FAA Starts Beta Testing App That Tells Drone Pilots Where They Are Allowed To Fly

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/28/b4ufly/
Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it would soon start beta testing an app that would help drone flyers understand where they can and — more importantly — can’t fly. Today, the FAA announced a few more details about the app and launched the first beta version of the aptly named B4UFLY app for iOS.​
 
I've seen screenshots from beta versions and talked to testers. Seems it is pulling data of every airport, heliport, grass strip and one-time landing area, and drawing a 5mi ring around them. For example, here in NYC, it's listing the NK39 heliport at 1 Police Plaza, which hasn't had an aircraft land there in over a decade.

Even worse than incomplete data in the app is wrong data, so I hope the app is fixed up quickly before release, lest people lose trust in it.
 
People who care enough to download the app are not the problem...


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Mike I said:
I've seen screenshots from beta versions and talked to testers. Seems it is pulling data of every airport, heliport, grass strip and one-time landing area, and drawing a 5mi ring around them. For example, here in NYC, it's listing the NK39 heliport at 1 Police Plaza, which hasn't had an aircraft land there in over a decade.

Even worse than incomplete data in the app is wrong data, so I hope the app is fixed up quickly before release, lest people lose trust in it.
Click to expand...

Well, given that there are folks in the FAA that would rather these devices not fly at all....
 
It's not the people who play by the rules,that area problem,the app only is going to work for them. Unless most of the info isn't current.
 
Mike I said:
For example, here in NYC, it's listing the NK39 heliport at 1 Police Plaza, which hasn't had an aircraft land there in over a decade.

Even worse than incomplete data in the app is wrong data, so I hope the app is fixed up quickly before release, lest people lose trust in it.
Click to expand...

Think of the folks last week, that after they had an engine problem, were vectored to a long-closed strip that no longer had a runway. RIP

We learned a long time ago in programming, GIGO (Garbage-In, Garbage-Out...)
 
I like the idea but, as others have said, people who care enough to use an app are not the problem. I assume a lot of these drones have some sort of GPS or radio capability. If the FAA is really committed to keeping drones away from airplanes they should bake some software into the drones that shut off the engines or reverse direction when they fly near airports. I'm no drone expert so that may be far fetched but it will probably come down to something like that if things keep going the way they are.
 
No. Wrong app.

Take same data, call it "Drone Season!!". If a drone is present in a designated area you may disable / destroy drone by any locally legal means. Share your score! Play in teams! Post video of the kill! Keep America's skies clear!!
 
Unfortunately, this app (that is still in beta) is light years behind other technology that already exists. Botlink (full disclosure...Botlink is a client and some of the guys there are friends) is already available and incorporates ADS-B, weather overlays, TFR's, airspace and more. Botlink also has the capability to address the dirty little secret in the UAV world of how to actually get usable data from the drone to the ground in real time and beyond line of sight - which is the key to really efficient commercial use.

Yes, the responsible people will be the only ones to use this now, but hopefully manufacturers start incorporating it into drones out of the box and hobbyists adopt it too.
 
You all can just leave me alone and let me fly my drone where I want.

So my house is within 5 mile radius of a class d airport. Knowing this I won't fly my drone higher than 400ft and within a 1 mile radius.
 
Again, you're informed and follow the rules. A lot of drone flyers aren't and therefore don't.
 
Mistake Not... said:
No. Wrong app.

Take same data, call it "Drone Season!!". If a drone is present in a designated area you may disable / destroy drone by any locally legal means. Share your score! Play in teams! Post video of the kill! Keep America's skies clear!!
Click to expand...

I like this idea!
Is there a way we can set a scoring system up on the forum here? Kind of life a poll but we can go back and keep adding to it?
And I think there should be a few different point systems.
1 pt. For each drone disabled or destroyed
2 pt if you catch it (ya know, hang a fishing net out the window lol) and turn it into the FAA or something
Hahaha oh the fun that could be had!


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It's a good start to a solution. Technology would work. The next step is to require drones to carry ADSB in and out to keep it from flying in restricted / controlled space. I like this idea over the beavy handed approach.
 
dans2992 said:
People who care enough to download the app are not the problem...


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Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that.

Many folks who order a phantom 3, or what have you, have zero clue this stuff even exists.

We just need more postive education and marketing in the consumer and prosumer industry IMO.
 
Ok, but I'm sure there's a big red piece of paper in the box telling them to stay under 400 ft and not fly within X miles of an airport.

Frankly, if they just kept it under 400 agl, that would be enough, unless they're _right_ on top of an airport, which in that case should be obvious.


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And my chicks hair dryers say not to use it while taking a shower, think there was even a warning on the 5 gal bucket I bought from depot.

In life today everything come with so many dumb warnings, we become numb to those tags and pamphlets, no one reads them.

They need to have a fun/interesting DVD to watch, maybe with a celebrity in it, after you watch it you take a fun interactive quiz and if you score well you get some swag.

Or maybe a free simulator that has a "you just busted airspace" aspect to it.


You got to convey that you really can kill folks with these things, you also got to convey the message in a way people will actually engage, listen and remember.

We're the nation of marketing, we can convince kids to buy the dumbest crap on earth, women to harass men to buy overpriced diamonds, etc etc, I think if we really want to we can teach folks buying drones how to NOT use them.
 
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If they can be flown in hazardous proximity, they will. Start requiring they be built with GPS geofencing and just make them unable to fly in controlled airpace. It will cost more but solve a gargantuan headache and that will get cheaper over time. Sure someone will hack it, but that requires intelligence which will drastically limit the numbers doing it and commensurate risk thereof.
 
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