Question concerning Restricted area.

[joseph07081]

Good morning
I am currently shopping for a Phantom 3 and I have one question concerning Restricted areas.

My house is right next to a small towered airport. DJI's geo fencing has me smack dab in the middle of a restricted area. From what I read, I will not even be able to fire up a Phantom anywhere on my property to even be able to fly lower than treetop level to practice. Is there any chance that going through DJI to get the restriction opened up for below treetop level flying?

Thanks in advance...

Joe

 

[ChrisCharles]

It's not about altitude. You'll be flying in a restricted zone, and - as I understand it - the DJI Go app will flag this fact and query whether you have authorisation to do so. Depending on which country you live, you can override this but you must give DJI your credit card details or a mobile number to act as an ID.

 

[joseph07081]

It's not about altitude. You'll be flying in a restricted zone, and - as I understand it - the DJI Go app will flag this fact and query whether you have authorisation to do so. Depending on which country you live, you can override this but you must give DJI your credit card details or a mobile number to act as an ID.

What I was reading/interpreting is that the Restricted zones that showed red on the Geo map could not be lifted at all without sending in a request to DJI. From their webpage at http://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-system :

"Restricted Zone. In these Zones, which appear red the DJI GO app, users will be prompted with a warning and flight is prevented. If you believe you have authorization to operate in a Restricted Zone, please contact [email protected]
Example Restricted Zone: Washington D.C."

I guess my question is, has anyone else been in a similar situation and had the restriction lifted by contacting DJI using the [email protected] email address?

I have no problem contacting the tower whenever I want to fly, or putting in whatever information is needed to open up the authorization. My interpretation is that inside the red restricted zone, there is no chance of getting any sort of authorization. It does throw a bit of a damper on things though if I can't even start it up in the backyard for some 20' practice flights.

 

[Richard R]

Check out a sectional, is the airport actually restricted or just controlled? My guess is controlled if anything. Small airport, tower usually means Class D if anything. As a hobby flier, you still just need to call the airport/tower to let them know that you will be flying (where, when, how high, etc), not asking permission. Still have to deal with the Go app, but if you spoke with the airport, then you should b able to honestly say that you have 'authorization' to fly. Bad set up in Go, in the US, towers don't issue authorization, and probably not really required in your case unless you are flying under Part 107 (commercial).

 

[Richard R]

You might try using an app like airmap AirMap.io, to double check what airspace you are really in.

 

[joseph07081]

The B4UFly app lists it as " Controlled Airspace Beaver Falls Class D" , Airmap is showing Class D airspace.

 

[tcope]

On DJI's GEO map you live within a _red_ area? These tend to be larger airports, prisons and jails and even then only 1.5 miles away (something around that distance).

 

[joseph07081]

I am located along that main road south of the airport, inside the red zone.

Screenshot taken from DJI's website.

Edit: Clicking on the red marker in DJI's map indicates that this zone cannot be unlocked. I suspect that this answers my question.

 

[Richard R]

That's the kind of problem others have had with Go. There's no apparent reason that space should be restricted. Class D, ok, per my previous post. Took a look at the sectional, BVI definitely Class D, but only when tower is operating. Otherwise, it would be class G! Either way, hobby flier within 5 mi should be ok just notifying the airport. Go app is definitely jamming you up.

 

[joseph07081]

That's the kind of problem others have had with Go. There's no apparent reason that space should be restricted. Class D, ok, per my previous post. Took a look at the sectional, BVI definitely Class D, but only when tower is operating. Otherwise, it would be class G! Either way, hobby flier within 5 mi should be ok just notifying the airport. Go app is definitely jamming you up.

Richard

Thanks for the response. I am definitely going to purchase P3P and use a Plan B for now and not fly from home. I will contact the tower and get their input, then submit a request to the DJI email address I referenced in my earlier messages and see what comes from that. The funny thing is, the Community College of Beaver County is starting (has started) a UAV class in their Aviation curriculum and it appears they may operate that class from the facilities at this airport. Something else I want to check into as well.

 

[dangerd]

That is D airspace to the surface.
https://skyvector.com/ll=40.772472222,-80.391444444&chart=122&zoom=1
Call the airport for recreational flight. You will probably have to fly low if you are close to the airport (within the dotted lines).

 

[joseph07081]

That is D airspace to the surface.
https://skyvector.com/ll=40.772472222,-80.391444444&chart=122&zoom=1
Call the airport for recreational flight. You will probably have to fly low if you are close to the airport (within the dotted lines).

My plan was to fly below treetop level, just for practice more than anything else. Any serious flying I can't do because I am right underneath the pattern. The issue may be moot though because the way I am reading DJI's description of the restricted zone, the restriction cannot be lifted.

My "Plan B" is to practice with a micro quad and/or sims at home, then fly the Phantom in a safe area and avoid the issues altogether.

 

[dangerd]

Why not just drive out a mile or two and call the airport?

 

[joseph07081]

Why not just drive out a mile or two and call the airport?

That is what I am going to end up doing when flying the Phantom. Unfortunately, I do not always have the time or flexibility to drive away from home due to work and on-call time that I am required to do. The micro-quads and sims will be able to fill my needs when I am tied to my home.

I figured that I would have to notify the local airport when I started looking into this, I did not realize that my home was in a zone that even precluded my starting up a Phantom and flying in my back yard at low level. I am glad that there are resources like this forum where I can research my options before making such a major purchase.

 

[Steve Bynum]

Imagine my surprise to find there are FIVE non towered recreational airports equidistant and all five circles overlap directly over my house. The DJI app warns me there are airports nearby and has not hampered my ability to fly in the area. I haven't located a good contact for the small airports yet, two of them are helipads one of which is out of business. So some of the info in the app is not up to date. I was in Dallas two weeks ago about 10 miles North of DFW, With all the medical centers in the area, it appears most of the city is a no fly zone! I did put the P4 in the air and stayed below the light poles to get a shot of equipment being installed on a new building roof. Common sense goes a LONG way!