Realizing the place you may safely and legally fly your drone is surprisingly troublesome.
Positive, you purchased your first (or fifth) drone, obtained your TRUST certificates, or perhaps even your Half 107 certificates, however after flying in your yard for hours, you’re keen to search out new areas close to you to observe flying. Or perhaps you’re touring to a brand new metropolis. So what do you do?
After all, you begin with a Google search: “The place can I fly my drone close to me?” Then, you examine B4UFly for uncontrolled airspace. However even then, you continue to need to examine state and native rules.
Do you know that within the US, you may’t fly in a Nationwide Park? The airspace will look clear on most airspace apps, however you could possibly nonetheless get in bother with a park ranger!
Some states, comparable to Missouri, permit drone flights of their state parks, whereas others, like Hawaii, ban them.
Most different states have important restrictions on drone flights in state parks, however they permit them underneath sure situations or require an utility prematurely.
The issue is all this data isn’t centralized, not all the time correct, and, most significantly, not topic to suggestions from pilots.
Enter FPV Trails. FPVTrails is a free database of particular areas the place you may fly, generated by precise pilots. Anybody can add, fee, evaluate, and talk about locations to fly.
The user-generated knowledge is overlaid with airspace data comparable to FAA UAS facility maps and FRIAs to show spots that aren’t simply pleasant to fly — however are additionally protected and authorized to fly in.
Nonetheless, simply remember to cross-reference websites with the FAA’s official B4UFly service suppliers, as knowledge can shortly change (particularly if there’s a Short-term Flight Restriction in place).
FPV Trails has added many distinctive map layers, together with nationwide and state parks, stadiums, and worldwide airports, and is within the strategy of aggregating college UAS applications and metropolis and state legal guidelines concerning drone flight.
In addition they provide climate layers and are continuously including new areas, together with over 250 within the US alone. These areas are freely downloadable in JSON format.
FPV Trails intends to be a free and open platform and should ultimately add premium providers to cowl internet hosting prices.