So you just bought a new drone in Hong Kong and want to know which is the best location to practice flying your new quad? A location that has few or no people, open wide spaces, and minimal obstruction. Read on.
Best Place To Learn To Fly A Drone In Hong Kong
Curious to know more about where people go to fly their drones, I asked the kind people of Reddit if they knew of any such places in Hong Kong. Within a couple of days, I had a fairly good idea of these places.
I finally decided on Nam Sang Wai, a wetland area in the north-west of Hong Kong. In fact, from Nam Sang Wai (with its rustic, rural feel with a couple of abandoned houses) you can see the towering skyline of Shenzhen, China. I kid you not, it felt like I was in some post-apocalyptic movie. You know the one where the protagonist hopelessly wanders through the woods only to stumble upon a lost civilization in the distance. That’s what it felt like, especially knowing that I was carrying around a futuristic flying machine with me!
Anyway, remember:
- Read the manual properly, know your controls well. Sadly I crash-landed my quadcopter on the first day 🙁
- Wait for a clear and calm day to fly. Even though your drone may come with GPS-lock, your heart will be in your mouth when you witness it fighting the wind.
- Find a wide-open spot, away from trees, wires, buildings and people. You need to first understand how your drone responds to commands and how fast it flies.
Hong Kong Drone Laws
And finally, adhere to the local drone laws in Hong Kong. Hong Kong may be fairly chilled out when it comes to quadcopters, but it doesn’t mean that there are no laws. Remember, it’s your responsibility to fly safe.
Looking to Buy a Drone in Hong Kong?
Drones are easily available in Hong Kong. Most electronic, or computer stores and arcades stock DJI drones. And if you pay them in cash, some of them are willing to give you a small discount. However, they may not stock all models, and colours. That’s why it’s really convenient to order your drone from the DJI website.
Which drone should you buy?
My First Flight
Also, if you plan to fly your quadcopter in Hong Kong be sure to read the Civil Aviation Department’s guidelines on Safety in Radio-Controlled Model Aircraft Flying.
Here are the list of banned areas:
- Hong Kong International Airport;
- North Lantau coastal area;
- Coastal areas from Tai Lam Chung to Tsuen Wan and Tsing Yi Island;
- Coastal areas at both sides of the Victoria Harbour; and
- Shek Kong area.
And other the list of areas mentioned on the Reddit post, here are the officially recommended areas to fly your quadcopter in Hong Kong:
- Tai Tong in Yuen Long;
- Nam Sang Wai in Yuen Long;
- Tate’s Cairn in Sha Tin; and
- Tseung Kwan O in Sai Kung.
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