I would like to know if it is possible to access your course materials and/or videos of the Skycademy presentations?

Thanks You.
William Richards

Are there any other planned dates for this course as well? I’ve a friend who would love to see this in action.

Looks to me from http://community.balloonchallenge.org/t/regulations-overview-including-contacting-the-us-faa/676 that …”The basic policy for the FAA is that if your payload is under six pounds, you can call up your local FAA office on the day of your launch and receive permission.” Not to say there aren’t exclusion zones near airports and other special circumstances.

As soon as I can get Civil Aviation Agency approval… They have been a little difficult so far, something about “increased chance of payload gaining self-awareness” or something along those lines.

As a rough guide, for the balloon/gas/tracker/payload plus receiving equipment, it can be done for £500.

Dave

Laws vary from country to country, and part of the course is to explain how to plan for a legal and safe flight in the UK; we don’t cover other countries. The advice includes not launching near or toward airports, and planning a flight that will land in a rural area with lots of fields, well away from cities and airports.

There is a large HAB community in the USA where the laws are actually much less restrictive than in the UK – for example no need to apply for permission for a most flights, and it’s legal to use amateur radio transmitters from the payload.

I’m not aware of either of the restrictions that you’ve mentioned, nor of a balloon being classed as a drone, however anyone wanting to launch in any country should seek advice from their local HAB community, and then if needed contact their local air traffic authority. The HAB communities can advise on radio laws as well as air legalities.

Dave