A lot of online footage seems to be shot in restricted areas, are people ignoring restrictions?

[MMCompton]

Hello,
I'm a new pilot and love the Mavic Pro. I notice a lot of drone footage that's online seems to be from restricted areas, yet people are flying there anyway.

For example, I'm watching a tutorial involving drone footage shot in Provincetown on Cape Cod. According to Airmap, all of Provincetown (and most of the Cape) is restricted airspace, and yet this guy was flying all over the place. Are pilots like these simply ignoring the rules, or are they able to get waivers for these types of flights?

Thanks!

 

[Youser]

You can get waivers for certain areas but what does it matter?

If you know the rules, it's up to you whether or not you want to follow them or not.

Be safe.

 

[StanTGM]

Guerrilla tactics!
Btw, I named my drone 'Che'

Hasta la victoria, siempre...

 

[Mike4884]

Oh sheesh....

 

[Neebles]

As I’m concerned, you can fly wherever the heck you want, whenever the heck you want.....

.....Just be prepared to pay the consequences.

 

[ftttu]

Here in Texas, there is drama I don't want to deal with to be able to fly in Texas State Parks. It is either outright banned or heavily restricted - things I don't want to have to deal with for my hobby. To get around that, I flew the perimeter of a State Park yesterday getting great footage of the interior of the park. In this instance, I got better footage than if I was actually inside.

I personally don't condone flying in restricted areas, unless of course it is done with permission, but skirting the rules is no problem unless it leads to further restrictions on UAV use. Also, I'm personally trying to find the right balance of my desire to fly when and where I decide, safety, privacy and flying a way that doesn't lead to more restrictions. In other words, I want to push the boundaries without getting push back.

 

[Afremont]

Here in Texas, there is drama I don't want to deal with to be able to fly in Texas State Parks. It is either outright banned or heavily restricted - things I don't want to have to deal with for my hobby. To get around that, I flew the perimeter of a State Park yesterday getting great footage of the interior of the park. In this instance, I got better footage than if I was actually inside.

I personally don't condone flying in restricted areas, unless of course it is done with permission, but skirting the rules is no problem unless it leads to further restrictions on UAV use. Also, I'm personally trying to find the right balance of my desire to fly when and where I decide, safety, privacy and flying a way that doesn't lead to more restrictions. In other words, I want to push the boundaries without getting push back.

Could you elaborate on that? I live in Texas and I must have missed that part of the rules. Is that stated in 423?

 

[Afremont]

Could you elaborate on that? I live in Texas and I must have missed that part of the rules. Is that stated in 423?

Okay, I found "the memo" from the director. Just when I thought it couldn't get more draconian here, it does. Looks like using a 107 license you might be able to get them to bend a little by telling them it's for commercial purposes or promotional. Launching outside the boundaries and overflying the park looks plausible too since state law doesn't forbid it, yet...

How ironic, they let people get around alligator nests and then worry about drone safety.

 

[ftttu]

Could you elaborate on that? I live in Texas and I must have missed that part of the rules. Is that stated in 423?

There have been discussions on 423 a while back, but I don’t want to get into that right now. I’m sitting here in a waiting room getting my vehicle’s windshield replaced. My quick take is that I’m not surveilling the property or people on it, especially not doing it from their property.

Think of it this way: taking images of a mountain or valley, which is inside of a state or national park, from outside of the park’s boundaries would be ridiculous if that was made illegal. There are more ins and outs, but I don’t want to get into details on my phone.

 

[Flycaster]

Is it Restricted, or Controlled airspace? There is a difference.
From what I have reading in going for the 107, is that the "Waivers" from the FAA are very far and few in between.....

 

[Dw911]

Hello,
I'm a new pilot and love the Mavic Pro. I notice a lot of drone footage that's online seems to be from restricted areas, yet people are flying there anyway.

This is the problem, if you see the online footage of flights in restricted areas, so do many other people, including the authorities and the people making the rules banning drones left right and centre.

If people must break the rules, why the heck cant they just keep it to themselves, instead of posting it up all over the place online and spoiling it for the rest off us

 

[beachcombing]

Is it Restricted, or Controlled airspace? There is a difference.
From what I have reading in going for the 107, is that the "Waivers" from the FAA are very far and few in between.....

Most of Provincetown is within the National Seashore which is part of the National Park System. Drones are prohibited from launching or landing within NPS property.

 

[Squamer]

Most of Provincetown is within the National Seashore which is part of the National Park System. Drones are prohibited from launching or landing within NPS property.

So the guy could’ve launched from a boat cruised around and returned.

 

[beachcombing]

So the guy could’ve launched from a boat cruised around and returned.

Yep. Certainly could have. And there is part on land that is outside the NPS property.

There's also an airport there, so hopefully, they made proper contact there.

 

[MMCompton]

So the guy could’ve launched from a boat cruised around and returned.

Not in the video I'm talking about. Takeoffs and landings were recorded and made on various streets, alleys, and sidewalks in Provincetown.

 

[MMCompton]

Looks like @beachcombing is right; zooming way in on AirMap does indeed show much of downtown Provincetown outside of the restricted space. Thanks everybody.