Our sUAS, nicknamed 'Osprey' is a DJI Phantom 4 Pro.

Yes. The MVC's cartographer, Christine Seidel, is a DOT-FAA certified remote pilot. We have also registered our sUAS with the FAA and obtained an Airspace Authorization from the FAA to fly within some of MVY Airport's controlled airspace.

Yes. At least 24 hours before an official MVC flight, the MVC will post a public notice with the details of the planned flight. The MVC's pre-flight notification protocol also includes notifying the MVY Airport as well as the respective Town Police Department.

Yes, the MVC will fly according to the FAA's sUAS pat 107 regulations within the Title 14 of the Code of Regulations.

Yes, read our MVC sUAS Pre-Flight Checklist.

No. The MVC will not fly for legal firms, real estate agencies, other commercial entities, or for private individuals. Upon request, the MVC will provide this service to town departments, boards, and committees within Dukes County.

Environmental non-profit conservation groups as well as regional citizen environmental protection groups within Dukes County (i.e. Friends of Sengekontacket Pond, Tisbury Great Pond Foundation, etc.) may also request this service.

Since the MVC has an FAA Airspace Authorization, we can fly over most of Dukes County with the exception of the area closest to the MVY Airport.

View this interactive airspace map to see where we can & cannot fly. Area outside the Class D Airspace may be flown over at a maximum of 400ft above ground level.

Per the FAA Regulations: 400ft above ground level. In some areas of controlled airspace, the maximum is 200ft.

The Phantom 4 Pro max speed is 31mph (in P-GPS mode). However, the MVC's certified remote pilot is very cautious and has no intention of flying at maximum speed.

No. Per the FAA regulations, the sUAS may only be flown during the day - beginning 30 minutes before official sunrise and ending 30 minutes after official sunset.

No. The FAA required weather conditions are:

• Wind speed no greater than 17mph (15knots)
• Visibility at least 3 statute miles (3.5 miles)
• Cloud Base at least 700ft (sUAS must remain at least 500ft below the cloud base)
• No precipitation present or anticipated during the flight time.

The sUAS battery technology requires a temperature between 41ºF and 104ºF.

No. Per the FAA regulations, the sUAS may not be flown directly over people who are not associated with the flight operation. However, people may be within the field of view of the camera.

No. Per the FAA regulations, the sUAS may not be flown directly over moving vehicles. However, moving vehicles may be within the field of view of the camera.

The sUAS will only fly over private property if the project requires it and if it can be done in a safe and respectful manner while following FAA Part 107 regulations.

Only with the owner's prior consent, will the sUAS take off & land on private property.

The MVC will post a public notice on their homepage with details about the flight at least 48 hours prior to take off.

Per the FAA regulations, the sUAS must be flown within visual line of site. The MVC will always have at least one dedicated Visual Observer at every flight to keep an eye on the sUAS and lookout for any approaching aircraft or other potential obstructions.

The pilot in command or the remote control operator, can set the camera to acquire video, still photographs, or a series of still photographs collected at the nadir angle (straight down) with sufficient overlap between adjacent photos so that the series can be stitched together into one georeferenced seamless photo which can then be used in mapping software. The latter is useful for such things as mapping invasive plant species along a coastal pond. The unit also records the flight path of the sUAS.