Hi there, it's Ernest from Trip Astute. If you're watching this video, then you're
probably a drone pilot looking to fly your drone in Los Angeles. In this video,
I'll share the two locations where you can safely practice flying your drone in the area.
(light chiming music)
Los Angeles is one of the most frustrating places if you happen to own
a drone. The high number of airports and city restrictions make it nearly
impossible to fly your drone without risk of a citation. You can't even fly it
at a park or beach due to city ordinances.
There are even filming restrictions in LA that require you to have someone
monitor your flight to ensure that you're flying safely if you want to use
your drone to officially capture video. I actually got my drone in June 2017.
It's a DJI Spark, so it's a pretty small and friendly drone. However, as I researched
places to fly, I was actually surprised at the number of restrictions that drone
operators face in LA. All I wanted to do was practice flying it and my drone end
up gathering dust since I couldn't find a place to fly it. That is, until I found
two places in LA where you can actually practice flying your drone. The first
place is the Apollo 11 Aircraft Airstrip in Lake Balboa. This is actually an RC
aircraft field, and ironically it's near one of LA's smaller airports in Van Nuys.
While the RC plane community isn't always fond of quad copters or drones,
they do have an area dedicated on the south side of the field where you can
practice flying your drone. You'll see a lot of professional and hobby drone
pilots there, and everyone seems pretty friendly. The helicopter field is open to
the public. It does not require you to get a membership to the club. Though, if
you use it a lot, it probably wouldn't hurt to support the San Fernando Valley
Flyers since they maintain the area. You will want to be careful not to fly your
drone on the airfield side, as there are a lot of model aircrafts flying in the
area. If you're flying your drone, I would stick to flying southwards from the
helicopter pads area. You'll get some good shots of the park
and the 101 and 405 freeway. Also, if the club is having a special event, the
quadcopter field is often closed off. So, I recommend checking the website for any
upcoming events. To get here, all you have to do is head over to Woodley Park and
enter the driveway marked with the Apollo 11
RC Airstrip sign off of Woodley Avenue. From there, just drive down the path and
park your car in the lot. The airfield has plenty of parking
spaces and a public restroom. The second location where you can safely practice
flying your drone is Lot H of the Rose Bowl. While you should never fly into or
along a stadium, this area near the Rose Bowl seems to be a safe zone for drone
operators. I've been here many times and it's a great place to learn the basics
of flying your quadcopter. The only catch is that you shouldn't use the field when
there are a lot of people around or when there's an actual event at the Rose Bowl.
This is usually not an issue during the week, but can be a problem during the
weekends. I have tried to use the field in the past, only to find that there's a
huge kids soccer match in the lot. And those are my top recommendations for
beginner drone pilots in Los Angeles. I've included the address for both
locations in the video description. Of course, there are places throughout LA
County where you can safely operate your drone. However, it always helps to get
some practice flight time under your belt when you're starting out and
learning all the controls and features. Just a reminder: always operate your
drone safely and within the FAA rules. This means maintaining line-of-sight of
your drone, not flying over 400 feet, and not flying over people. If you're like me,
then you're probably feeling a bit paranoid when flying your drone. So
hopefully these places will help build your confidence since you'll be able to
master the basic controls. If you do get more serious about drones,
I do recommend getting your FAA part 107 license. You don't need it as a hobbyist,
but if you want to do any commercial work, then it's definitely required. I
just got mine after taking the Drone Pilot Ground School course taught by
UAV Coach. Taking a prep course isn't required to pass, but the course not only
helped me to get a 95 percent on the test, but I actually felt like I learned
the concepts being taught. Things like understanding
airspace classifications, weather, reading sectional charts, and even best practices
for flying unmanned aircrafts. Plus, the instructor Alan is very responsive to
questions. If you're interested, Alan at UAV Coach has provided our channel with
a discount code. Just used TRIPASTUTE50 to receive $50 off the prep course.
Do you have any favorite places in LA to fly a drone? If so, please share them
below in the comments section. Also, let us know if you have any questions. If you
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