Getting in to the hobby. Here is my official hello, plus a couple questions.

[legodragonxp]

Todd here from Minneapolis. Awaiting my trainer kit so my son and I can get in to the hobby. (C-17 with the three foam aircraft and the second set of controls). I've spent years tinkering with aircraft virtually (X-plane mostly), but I wanted to get in to something more substantial.

Reading through all the rules, finding anywhere in the city of Minneapolis is pretty much a non-starter as a hobbiest. I was reading up on Rule 107 and thought I might go down that road just to get in 'under the radar' so to speak and fly closer to home. But this is costly and raises a couple questions.

Questions:
-If I have a Part 107 cert, does my son need one also if we fly in a local park that I determine would be allowed for me to fly but he wouldn't? (he is 17)
-As I understand it, if I'm 107 certified, I need to register all of my drones individually. Or is it I need to register each commercial drone individually? Maybe I'm reading it wrong. If I'm not wouldn't Flight Test have to spend a fortune on all their drones they build to be in compliance? I'm not finding the verbiage that clarifies it.

Planes should arrive Tuesday (crossing fingers). Back to reading.

 

[JasonK]

I don't know if anyone is going to want to give 'this is what the rules say' answers, but might give you best effort on it.
This is what I understand:
a 107 is required for doing anything commercial. Your the one licensed (I don't know if it covers you letting someone else use your equipment with you there). 107 does require each commercial drone to be registered separately. If your not regisering it that way then your can only fly it as a hobbyist (with all the relevant hobbyist restrictions).

I just checked http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/air-space-map/ and I don't see anything that 'opens up' by having a 107, you would still have to get permission for every flight inside the area of impact from the airports and IIRC the parks are no fly zones also. It doesn't look like the area is in the low altitude auto approval stuff were you can just get permission with an app, so your best best would be to find some where (IE an AMA air field) outside the city to fly at. (I know the pain, I am in an airforce MOA, which means I have to drive ~25minutes to the nearest park that isn't impacted by the MOA).

 

[JasonK]

I did a quick pan/scan around the area and found the following approved fixed flying sites (AMA fields):

SODBUSTERS RC FLYING CLUB
GRASSFIELD RC CLUB INC
MINNEAPOLIS PISTON POPPERS
MINNESOTA RC SOARING SOCIETY
RICH VALLEY RC CLUB

You might want want to look them up and contact them. Also, having some one at hand to help you learn can be very helpful over just trying to figure it out yourself.

 

[legodragonxp]

I don't know if anyone is going to want to give 'this is what the rules say' answers, but might give you best effort on it.
This is what I understand:
a 107 is required for doing anything commercial. Your the one licensed (I don't know if it covers you letting someone else use your equipment with you there). 107 does require each commercial drone to be registered separately. If your not regisering it that way then your can only fly it as a hobbyist (with all the relevant hobbyist restrictions).

I just checked http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/air-space-map/ and I don't see anything that 'opens up' by having a 107, you would still have to get permission for every flight inside the area of impact from the airports and IIRC the parks are no fly zones also. It doesn't look like the area is in the low altitude auto approval stuff were you can just get permission with an app, so your best best would be to find some where (IE an AMA air field) outside the city to fly at. (I know the pain, I am in an airforce MOA, which means I have to drive ~25minutes to the nearest park that isn't impacted by the MOA).

Thanks. I might be trying to bend rules in to place that do not fit here. I'd watched a video about a 107 operator saying that he could fly closer to an airport because he was certified to know where the controlled edge of airspace was as opposed to a general hobbyist.

Here is what I was talking about. 6:53 if the video shortcut doesn't work:

 

[JasonK]

to my Knowledge, that 107 would still have to apply for and get permission to fly in that space... Perhaps, that 107 might make him more likely to get that permission, but it doesn't get you around the permission need.

That said, I wouldn't say to not get the 107, it does give you permission to do something that you can't do without one, but to my knowledge, fly near an airport isn't one of those things.

I do see this "Automated authorization available at or below 400 ft" around one of the airports, for both hobbyist and 107 settings. go to that website and look at the area both with the hobbyist setting and the 107 setting.. I don't think it will end up looking much, if at all different.

 

[legodragonxp]

to my Knowledge, that 107 would still have to apply for and get permission to fly in that space... Perhaps, that 107 might make him more likely to get that permission, but it doesn't get you around the permission need.

That said, I wouldn't say to not get the 107, it does give you permission to do something that you can't do without one, but to my knowledge, fly near an airport isn't one of those things.

I do see this "Automated authorization available at or below 400 ft" around one of the airports, for both hobbyist and 107 settings. go to that website and look at the area both with the hobbyist setting and the 107 setting.. I don't think it will end up looking much, if at all different.

Thank you. I'll keep reading up on it. Worst case I have a 10-15 minute drive each time I want to fly.

 

[Bricks]

As JasonK said first check with your local clubs and feel them out about what they require, at our local feild we only require AMA, or proof of liability insurance. I think only one or two people have done anything with the FAA.

 

[legodragonxp]

Thank you folks for the information. I've been crash coursing in to local rules and regs and have identified a few places I am within the rules. The biggest headache is all the outdated information out there and needing to check with every different level of organization to make sure I'm legal. (Example: Article on top 5 place to fly in Minneapolis, top 2 are against the rules).

I've also joined AMA since everybody pretty much requires it and insurance isn't a bad thing to have. I'm also dropping all interest in Part 107 since I found the bit about recreational pilots being allowed to automate airspace requests. That clears out my concerns in a couple places.

If all goes well, tomorrow I start building!

 

[Merv]

Welcome to the forums

 

[Innaviation]

Welcome to the hobby! Hope you have a great hobby experience