Has anyone had experience flying in San Francisco? I'm hoping to get a few shots while I am there, was wondering if any of y'all had any FAA or legal issues. Any insight into weather woudl be great too. Weather.com says next weeks humidity is 91-95%. Yikes! (I have my boards coated with fine-kote) Any advice? Thanks so much -Zach
Lombard Street, Pier 39, Fishermans Wharf, Printed Ladies, The Exploratorium, Twin peaks. As long as I am standing and taking off on public property I'm ok? As long as I am abiding to the FAA 91-57 circular? http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/91-57.pdf
How will you deal with 3.a.? That is being a "sufficient distance from populated areas?" And the Big Question is: What are you going to do with the footage? As Gary says, Steve may also have insights into any San Francisco City Ordinances.... Andy
Well, San Francisco is a challenging place to fly for a number of reasons. Most of the places you mentioned are on or near the water, so that's going to make it interesting. There are also a huge number of obstacles and sources of interference, such as hills, large buildings, overhead lines for the buses and streetcars, and other such things. There is also a significant police presence in a lot of the tourist areas, and while police officers are generally curious, as well as being unaware of FAA statutes, they could pose a challenge. And, of course, there was this schmuck, who got what he deserved, IMHO: http://www.marinij.com/sausalito/ci_20975136/feds-cite-marin-county-men-over-drone-helicopter My advice would be to avoid all the tourist areas altogether. There are some nice beach areas (Chrissy Field, Baker Beach) that are quite picturesque where you might be able to get away with a few minutes in the air. But the weather is always interesting and changes rapidly, especially the wind. So...maybe you should just leave the bird at home. Unless you want to try and re-enact one of the Team Blacksheep moments (I think those guys are on the terror watchlist now).
Having shot photos on Lombard St, it is narrow and lots of power/phone lines. Painted Ladies, there is a park across the street, Alamo Square, but it is very busy most of the time. Limited to non existent parking, drove around for 30 minutes before I had a spot. Twin Peaks would be interesting. Also pretty windy. Like that at night for photos down Market St. Fisherman's and Pier 39 as Steve mentions are very crowded. All the time from early morning sunrise to well after dark. Other spots worth checking along with the Chrissy Field and Baker beach would be up in the Presidio area, China Beach, up on the point on the north end of the Golden Gate. Lots of spots with fewer crowds. And always respect the wind....
Well, he's either got a really good lawyer or deep pockets. I have it on good authority that he was slapped with a substantial fine.
I might also add that San Francisco is a mixed bag, politically-speaking. Super techie and progressive (sympathetic to our political situation) but also many libertarian-leaning extremists who would probably be more in the EFF’s "no drones" camp and could be seen as being hostiles. So again, the more people you encounter, the more of a chance you're going to attract the attentions of somebody who could complicate your life. And if you're anything like me, you don't want your life to be complicated.
So far the risk level looks... Humidity -- High Population -- High Public Saftey -- Difficult Buildings and Congestion -- High Chance of Public Attraction -- High Chance of Police Attraction -- High Power Lines & Chance of Signal Interference -- High Parking -- Difficult Flying over Water -- Frequent Weather -- Dynamically Changing Unpredictable Wind, Commonly at 15MPH +/- And All at tourist locations
Good analysis. Now what are you going to do? What is the the FAA certificate in you photo? Looks like a happy pilot license certificate.
If you'd like to contact me off the forum, I will give you some suggestions of places you might be able to fly with far less potential interference of all kinds. If you will have a car, there are a great many places within 30 minutes or so of downtown San Francisco that will offer really wonderful views and less potential problem.
I work at a local TV station in San Francisco and fly a Cinestar 6. Your conclusion is pretty accurate. I've been chased off and threatened by Park Police, CHPs, and Golden Gate Bridge Patrols. I would avoid any GGNRA land. Stands for Golden Gate National Recreational Area. Go to their website for more details. Here are a few shots to ponder. vimeo.com/52857197 Best, jim