Altitude restrictions 400Ft

[waltsgt3]

I was flying around canyons, cliffs and plateaus around MOAB recently, and wanted to fly up above several masa’s that are more than 400 FT. Of course, my flight altitued was restricted to 400 ft. . But If I climb up to the top of the 1000 FT masa I can launch and climb to 400 ft above that new higher launch level. Is there a way I can fly to the restricted altitude above the higher plateau without climbing to the top of the ridge?

I hope this question makes sense. Id like to explore higher level terrain and caves without actually climbing up there



Thoughts?

 

[jrios]

From what I understand, the important distinction is altitude above takeoff point vs AGL.

The drone may show altitude relative to where you launched, but the 400 ft rule is generally about height above the ground directly below the aircraft. So if you launch from the bottom and fly out over terrain that is much lower or higher, the number on the controller may not tell the whole legal/safety story.

For your canyon/plateau example, the cleaner approach would probably be to launch from a legal and accessible higher point, keep visual line of sight, check the airspace/restrictions for that exact area, and avoid trying to “work around” the altitude limit from a lower launch point.

Not legal advice, but I’d treat it conservatively unless you can confirm the local rules and airspace clearly.