Private Airstrip rules

[Russ Still]

Correct, Mike. Under Part 107, no phone calls are necessary in Class G.

 

[Topsail Phil]

After some searching 14 CFR Part 107 to find nothing that states you must notify an airport in uncontrolled airspace, and finding this:

"Small UA Operations Near an Airport—Notification and Permissions. Unless the flight is conducted within controlled airspace, no notification or authorization is necessary to operate at or near an airport. When operating in the vicinity of an airport, the remote PIC must be aware of all traffic patterns and approach corridors to runways and landing areas. The remote PIC must avoid operating anywhere that the presence of the sUAS may interfere with operations at the airport, such as approach corridors, taxiways, runways, or helipads. Furthermore, the remote PIC must yield right-of-way to all other aircraft, including aircraft operating on the surface of the airport."

in Advisory Circular 107-2 I learned that I was wrong, and it's good to know I can stop calling all the airports around me every time I fly.

Thanks TopSail Phil for your post which caused me to go do the research. I don't have your experience but after years of flying airplanes and heated discussions in hangars over regulations I have learned it's best to look it up before pushing your point to far.

Mike

Mike, sorry, I should have mentioned that the AC 107-2 was my reference as well. All of us should be familiar with that. It might help stave off some confusion.

 

[Topsail Phil]

Correct, Mike. Under Part 107, no phone calls are necessary in Class G.

Hi Russ! Good to see you here. I have not looked at your 107 course, but bought your Garmin 430 course last year and was real happy with it. I continue to use it as a reference.

 

[Russ Still]

That's great, Phil. Glad to see us flying around in the same virtual airspace!

 

[Mike Flys]

Correct, Mike. Under Part 107, no phone calls are necessary in Class G.

So the next time I'm fun flying out by the light house I will call it work and not call the 2 nearby little airfields I normally call.

 

[BigAl07]

While it may not be "required" to call if you're operating in close vicinity to an airport wouldn't it be a best practice to make the call? If for nothing else but an abundance of caution and maybe a CYA as well?

Keep in mind this only applies to Class GOLF airspace. That's an important distinction.

 

[Rodger]

Airspace is a hugely confusing issue. While a newbie to drone flying, I have flown fixed wing aircraft for 47 years now from military, civilian, and foreign fields worldwide, and have recently gotten my Part 107 ticket. My impression is that many drone pilots make airspace a more complicated issue than it really is, and that's understandable, because, again, it's really confusing. I'm not knocking anyone!
That said, there are no markings on sectionals around Reynolds/FL60. This indicates to me that it is Class G airspace - no communication or authorization is required to fly around it, although the UAS pilot MUST be aware of traffic patterns and elevations and avoid them. A universal rule of thumb for aircraft descending into a field is that they will follow a glide path of 300'/mile, ie, if they are 1 mile from the airport for landing, they will be at about 300', 2 miles - 600', etc. The traffic pattern around airports such at Reynolds are flown at about 800' above ground level. Miko indicated that he will be flying off-centerline to approaches at about a mile. While he should keep a sharp lookout for aircraft, within the parameters he gave, he should have no issues flying his drone several hundred feet in the air, and again, no permission or authorization is required. Further, at an uncontrolled, private airstrip as this, it is extremely unlikely that any means exists to warn pilots flying in or out that there might be a UAS airborne nearby, even if you could contact someone. Last, if this was depicted as Class E airspace, unless the Class E airspace went all the way to the surface (very unlikely at a private airstrip), the floor of the Class E would begin at either 700 feet AGL or 1200 ft AGL, well above the max altitude you should be flying your drone anyway - you would still be in Class G airspace.
Hope this helps!

Well stated. I found that once I had a good grasp on class "G" Airspace, the others came easy, very easy. It is the 700' inside the Magenta and 1200' outside the Magenta. I found a great example on Youtube and watched it a dozen times until I had a good handle on it. I had maintained earlier that I doubted that one could contact Reynolds Airstrip and was corrected that there was a telephone number in the Facilities Directory. My doubts in regard to a contact number were based on the use of the runways, all of one as a storage area for automobiles and that there was no Control Tower. I do not know who you will come in contact with at the telephone number or if anyone at all.

 

[Topsail Phil]

While it may not be "required" to call if you're operating in close vicinity to an airport wouldn't it be a best practice to make the call? If for nothing else but an abundance of caution and maybe a CYA as well?

Keep in mind this only applies to Class GOLF airspace. That's an important distinction.

Big Al, at airports such as the one in question, in Class G airspace, pilots flying fixed wing aircraft are not even required to have a radio. There is no "Notices to Airmen" (NOTAM) system covering the airport, and even if there was, I doubt that a notification of a drone flying nearby would get posted in a timely fashion. As I said in my original post, even if you called, it is unlikely that there is any method for the notification to be disseminated to all pilots there, unless there is some sort of central office, or line shack, that every pilot passes through, also unlikely. If it makes you feel better to make the call to the strip owner or manager, by all means do so, but at such airports, it will always be the UAS pilot's responsibility to see and avoid fixed wing aircraft. If you understand the traffic patterns and approach corridors around such airports, you should have no problem avoiding the traffic.

 

[Topsail Phil]

Here is another puzzler for you (and me) to consider, and I will call an FAA Flight Standards office on this one, 'cause I'm not 100% sure either. I fly my Cessna out of KOAJ in Jacksonville, NC. It is Class E to surface within 5 NM, with a Class E 700 ft floor transition area around it out another 5 NM. There is no control tower (yet), and American and Delta RJ's fly in and out multiple times daily. Class E is controlled airspace, IF YOU ARE FLYING IFR, UNDER INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES. VFR, you are on your own. I fly in and out of there routinely VFR and do not talk to ATC. I do use the Common Airport Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to let other aircraft know where I am in the local area and in the pattern, but that is NOT required, it's just a really good idea! We as drone pilots are always VFR, and mostly below 200-300 ft AGL, so I would submit that we should be able to fly even in Class E surface airspace on a see and avoid basis under visual flight rules. Again, I am going to see what the local FAA reps have to say, and will post what they tell me. B, C, D airspace - absolutely have to have ATC clearance, but I think VFR in Class E is a grey area.

 

[Mike Flys]

Here is another puzzler for you (and me) to consider, and I will call an FAA Flight Standards office on this one, 'cause I'm not 100% sure either. I fly my Cessna out of KOAJ in Jacksonville, NC. It is Class E to surface within 5 NM, with a Class E 700 ft floor transition area around it out another 5 NM. There is no control tower (yet), and American and Delta RJ's fly in and out multiple times daily. Class E is controlled airspace, IF YOU ARE FLYING IFR, UNDER INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES. VFR, you are on your own. I fly in and out of there routinely VFR and do not talk to ATC. I do use the Common Airport Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to let other aircraft know where I am in the local area and in the pattern, but that is NOT required, it's just a really good idea! We as drone pilots are always VFR, and mostly below 200-300 ft AGL, so I would submit that we should be able to fly even in Class E surface airspace on a see and avoid basis under visual flight rules. Again, I am going to see what the local FAA reps have to say, and will post what they tell me. B, C, D airspace - absolutely have to have ATC clearance, but I think VFR in Class E is a grey area.

Maybe this will help.

From a discussion in one of the Facebook groups I belong to.

 

[Russ Still]

Slightly off topic, but possibly helpful:

 

[Topsail Phil]

Mike, interesting you picked NAS Fallon as an example. First, my daughter flies F-18s and F-16s out of there. Second, agree you need authorization in the Class D airspace surrounding Fallon. I suspect the requirement for authorization does not extend to the Class E extension because outbound or inbound aircraft to/from that runway would likely be well above the Class E 700' or 1200' floors by then. On the other hand, does surface Class E mean surface or not? Seems to conflict with the FAA memo.
Russ, I still will call or email Scott Gardner or a local FAA rep. Everything I read, yes, says Class E is controlled airspace, but the caveat is that the aircraft are operating under IFR rules and must be communicating with ATC. VFR pilots (including drone pilots, I submit) are not/should not be subject to the authorization requirement. My home field, as I described above, is a perfect example. I can fly around there all day long in my airplane in the Class E surface airspace, actively squawking VFR, and never talk to ATC.
The two week old memorandum above does not seem to read that way, so I will try to get a definitive answer. Don't know how I can fly my Cessna around uncontrolled, but a UAS pilot flying VFR see-and-avoid would have to submit paperwork to the FAA and wait months for an answer.

 

[Russ Still]

I suspect the requirement for authorization does not extend to the Class E extension because outbound or inbound aircraft to/from that runway would likely be well above the Class E 700' or 1200' floors by then. On the other hand, does surface Class E mean surface or not?

The memo makes the distinction between Class E surface areas and surface extensions. Both start at the surface, but the wording in the regs states "within the lateral boundaries". The opinion put forth in the memo is that extensions fail the reg in that regard. So yes, they are surface, but no, you don't need Airspace Authorization under Part 107.

 

[Bob]

I have a question about my air space here at my home. I am in class G air space but right at 4.9 miles from Gun Barrel airport. it is a private field no control tower but I do have a phone # for it. within 2 hundred yards out my back door is the Payne Springs Volunteer Fire Department and their parking lot is a landing pad for medivac helicopter. It is not used much but it is there. It shows up on Airmap and other apps. If I want to fly at my house I would not be over 150 feet agl and to keep vlos I must not fly more than 200 feet around my house. I would think that I am ok to fly here and I should call the airport to advise. Just asking for advice from more knowledgeable airmen. Thank you. (my gps shows me at 32*.17'N 96*.06'W)

 

[Topsail Phil]

I have a question about my air space here at my home. I am in class G air space but right at 4.9 miles from Gun Barrel airport. it is a private field no control tower but I do have a phone # for it. within 2 hundred yards out my back door is the Payne Springs Volunteer Fire Department and their parking lot is a landing pad for medivac helicopter. It is not used much but it is there. It shows up on Airmap and other apps. If I want to fly at my house I would not be over 150 feet agl and to keep vlos I must not fly more than 200 feet around my house. I would think that I am ok to fly here and I should call the airport to advise. Just asking for advice from more knowledgeable airmen. Thank you. (my gps shows me at 32*.17'N 96*.06'W)

Bob, it is totally legal for you to fly as described from your house, and no need to call Gun Barrel. There are numerous airports in your area, though, so keep a good lookout for fixed wing aircraft. The onus is always on the UAS operator to see and avoid fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters, too! Especially if you see the medevac helo nearby, you are so close I would get your drone on the ground.

 

[AH-1G]

Bob, you may want to inform the Fire Department you live right around the corner and not to get excited seeing your drone(SLAC) in the air.
I would also mention you are certified, this way they would be comfortable knowing it's not some uneducated person flying (meaning 107 certified). Also you may want to demonstrate how cool they are?

 

[Bob]

Thanks, flights around y house will be to practice my manual flying skills. Mostly close in type of flying keeping camera on poi, while circling, getting close, manuvering around obstacles.

Bob, you may want to inform the Fire Department you live right around the corner and not to get excited seeing your drone(SLAC) in the air.
I would also mention you are certified, this way they would be comfortable knowing it's not some uneducated person flying (meaning 107 certified). Also you may want to demonstrate how cool they are?

Yes that would be a great idea. I will do it.

 

[Topsail Phil]

All,
As promised, I called two Flight Standards District Offices (FSDOs) in different states and the FAA in Washington about my contention that UAS pilots should be able to operate VFR in Class E surface airspace. In short, I got shot down (no surprise to many of you!). While all 3 offices conceded I had a point, in their finest government-ese, they said that Part 107 and the Gardner memo referenced above were not written that way, but simply stated that drone ops are not permitted in surface Class E airspace. Period. They also said that LAANC would be our salvation - someday. So, I will not be pushing that limitation, though I still contend it is FAA overreach. Our profession and relief from such limits was not helped by the idiot drone pilot whose drone was on ABC National News tonight flying OVER a Frontier jetliner on final approach to somewhere. Not only did he/she film it, then they put in on the internet!

 

[BigAl07]

Our profession and relief from such limits was not helped by the idiot drone pilot whose drone was on ABC National News tonight flying OVER a Frontier jetliner on final approach to somewhere. Not only did he/she film it, then they put in on the internet!

For filming a video, endanger the lives of others?

 

[Skyworks Aerial]

I have work for a client next month for TV at Jumbolair, a private avaition community near Ocala Fl. The flight is around one of the homes on the property (100ft) and I have permission from the airport owner. It is in Class Golf and no geofence on the DJI map. As a part 61 I intend to monitor and announce the flight on its CTAF, and think I have everything covered, thoughts?