Realizing the place you’ll be able to safely and legally fly your drone is surprisingly troublesome.
Certain, you obtain your first (or fifth) drone, obtained your TRUST certificates, or possibly even your Half 107 certificates, however after flying in your yard for hours, you’re keen to seek out new places close to you to follow flying. Or possibly you’re touring to a brand new metropolis. So what do you do?
In fact, you begin with a Google search: “The place can I fly my drone close to me?” Then, you verify B4UFly for uncontrolled airspace. However even then, you continue to need to verify state and native rules.
Do you know that within the US, you’ll be able to’t fly in a Nationwide Park? The airspace will look clear on most airspace apps, however you would nonetheless get in bother with a park ranger!
Some states, akin to Missouri, enable drone flights of their state parks, whereas others, like Hawaii, ban them.
Most different states have vital restrictions on drone flights in state parks, however they permit them below sure situations or require an software prematurely.
The issue is all this data shouldn’t be 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 places the place you’ll be able to fly, generated by precise pilots. Anybody can add, charge, overview, and focus on locations to fly.
The user-generated information is overlaid with airspace data akin to FAA UAS facility maps and FRIAs to show spots that aren’t simply pleasant to fly — however are additionally secure and authorized to fly in.
Nevertheless, simply make sure to cross-reference websites with the FAA’s official B4UFly service suppliers, as information 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 packages and metropolis and state legal guidelines relating to drone flight.
Additionally they provide climate layers and are consistently including new places, together with over 250 within the US alone. These places are freely downloadable in JSON format.
FPV Trails intends to be a free and open platform and should ultimately add premium companies to cowl internet hosting prices.