How much vertical margin should be maintained when overflying an object?

• A. 10 feet
• B. 100 feet
• C. 50 feet
• D. 5 feet

Answer: (C)

When you’re overflying an object, you need a vertical cushion to account for estimation errors, wind gusts, and how the drone might tilt or respond to controls. Keeping a margin above the object's highest point helps prevent accidental contact if altitude readings drift or if the drone loses a little altitude suddenly.

A fifty‐foot vertical clearance is the practical minimum used in many training and safety guidelines. It provides enough room to absorb small altitude errors and changes in wind without risking a collision with the object below. Smaller margins, like ten or five feet, don’t give you much room for error, while a hundred feet, though safer, can be unnecessarily conservative for many operations.