4 day trip to Maui, should I bring my drone?
- Thread starter shiqiu1105
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Dogpilot
Well-Known Member
I would look here first and follow some of the links. There is quite the patchwork of restrictions and it is somewhat dynamic. For example they just banned the entire Kapali Coast for drones.
Drone laws Hawaii
Drone laws Hawaii
orionshooter
Well-Known Member
The Kanapali coast area, the airport at Kahului and the Haleakala National Park are the only areas on the island which show restricted according to Air Aware. There’s still a ton of unrestricted air space to explore on this beautiful island. Go for it.
Someone in Hawaii needs to challenge these laws. While the FAA recognizes states rights to control take off and landings, they do not recognize their right to limit air space access, which is what Hawaii is doing. It would be costly and time consuming for a tourist to challenge but a resident would be better suited to do so.
I would check with them by phone and make sure Remember Maui has been "curbing" tourism since the fires last year I am sure there are places to fly BUT not many I will Guess.
uavcoach.com
Drone Laws in Hawaii (2025) - UAV Coach
A list of drone regulations and links for people flying drones in Hawaii.
uavcoach.com
Roofdrone
Active Member
I take drone no matter what. There will be a perfect opportunity somewhere and you will be able to capture great content and be happy you brought it.
Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
And I hope for the sake of all of us the State wins.
How timely. I just returned from a week on the Big Island. Enjoyed many visual treasures. There were lots of visitors at many of these landmarks. Quietly taking pictures. Enjoying the experience.
I have no doubt there were other drone pilots there besides me. Of course, none of us were flying, it's prohibited. And rightly so. Imagine how ruinous it would be to have a drone flying around in front of Rainbow Falls, as just one example...
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Just what we need - 50 states with 50 different sets of drone laws. NO THANK YOU.
Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
From your response it appears you have no understanding of why these restrictions are in place in Hawaii, or the point I was making.
In any case, drone enthusiasts should have access to these sites too. Making that happen, though, requires something absent here in this discussion, and in our culture generally: Respect for others' priorities, needs, and desires, and a willingness to compromise.
If that was the way "things" were in American society, we might have specific drone hours on specific days at Rainbow Falls. Everyone gives a little, gets what they want.
However so long as drone pilots look on any restrictions as something to fight, and the rest of the public views drones as annoyances that we'd be better off without them entirely, complete prohibition will be the result.
And it's a fight the drone will always lose. We are so overwhelmingly outnumbered. Legislation, made by lawmakers, will always hew towards what will get them elected (rightly so), which means no drones.
So, be respectful of the non-drone public's priorities. Seek compromise. Much more likely to get a chance to film Akaka Falls that way, hopefully some time in the future.
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Compromise is just another way of saying "give up my rights". I'll take a hard pass.
Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
So you don't agree with our democratic form of government? How do you suggest a town of 100 people make decisions about the most basic things like roads when they have conflicting views and priorities?
I'm honestly interested in your views on governance if compromise is not a part of the process.
Seems like the problem with drones in Hawaii is that a lot of the most interesting places in which you'd want to fly and take photos and record videos are in state or federal parks or marine reserve areas.
They allow those tourist planes and helicopters to fly by or over a lot of these areas though. If you want to protect certain birds or not disturb other animals on the ground or in the sea, you'd think these larger aircraft would be more intrusive to these species.
So you may have to spend a couple hundred dollars for a 20 minute ride and just take pictures from those.
That's assuming you can get a window seat -- preferably one that can be opened enough to not shoot through a window, which may be dirty or scuffed up.
They allow those tourist planes and helicopters to fly by or over a lot of these areas though. If you want to protect certain birds or not disturb other animals on the ground or in the sea, you'd think these larger aircraft would be more intrusive to these species.
So you may have to spend a couple hundred dollars for a 20 minute ride and just take pictures from those.
That's assuming you can get a window seat -- preferably one that can be opened enough to not shoot through a window, which may be dirty or scuffed up.
Player-Pe
Active Member
I took my drone to Maui before the fires. I was over in Kihei area and during my time there I saw no drone restrictions other than national park areas, however, I did find out that many of the locals aren't too keen on drones. I when over to Kamaole Beach and got a nice tip from a couple of park groundkeepers. They said the best time to fly is sunrise till around 10 am. That's when the beach has way less people and it's mostly a few locals doing their morning walks. Afterwards, it get crowded with tourist & sunbathers. So I did, and got some cool shots. I did get approached by a local, but when I explained to her that I had my TRUST certificate and that this area doesn't show no drone restrictions...AND that I'm just getting some shots in before people start showing up, she was like "Cool, enjoy!" But again, this was three years ago before the fires. I have a friend who works in environment consulting in Maui. He said that the majority of drones he sees are commercial pilots doing land surveys and other Part 107 type work.
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mikey201
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Of course you should bring it
You can fly all over Maui and all over Hawaii besides national parks and near airports. Not strict at all and no one will say anything to you.
I've been going to my Maui and Kauai for about 20 years now, Funny this article came up today for me. Been bringing my drones there with me since my first DJI Phantom 1 hanging a GoPro underneath! Try bringing that monster today in regard to it's size. I'm actually going to Maui, Kaanapali, tomorrow. I'm bringing my Mavic Mini 4 Pro. Just be smart and fly where you will not see ANYBODY! Sooooo easy.
It has nothing to do with our form of government. It has to do with State's rights vs Federal rights/law. If the Federal Government gives me the right to fly, why should I agree to let the States take it away or limit that right? As Federal law/regulation, if the states want to change or challenge it, they can either have their Senators or Representatives propose such changes or challenge the Federal power in court. Simply enacting a law in spite of Federal rules is neither democratic nor legal.
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mikey201
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Yea I've been bringing my drones for years too and not 1 person has ever said anything to me. Original Mavic,Mavic airs and minis. Currently Mavic 3 pro. Just gotta be respectful and that's it. There's a lot of locals and tourists that have drones there too. It's not an issue. I'm actually going on Tuesday. Can't wait
