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Has FAA Lost their **** mind?

Joined
Jan 2, 2017
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I live in NYC and FAA Keeps changing the rules as to where you can fly and NYC it's basically ''You cannot''
NYC has listed few parks where you can safely fly with your drone such as:
Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens and tiny little circle in Forest Park

Yet their B4UFLY app shows both of these areas and basically entire Queens/Manhattan/Brooklyn is covered with a bloody red overlay saying FLIGHT PROHIBITED. So which one is it? Can I fly there or cannot. Which bureaucrat moron I have to call to find out because everyone says different things.
 
Good luck...I feel your pain, the unfortunate part is due to all the morons who due stupid stuff, some of which talk about breaking FAA rules on this forum, are the exact reason the FAA has to babysit and make a rule for the rule and then rules for the rule all while following the rules...It is crazy.
 
I live in NYC and FAA Keeps changing the rules as to where you can fly and NYC it's basically ''You cannot''
NYC has listed few parks where you can safely fly with your drone such as:
Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens and tiny little circle in Forest Park

Yet their B4UFLY app shows both of these areas and basically entire Queens/Manhattan/Brooklyn is covered with a bloody red overlay saying FLIGHT PROHIBITED. So which one is it? Can I fly there or cannot. Which bureaucrat moron I have to call to find out because everyone says different things.
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You can't go wrong with following the Local rules.. I live in Newark and have the same Problems.. The local rules say you that you can fly in certain parks.. Wish I had that Here in Jersey ... If you are a Hobby flyer you can call the Air Port Manager and advise them your be flying there.. If your a certified 107 pilot you have to ASK permission 90 days in advance..(Go figure). Also one thing to remember, its the Local enforcement that decides to give you a ticket, as of now the FAA does not have the man power to ticket you..Also as Lic.Pilot said " learn how to read Sectional Charts" you may find that you are out side of the 5 mile range (not nautical miles)... Good Luck...
 
You can't go wrong with following the Local rules.. I live in Newark and have the same Problems.. The local rules say you that you can fly in certain parks.. Wish I had that Here in Jersey ... If you are a Hobby flyer you can call the Air Port Manager and advise them your be flying there.. If your a certified 107 pilot you have to ASK permission 90 days in advance..(Go figure). Also one thing to remember, its the Local enforcement that decides to give you a ticket, as of now the FAA does not have the man power to ticket you..Also as Lic.Pilot said " learn how to read Sectional Charts" you may find that you are out side of the 5 mile range (not nautical miles)... Good Luck...
If you're flying commercially, you need to get airspace authorization via the web. If you're a hobby flyer you can just call the tracon and ask permission. I do that all the time as I live in a class B surface shelf.

The FAA and local are two totally different things. Local municipalities may have laws restricting drones where there are no airspace concerns, and parks that are "ok to fly in" may be located under class B or a TFR. From the East River to practically Jones Beach is all surface class B.

Here's a link to all the ATC TRACON phone #'s, I have no idea how helpful they'll be in NY though.
http://www.csobeech.com/files/ATC-Phone-Numbers.pdf
 

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Scott, You actually call the Air Traf. Control towers ???? Were do you live ? where you can call the Tower ??? Around here (Newark NJ) if you call the actual Tower , you would be told no in a heart beat... They do not want calls for Drone Permission... They are far to busy to even entertain the thought... I haven't tried yet, but was informed that the person for drone permission would be the Air Port Manager.. Does this sound right to you... ??
 
Yup I call Cincinnati tracon. Not near as busy I'm sure, but that's what the law requires. I'm over cautious because my certificate is my lively hood, and they've already taken certificate action on a private pilot for flying a UAS in class D w/o permission. Actually CVG is more helpful than the nearby class D airspace since they have one guy in the tower doing everything.
 
Scott, You actually call the Air Traf. Control towers ???? Were do you live ? where you can call the Tower ??? Around here (Newark NJ) if you call the actual Tower , you would be told no in a heart beat... They do not want calls for Drone Permission... They are far to busy to even entertain the thought... I haven't tried yet, but was informed that the person for drone permission would be the Air Port Manager.. Does this sound right to you... ??
Oh sorry missed the last part. Airport managers are responsible for the property and have nothing to do with airspace requests. You definitely need to contact either the tower for a smaller airport or TRACON for a larger one.
 
From the FAR on hobbyist rules pertaining to operating near an airport....

(5) 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 (model aircraft operators flying from a permanent location within 5 miles of an airport should establish a mutually-agreed upon operating procedure with the airport operator and the airport air traffic control tower (when an air traffic facility is located at the airport)).
It depends on who you ask at the FAA and the Tower guys will tell you about the Airport Manager or tell you that you don't have permission but the regulation requires notification (not approval) to both the Airport Manager and the Tower.
 
Sectionals don't show special drone restrictions so you can't rely on that either.

The problem with NYC is that it may be ok per FAA, but local police will arrest your *** and sort it out later. AND you have FBI and CIA and Homeland peeps in that area always looking out for that stuff.

I had a run in with police, showed them my paperwork and all was cool. One of the cops moved from NYC and he said if this was NY, we would've had to arrest you and sort it out at the precinct.
 
If its an uncontrolled field I suppose you contact the airport manager. But thats only a recommendation. Strictly speaking I suppose this is due to the potential for a class E surface volume but those are fairly unusual. In those cases, that would be controlled airspace as well, requiring contact with the controlling agency. The thing that gets me is that someone with 0 training, no license, just calls to ask/inform them of a drone flight in their airspace. Someone who has a license, training, and wants to operate commercially has to apply for a waiver or airspace authorization via the web. I applied for CVG waiver in January and am still waiting...
 
If its an uncontrolled field I suppose you contact the airport manager. But thats only a recommendation. Strictly speaking I suppose this is due to the potential for a class E surface volume but those are fairly unusual. In those cases, that would be controlled airspace as well, requiring contact with the controlling agency. The thing that gets me is that someone with 0 training, no license, just calls to ask/inform them of a drone flight in their airspace. Someone who has a license, training, and wants to operate commercially has to apply for a waiver or airspace authorization via the web. I applied for CVG waiver in January and am still waiting...
I agree, my license would require I get a waiver too. I suppose that calling is better than not calling..but why the difference. They should make any Class airspace off limits to hobbyists. ( except G) Anyone caught operating In a Class airspace is fined. Of course the problem has always been who's going to enforce it
 
I agree, my license would require I get a waiver too. I suppose that calling is better than not calling..but why the difference. They should make any Class airspace off limits to hobbyists. ( except G) Anyone caught operating In a Class airspace is fined. Of course the problem has always been who's going to enforce it

Interesting. A hobbyist flying at 100 feet, 5 miles from a class D airport should not have the right to fly. That's a bit over the top.
 
Interesting. A hobbyist flying at 100 feet, 5 miles from a class D airport should not have the right to fly. That's a bit over the top.
I would submit that it is more over the top to have Part 107 Licensed Pilots unable to operate in that Airspace and Hobbyists can. I would also agree that everyone should be held to the same altitude standards expressed on the facility maps.
 

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