so i just got my first drone a few weeks ago, mini 3 pro, and ive been flying it around my neighborhood which has been fine. but i want to fly at this really cool spot thats like maybe 4 or 5 miles from a regional airport and the app keeps throwing up warnings and i dont really know what any of it means. it says something about class D airspace and there's an orange zone on the map. does that mean i just cant fly there at all or is there something i have to do first? i dont want to get in trouble or anything i just want to get some shots of this old bridge before the leaves fully fall off

yeah that orange zone just means you need authorization, not that its a hard no. Class D around a regional airport usually means you can get LAANC approval through the DJI fly app itself or through something like aloft or skydio's app. basically LAANC is an automated system that checks with the FAA and gives you near instant approval as long as you stay under whatever altitude ceiling they've set for that grid square. sometimes its 0 feet though which means the FAA wants a manual waiver and that takes way longer, like days or weeks. check what the actual ceiling is for the specific spot you're trying to fly. if it shows any number above 0 you can probably just request right there in the app and get a yes or no in like 30 seconds

also just worth mentioning, even if you get LAANC approval you're still supposed to have your part 107 cert or be flying under recreational rules and have registered the drone. a lot of people skip that stuff when they're starting out and it usually doesnt matter until it does. the bridge shot sounds worth it tho, class D isnt a big deal once you figure out the authorization thing