from flying forever. It's folks like you that cause the rest of us grief from people that read your nonsense!.
Chris -0 You mean you can actually land on the wings of airplanes within range of the airport? I've got some time off this weekend, totally trying this.
You know it's people like Craig Fisher that are really the sticks in the mud that take all the fun out of drone flight.
Umm can I just say turbulence af?
Great video BUT, FAA really need to streamline the process and educate their staff. I'm a pilot and also fly drones. Frankly I find the 5 mile radius for drones is excessive as frankly, we have no business flying bellow 400' five or even three miles from an airport but, that's another topic. This phone call should have been dealt with on the first call and lasted less than one minute. UAS Registration Number, address where the flight will take place (or GPS coordinate) radius, altitude, start time and end time of the flight. The more difficult it is for drone pilots, the less likely they are to comply and that could pose a flight hazard.
I got to Embry-Riddle aeronautical university, which is right next to an airport. Our club has permission to fly on campus, 100 yards from the one runway. We are just told not to mess with the full scale and not fly when that runway is open, which isn't too often.
Great informative video LOT. A lot o lay people think this is a hell of a hassle just to fly for 20 minutes or so. But..The safety protocols are there for a reason. If you fly UAVs commercially and if flying near a facility then you have no other choice. This will most likely be coupled with having to unlock the Geo fencing with DJI [via email and your DJI account] so that you can actually fly. Most people simply don't fly any where near airports except for those unfortunate drone enthusiasts who happen to live near these facilities.
First, don't call them drones, call them UAS. Give them a distance from the airport, altitude and how long you'll be flying. It is also courteous to let them know when you are down so they know. They don't go off of street addresses but know VFR reporting point or a distance from a Navaid. For more info checkout www.aeroworks-academy.thinkific.com
Aeroworks Productions will
i am a certified airman with a sUas stamp and i was told that we are to "ask permission" as we are requesting to fly in the airspace. We are not to call and "inform" or "demand" anything, simply request. is this not true?
outside of 5 miles, you call and tell them Who you are where you are and what you are doing. inside 5, permission must be authorized. If you have a Comerical drone license you may have to submit a wavier... still learning
If you are within 5 miles of an airport you are likely not in class G airspace and this now requires a waiver. Keep in mind, commercially registered drones cannot fly for recreation. However, you are permitted to practice according to the FAA rep I spoke with the other day.
A waiver is only required in this situation if flying under part 107. A UAS can be flown for either hobby or non hobby.
Wasn’t the response I was expecting. Good on you and the airport.
The small airports where I live never care. No hassles
So I have 4 airports to call... Each at 5 minutes... Longer than my actual flight. They need to drastically improve this.
Don't forget to mention the one controller who thought she should "educate" you by telling you it has to be outside five miles. "Hmmm.. no it doesn't, and I'm not calling for permission. I'm calling to notify.."
I live in Ft Myers FL. And I decided to call and get some info on what they require to fly in and around my area. After a few different people I finally got to speak with the control tower. We had a conversation about my drone and if I was familiar with the FAA rules and such. After talk with him he told me I was the only person who had followed the correct procedure and he would be glad to NOT DENY my flight. He told me he can't approve drone flight because of what the legality of everything involves but he was glad someone is trying to do the right thing and get educated. So don't be afraid to call and get to know your local tower and what they expect, anyway good luck...and fly safe.
What a hastle!
Just do it anyway, its only basically like a bird
Birds can cause real problems when they cross paths with airplanes, and a drone's struts and props are much harder than a bird's feathers and hollow bones. Hitting a drone could cause expensive and hazardous damage to propellers, rotors, jet engines, windscreens, or flight control surfaces or instrumentation.
Great job sir! The personnel in the tower are generally very nice to work with and should not ever be feared. They are paid to coordinate safe flights all day long and that requires communication to make it happen. Your call to them helps provide a clearer picture of all air traffic in their airspace which is very important for safety for all who occupy it. Small recommendation when calling Class B or Class C towers, I would advise you to refrain from saying "I am going to be flying my drone within 5 miles of the airport" and instead say "I would like to request clearance into your airspace with DRONE (N123AB)
I use the FAA app B4ufly. Way easier and quicker then calling a local tower!
suga, does that let you notify a tower right from the app?
I also use B4ufly to log a fight plan. But that just logs the flight with the FFA. It does not notify the tower. I recommend that you still call the tower to get clearance to be 100% compliant.
suga bull I also have the B4Ufly app too but it counts any hospitals near me as airports because of their helicopter landing pads for life flight. Do you know if that means I have to notify the hospitals too or can I just ignore them?
i got the same problem and same question.
+Alex Figueroa I haven't found a direct answer however I have seen other people flying near places like that and they seemed perfectly fine. I have flown my drone many times close to the hospital's around me and have been fine. I think you should be fine as long you are cautious if there are any helicopters and airplanes. If you look at the map on Know Before You Fly website they have a much better map.
By the time your phone call ended, I would've already ripped a pack or 6 haha.
it took me 2 minutes and 30 seconds to realize his car was parked, the whole time I was like man whys he on his phone while driving, does he wear his sunglasses so people cant see him texting? gosh that truck has been next to him a long time, this has to be like a world record for longest stoplight........................................ohhhhhhhhhh its a parking lot/space
Great job, great view. Here in Australia we have a 5.5 km distance from airports, so the "she'll be right, mate" creed seems to be in effect for us. But it's getting confusing even here. Helicopter landing sites (hospitals mainly) also have 5.5 km limit, but you can fly there until you become aware there is an aircraft on approach..
The construction cranes on the building in your shot are higher than 150' no planes will ever fly that low there.
Oh, I just found out on the FAA Memorandum (Guidance for UAS ATCT Notification Calls) on December 23, 2015, ATCs were asked to acknowledge the operation and NOT use the word approved or imply approval if the caller requests to operate in an area where there is no perceived hazard. The reason is an approval implies consent and acknowledges the Air Traffic facility is waiving compliance of all CFRs by the operator.
I don't understand however i am slightly illegal with my drones i fly in my public park that doesn't allow drones but the fields are so good there so i don't care
Mrmumbos202 ...If the park allows kites/kite flying, attach a fishing line to the uav. 1000 foot line...
Good job! These processes need to be streamlined so you don’t have to keep getting sent to different lines/people. I think the process is reasonable and makes sense if we don’t have to spend 20 minutes to find the controller to get clearance
When you talk to tower, you really should "request clearance", rather than to state you will be flying in their airspace.
HeathFX It depends on the airspace, but the 5 mile rule is notification. You aren't requesting anything, just letting them know where and when you are flying.
Try telling them you are going to fly at 300' right through an approach path and see how far you get with that... I'm a pilot and talking to ATC is not foreign to me. In class D and C airspace, simply establishing 2-way comms is enough for full-size aircraft, unless tower specifically tells you to remain clear. In class B, it requires specific clearance.
HeathFX Sure, but those are separate from the 5 mile rule. The 5 mile radius is a notification only rule, other airspace restrictions can be in effect and need to be followed.
The smallest chuck of airspace you'll find around a towered airport is class D, it typically covers a 4nm radius around the airport (4.6 statute miles), my concern is that this may trip-up sUAS pilots when they are planning to fly within 4nm.
The notification rule comes from some oddities in the way the law is written and what the FAA can and can't provide. Amatuer flights are excluded from the FAA's right to exercise direct control as they have no procedural control. They are, however allowed to go after people who compromise the integrity of the civil air system and they consider flying over the objections of an ATC to be a compromise of the integrity. If you aren't a remote pilot (part 107 certified or flying under a section 333 legacy authorization) then you are not part of the civil air system and the FAA has no direct control. You are only providing notification as you don't have the credentials to request authorization and the FAA is not legally able to grant authorization. As a certified remote pilot, you are then part of the civil air system and authorization is required and within the FAA's mandate.
To help anyone else...when talking to the tower, be precise. "Hi, I have a drone flight request." "I'd like to request a flight AT 1300hrs to 1400hrs, 4.8 miles south of the airport, over Risky Clover Bridge, altitude 150 feet. Try to refrain from using the word "about" like "about 4.8 miles" or "about 150 feet". Remember, they are using your info to pass along to any pilots who might be flying near your area of operation so clear and concise language gives them, and anyone they pass the info on to, a better idea of EXACTLY whats going to be happening. If you don't have a 107 ticket, study and get it. After you get it, study some more. get a couple of hours of ground school at your local flight school. buy a scanner and listen to what's being said between tower and pilots as well as Control Centers and pilots. It will give you great insight as to what they deal with and ultimately help you in the long run.
SRQ is a controlled class c airspace. PERMISSION is required from the tower. Don't confuse this with uncontrolled airstrips that don't have a tower. The latter only requires notification, the former requires permission. As I understand part 107, notifying these uncontrolled strips/pads is not necessary as you are a licensed pilot and are governed by your obligation to see and avoid. Part 107, in no way, removes the obligation to gain permission to operate in controlled airspace--just as any other manned aircraft.
Excellent job.
Good job on following the FAA rules!
However, Florida is a two party consent state. So, by recording the call and not telling the other parties...you violated FL wiretap laws. Doh!
7 minutes on the phone for a 10 minute flight is... silly. If the FAA expects people to comply with this rule they need to streamline the process. Online is the most obvious answer.. we'll see.
I live within 5 miles of 2 airports and a helipad. The farthest airport told me to just call the closest airport. The closest airport doesn't really seem to know what to do with my call. It sort of depends on who answers. Sometimes they want lots of info (name, phone number, address I'm flying from etc.) and other times it's just location and altitude.
I tried calling the local hospital helipad number once. The person who answered had no idea what to do. I'll not bother with that call anymore.
So I call the closest airport each time.. it takes about a minute most of the time. Sometimes I get a controller who wants every single detail. The FAA registration number is long and not easy to ready to the guy over the phone.
I'm purely a hobbyist. I fly when I feel like it. It's kind of hassle when I just want to fly around the house for a few minutes.
I called some small plane or in other words private aircraft feilds. one was owned by some who past away the other informed of that an was happy to let me fly. very interesting experience.
This drone shit is getting ridiculous, can't ever find a spot to fly it anymore. Every park bans it and most parks don't even say " No Drones " but still sends someone to get you
That's awesome. Towers and pilots are trying to figure out this new relationship. Respecting each other goes a long way to cooperation. Thanks for posting
I've heard some of the Florida airports are decent about giving permission, but still, that is not how you should have worded your call. I'm not a registered pilot, nor do I even have a part 107 yet, but I've been studying quite a bit for it. Just for future reference, if it was me, I would call and say something along these lines...
"Hi there, I'm calling to request permission for an sUAS operation just within the 5 miles radius of SRQ. My operation would be conducted no higher than 150ft above surface level, about 4.8 nautical miles south-west from your position for no longer than 15 minutes."
Again, I'm no pilot, but in most cases when you sound professional, people assume you know what you're doing and will be much more likely to give you permission or allow you to do whatever you need to do. Happy Flying!
He would have had to repeat that 4 times until he got the right person.....
Ian Smith is
Just letting you know that nautical miles are different from miles.
Polite and professional is always good but requesting permission is not what you are doing. Its advising ATC of the drone flight. Airport can not approve a flight but can only deny it if it is in their judgement unsafe.
Everyone sounds so bummed when they hear why your calling lol