It's not just the Bay Area. The restrictions and FAA guidelines are written in a way that prohibits almost all recreational flying in urban areas. I don't think I've seen a single widely-shared drone video that wasn't afoul of the law.
Not quite. You can fly below 400 feet AGL as long as you stay out of the immediate part of the class B,c,d airspace that touches the ground. While a lot of the bay is regulated airspace, there is plenty of area below 400feet that is not within he class b/c/d. SFO is class B, but most of the others are class C and do not extend quite so far.
As for notices, if you are working near airports with drones commercially, filing a NOTAM is a good idea. If you are Within the airspace, you will need to get permission from the control tower, which requires advanced filing. (Up to 90 days ahead of time). Calling the local tower/airport as a hobbyist is a bad idea. Instead, just fly somewhere else, and NEVER fly above 400 feet or within regulated airspace.
Note that apps like AirMap can help figure this stuff out, however, there are a lot of helipads in the city that make things problematic. Some of which are not actually still there, but which were never removed from the FAA records. However, the UCSF medical center is one which is active. Also, IME tourist/ sightseeing helicopters regularly fly too low in the bay. If a drone causes an accident, even if the pilot of the helicopter is flying illegally low I doubt anyone would side with the drone operator.
Finally, even as a hobbyist, it is worth getting verifly if you are flying in busy areas. Being able to buy spot insurance for flights is great if you are flying somewhere unfamiliar, or testing a new drone.
dionidium|8 years ago
milkthefat|8 years ago
arnarbi|8 years ago
abakker|8 years ago
As for notices, if you are working near airports with drones commercially, filing a NOTAM is a good idea. If you are Within the airspace, you will need to get permission from the control tower, which requires advanced filing. (Up to 90 days ahead of time). Calling the local tower/airport as a hobbyist is a bad idea. Instead, just fly somewhere else, and NEVER fly above 400 feet or within regulated airspace.
Note that apps like AirMap can help figure this stuff out, however, there are a lot of helipads in the city that make things problematic. Some of which are not actually still there, but which were never removed from the FAA records. However, the UCSF medical center is one which is active. Also, IME tourist/ sightseeing helicopters regularly fly too low in the bay. If a drone causes an accident, even if the pilot of the helicopter is flying illegally low I doubt anyone would side with the drone operator.
Finally, even as a hobbyist, it is worth getting verifly if you are flying in busy areas. Being able to buy spot insurance for flights is great if you are flying somewhere unfamiliar, or testing a new drone.
dmitrygr|8 years ago
unknown|8 years ago
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asveikau|8 years ago
unknown|8 years ago
[deleted]