USA 2way radio recommendations for commercial work communication on field.

[William Gaddy]

DJI? Testing firmware?
View attachment 12828

That'd be a start, right?

 

[Planter]

If you can pass 107 you can learn to operate a radio...If You Need to. It's not rocket science....but a skill that can come in handy.

 

[DoblW]

Thank you guys for all the help.
Yes, I totally know that radio communication is only for "Emergency" is clearly stated on the Part.107 study guides.

Thanks!

 

[licensed pilot]

Emergencies??? I don't think so. There is no single FAR that prohibits me (as a part 107 pilot) from making a blind call on CTAF when near an uncontrolled airport (inside the 5 miles) or heliport to alert traffic of my impending UAS launch. I don't ratchet jaw on the radio, just a short blurb with my N number altitude and location....If a part 61 pilot doesn't like it, C'est la vie.

 

[William Gaddy]

Aside from airband 2-way, it's also good to have your crew (if more than just you) on headset 2-way radios (UHF amateur band), we use Baofeng radios and Coodio headsets.

 

[licensed pilot]

Aside from airband 2-way, it's also good to have your crew (if more than just you) on headset 2-way radios (UHF amateur band), we use Baofeng radios and Coodio headsets.

I always wanted to wear a headset while flying my UAV, so passersby would think I looked cool...

 

[Thatius Dudeson]

I always wanted to wear a headset while flying my UAV, so passersby would think I looked cool...

Here's a question for you....

I have a COA to fly in an area, I don't always fly for work... the past two days I've had a small two seater out of one of the local grass Fields buzz me at just over 200 feet.

My COA is up to 400 out here but I stick to less than 200, and I have no way of contacting a non-existent Tower of someone's backyard Strip (there's about 10 within 20 miles) and these guys don't run ADS, so my apps don't show them.

How would you say would be the best way to handle this? I'm new, but I thought they would still have to be above 400 AGL?


Edit... I should have said waiver not COA....

 

[William Gaddy]

Here's a question for you....

I have a COA to fly in an area, I don't always fly for work... the past two days I've had a small two seater out of one of the local grass Fields buzz me at just over 200 feet.

My COA is up to 400 out here but I stick to less than 200, and I have no way of contacting a non-existent Tower of someone's backyard Strip (there's about 10 within 20 miles) and these guys don't run ADS, so my apps don't show them.

How would you say would be the best way to handle this? I'm new, but I thought they would still have to be above 400 AGL?


Edit... I should have said waiver not COA....

If you can, try and scope a tail number and call your nearest FSDO to inform them some hot-rodder knucklehead in a Piper with tail N1234XY thinks he's an apache pilot and doing nap-of-the-earth flight at 200 AGL at the following location "... now, I recognize getting a tail is pretty **** hard on a barnstorming helo or aircraft, but that's the most professional way to handle it, then it's up to the FAA to contact the pilot and investigate.

 

[William Gaddy]

Actually had this happen to me with a Bell 210 late last year. I was getting set up to fly a little before civil twilight and I heard the telltale "lawnmower sound" from a block away -- and then WHAM right above a hill 200 yards away this guy pops up over the trees maybe 120-150 AGL tearing through probably full power at 120 KT, he's not sqwuaking ADS-B, (You can bet I checked), and he was going WAY too fast to get a tail number (and for that matter to fly safely in that configuration, speed, and geography). A LOT of my neighbors in my development actually called the state police to report it, because he/she was flying Very Low, Fast, And Loud, rattling windows all over the place. I have a feeling this pilot was showboating for a female passenger -- just a hunch.

 

[Thatius Dudeson]

I'll check the footage again, he was close enough to get it on camera... I heard him and dropped from 200 down to 180, just for safety.

Funny enough, he's out flying over town again today..... well above 400, lol.

I'm pretty sure he could've looked (and probably did) out his left window and saw the I2 at less than 20 degrees... bet he would've been salty to have to report that hit.

 

[William Gaddy]

Agreed -- 400 ft (well, OK, supposed to be 500ft AGL) But if you see some Top-Gun wannabe flying unsafely in your residential area, report it if you can. Chances are he/she won't get "busted" just sent to "re-education camp" which is a fate worse than Death.

 

[William Gaddy]

One thing that's been bugging me though recently -- it seems lately there is a huge adversarial divide between the manned aircraft community and the sUAS community. I know there are many on this forum who have their feet planted in both. I see manned pilots do all kinds of VERY dangerous stunts for Macho reasons and all kinds of UAS folks do the same thing (just Google Casey Neistat). We're all on the same team, we want the NAS safe and not have Uncle Charlie and Uncle Freddy bust everyone down to Private with no privileges and KP duty. But it IS a two way street. Every Bombardier pilot reporting a likely goose encounter as a drone encounter (due to "drone fever") and everyone calling FSDO about someone who is maybe 50 AGL too low isn't helpful to anyone. For the record, the Bell 210 I mentioned cleared the hill and passed the top gable of my house with *40 foot* clearance -- (yes, I felt the prop wash, for ****'s sake) that's a clear case of a) incompetence -- ground effect, he clearly never read a manual) and b) a dangerous ADM attitude. If he was too busy getting his pickle tickled he would have likely hit my house due to ascending ground elevation; the only thing that saved him (and his passenger/s) was he was full throttle forward and had enough kinetic to manuever. If I had gotten his tail number you're **** skippy I would be on the phone to FSDO and I probably would've been "extremely persistent".

 

[licensed pilot]

My first gut response is avoid the area. 200 feet is pretty low, I am assuming he saw your vehicle somewhere near you, thus knew people were present and not taking off or landing?
·"91.119 Minimum safe altitudes;
Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes; (a) ·Anywhere. ·An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface."

ADS-B is not required until 2020. Can you get his N-number and track him down, to let him know of your planned operation? I don't know what else you can do. I'd rather not take the risk.

If you can, try and scope a tail number and call your nearest FSDO to inform them some hot-rodder knucklehead in a Piper with tail N1234XY thinks he's an apache pilot and doing nap-of-the-earth flight at 200 AGL at the following location "... now, I recognize getting a tail is pretty **** hard on a barnstorming helo or aircraft, but that's the most professional way to handle it, then it's up to the FAA to contact the pilot and investigate.

That's about all you can do, unless you want to be a nice guy, take a chance and run his N number and get the address the aircraft is registered (owner). I don't recommend a personal visit as people don't know how to act today. In simpler times it could lead to a friendly conversation on how you are trying to be safe and keep him from a collision. The way folks are today, it may or may not work.

 

[Thatius Dudeson]

Thanks guys...

I'm not a pilot, but I respect them... this is at my parents place. Farmland, and everyone and their mother has an airstrip.

He definitely saw me, he was flying to see town... today he flew back and forth at 500 or so what seemed like 100 times! Felt like he was trying to send ME a message! This is the reason I stay below 200 unless I'm checking a grain bin, etc.

 

[William Gaddy]

Thanks guys...

I'm not a pilot, but I respect them... this is at my parents place. Farmland, and everyone and their mother has an airstrip.

He definitely saw me, he was flying to see town... today he flew back and forth at 500 or so what seemed like 100 times! Felt like he was trying to send ME a message! This is the reason I stay below 200 unless I'm checking a grain bin, etc.

Well, this brings up a good point -- "see and avoid". You never know what's going to happen or what could appear out of nowhere (example, my Inspire was harassed/attacked by an bald eagle and #%^&@ I was not filming at the time). I'd like to think all pilots are more intelligent than a bird, but my experiences have proven me wrong sometimes. I think the FAA had this in mind when they basically forbid BVLOS. To get that waiver, you're going to have to speak to how you're avoiding the random cowboy flyer not sqwuaking a transponder or ADS-B AND the random bald eagle attack if your aircraft is BVLOS... Point is, eyes-wide-open, and be prepared to move out of the way in a hurry (safely), at all times.

 

[Thatius Dudeson]

Absolutely!

We have a military base close by that they used to fly A-10's and C-5's out of... nothing like a galaxy flying over at below 1000 feet!

I've always been a fan of air traffic, so I watch and listen. I just never realized that was much of an issue with hot rodders until I joined the airspace as well.

 

[William Gaddy]

Some hot-rodders are justified.

Right after 9/11 we had some very strange stuff flying right over my mountain house in the middle of the night (like right overhead, if I was Michael Jordan I could jump up and touch it kind of close), I could never sort it out. Too quiet to be a blackhawk or apache, they kept doing NOE close approaches to my house... the sound was just WIERD -- I'd get the lawnmower sound, I'd see lights over the hill beyond my lake, then they'de go off -- and then the next thing I hear/feel is low frequency prop wash and a muffled whine of air as they go right over my head. After they nailed Bin Laden I think I finally figured it out. I suspect "someone" was using my house as a faux target for nap-of-the-earth target training runs for the GhostHawk anticipating the mountainous terrain in Afghanistan. I didn't call my FSDO in that series of circumstances I'll give those boys a pass any day.

 

[Thatius Dudeson]

Some hot-rodders are justified.

Right after 9/11 we had some very strange stuff flying right over my mountain house in the middle of the night (like right overhead, if I was Michael Jordan I could jump up and touch it kind of close), I could never sort it out. Too quiet to be a blackhawk or apache, they kept doing NOE close approaches to my house... the sound was just WIERD -- I'd get the lawnmower sound, I'd see lights over the hill beyond my lake, then they'de go off -- and then the next thing I hear/feel is low frequency prop wash and a muffled whine of air as they go right over my head. After they nailed Bin Laden I think I finally figured it out. I suspect "someone" was using my house as a faux target for nap-of-the-earth target training runs for the GhostHawk anticipating the mountainous terrain in Afghanistan. I didn't call my FSDO in that series of circumstances I'll give those boys a pass any day.

We had a 50x100 or so US flag painted on the roof, they used it as a visual marker in the A-10's between the base and the local bombing area.... they would buzz close and tip a wing!

Almost daily occurance at some points of my childhood.

 

[William Gaddy]

We had a 50x100 or so US flag painted on the roof, they used it as a visual marker in the A-10's between the base and the local bombing area.... they would buzz close and tip a wing!

Almost daily occurance at some points of my childhood.

No good deed goes unpunished!

 

[William Gaddy]

They probably used my house because it sticks out like a sore d*** in the middle of mountain "who-the-hell-else-is-here" Pennsylvania, and provides challenging NOE mountain and terrain maneuvers. They are welcome to do so anytime, but I don't want to be an ad-hoc paramedic if they suck my drone into their turbo and smash into my neighbor's house. (And yes, waiver Nazis, I have a nighttime waiver, and this was 2001 way before Part 107, so calm down)