Another great reason drones should be kept out of America's National Parks

[Twodumbdogs]

No where in this you tube does it say anything about a National park.. There are no national parks in Springfield Oregon.

That's why this thread is so funny George.
The OP leapt from a small grass fire cause by a racing drone to the protection of national parks from drones with not connection whatsoever.

 

[drvrbob]

I vote we ban lighting too!

 

[Photo Booth]

Drones are wholesale banned in National Parks because a certain percentage of drone owners are inconsiderate morons that don't think rules apply to them. It is easier for the Park Service to just ban them entirely then it is for the Rangers to monitor for the jackass that is doing something stupid with his drone. The Park Service could have a nice long set of rules for flying a drone in a National Park but we all know a certain percentage of pilots wouldn't follow the rules anyway. We see evidence of these types of individuals right here in the forum. People that don't care one whit about the rules.

All of us that care about this hobby and wish to see it continue *should* care about the people that flaunt the rules. It's those individuals that will ultimately lead to a crackdown that affects all of us.

Mark

 

[madmax319]

I don't think this is a difficult problem to resolve. The National Parks can designate an area for a limited amount of drone flyers, who will buy a permit (helping with NP expenses.) This areas will be a distance from heavy tourist areas. The times this is allowed can also be limited.

Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah has a very similar policy which works quite well. Quoting from their web page:

Between November 1st and February 28th/29th of each year, drone use is permitted by permit only. Permits cost $10 and must be filled out at the visitor center (open daily 9am-5pm) before operating.

Permits are valid for one calendar day from 9am of the date of purchase until 9am of the date after. Additional permits must be acquired for more days.

Permitted operators must follow special regulations to respect the traditional visitor experience of Dead Horse Point State Park and protect sensitive wildlife resources. These regulations are:

The unmanned aircraft:
will not fly higher than 400 feet
must be kept in eyesight at all times
will not fly over people and vehicles (moving or parked) and remain a minimum of 25 feet from individuals and property
will not intentionally disturb or harass wildlife
will not be flown over park buildings or structures
will not be flown in high winds or adverse weather conditions
will not interfere with park rescue operations or programs
will not fly below the canyon rim
Park staff has the authority to enforce regulations and check permits at any time and violations of the rules can result in a revocation of permit privileges.

NOTE: Because of the high use by visitors and concentration of structures, drone operation at the main viewpoint of Dead Horse Point is illegal. Operators must hike at least a short distance and get away from the developed rim to comply with regulations.

Quite an intelligent policy. Tourists are kept away from the drones, and the noise. Drone operators get to take some pictures of the scenery. The park makes some money, because they will have some expense administering this.

I doubt drone flyers are any worse than pet owners, campers leaving litter and starting fires, etc etc. I think there's something rather nice about drone flyers being able to capture the wonder of our national parks from perspectives not usually seen. I could envision a program where the National Parks get to share the best videos to run in the Visitors Center.

As I say, this isn't all that complicated, and everyone would benefit. My $.02

Great idea, in Scotland i needed to buy a photographer permit in a church once i thought ut was a grat idea. It alowed me to take the ohoto i anted, raised money for the church and for the most part kept people from being a pain to others by hold down the number of people tsking photos.

 

[Dizzy1971]

Not the only reason just one of MANY.
FPV drone pilot burns two acres after crashing his quadcopter!

I gotta call BS on this one. The guy built the drone himself. If I crash my mavic into a field it’s HIGHLY unlikely to start burning.

 

[onasphere]

There is no less intrusive way to explore natural wonders than the use of a drone. No trails, no campfires, no cook stoves, no cigarettes, no litter...

 

[Dizzy1971]

I predict this thread will contain the exact same arguments, repeated over and over again, as the last five threads on drones in national parks, and no one will yield an inch.

Got that right!

 

[Starz]

I predict this thread will contain the exact same arguments, repeated over and over again, as the last five threads on drones in national parks, and no one will yield an inch.

Agreed (yawn————)

 

[onasphere]

You kinda sound like the crazy that confronts someone flying because they don't like drones.

There is no mention of national parks in the article you linked. Did you just decide that a fire anywhere was a good reason to trot out the national park card? I don't get it. What's your agenda?

I lost my Mavic Pro after a year because of a cummunication problem. I replaced ot with a Mavic Air. It's amazing how much less people are offended and intimidated by the smaller drone, even though it makes more noise. I can't imagine how much I'd get hassled with an Inspire.

 

[Orville]

The thing I like MOST about drone flying and using them with cameras, **is the new and much wider perspectives they provide us.. "Look at that!"**

We like those new views... we see more! We welcome those broader views... Maybe you climb to 400 feet and you see there's a huge gorgeous valley just beyond that ridge of trees... or maybe you see that there's a landfill beyond them. Do you wish you didn't fly high because you see a landfill? Do you notice that incredible pattern that they've worked into the landfill area over the years? Do you say the landfill isn't there?

Maybe we can fly our mouse-keyboard drones over each other's comments and accept that what we see is there... and if we want to, we can explore it a bit and see new things.
They are there for the finding.

-Orville

 

[Dizzy1971]

For the record Mark I have no issue with drones being banned in national parks. I take issue with your inconsistent logic on why they should be. As I said before using a story of an incident that had nothing to do with national parks as your logic for a ban in national parks is inconsistent and disingenuous. That’s my issue.

Couldn’t agree more.

 

[onasphere]

I gotta call BS on this one. The guy built the drone himself. If I crash my mavic into a field it’s HIGHLY unlikely to start burning.

My Mavic Air shut down one of its motors because it overheated. It was scary as hell, and I barely got it back, but it was better than having the thing burst into flames and fall out of the sky.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

... And yet the Harleys, screaming babies, and snowmobiles continue.

Reasons people, reasons.

As for this damage you keep citing, I am assuming you mean the geyser.

Do you really think a 2 lb piece of plastic stands a chance against thousands of gallons of sulfuric laden, at hundreds of degrees, flowing water? That thing dissolved long ago.

Sulfuric acid Yes.. LIPO batteries No. Also the plastic could melt down and kill of the bacteria that make the lake so colorful.

This is all old news.
Drone crashes into Yellowstone hot spring, defying park rules

A crashed drone could destroy Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Incident happened "On Aug. 2, 2014, a tourist crashed a remote-controlled drone into the hot spring’s waters."
Geyser has not been destroyed.

Also someone put a drone in a marina in Yellowstone and another stampeded a heard of sheep which could have injured many people.

The spring didn't have a Lithium Polymer before the crash and Plastic could kill off the bacteria which makes the spring so colorful.

 

[Twodumbdogs]

Sulfuric acid Yes.. LIPO batteries No. Also the plastic could melt down and kill of the bacteria that make the lake so colorful.

This is all old news.
Drone crashes into Yellowstone hot spring, defying park rules

A crashed drone could destroy Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring

Also someone put a drone in a marina in Yellowstone and another stampeded a heard of sheep which could have injured many people.

The spring didn't have a Lithium Polymer before the crash and Plastic could kill off the bacteria which makes the spring so colorful.

Your computer/tablet/smartphone COULD spontaneously explode and kill you. Getting rid of them? Doubt it.
ANYTHING could happen at any time.

 

[H2o_dog]

If you’re serious, I’d LOVE to be your insurance salesman.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Your computer/tablet/smartphone COULD spontaneously explode and kill you. Getting rid of them? Doubt it.
ANYTHING could happen at any time.

I'm not flying my computer,tablet or smart phone in dry areas which may cause a fire. Yes ANYTHING can happen and I don't want to be the one that causes it or, or pay a heavy fine.
If I get rid of my phone and tablet, how am I supposed to fly? Make sense man.

 

[onasphere]

I'm not flying my computer,tablet or smart phone in dry areas which may cause a fire. Yes ANYTHING can happen and I don't want to be the one that causes it or, or pay a heavy fine.
If I get rid of my phone and tablet, how am I supposed to fly? Make sense man.

If my phone does that in my pocket, it's going to fly as soon as I can dig it out.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

If my phone does that in my pocket, it's going to fly as soon as I can dig it out.

HA... good one!

 

[Cheech Wizard]

The fires in CA and CO are started by car fire and arson. Arson is already illegal. Ban all cars in the NP then come talk to me. Haters gonna hate no matter what. It's a mental thing. They can only be cured by death.

Really? "Cured By Death"? I know you are new here, but that crap won't be tolerated for long.