Arrested for flying a drone; UPDATE video

[IlluminationsfromtheAttic]

Glad to see things come to a positive resolution!

Droneaphobic morons are sadly a plague in local, state, and even federal positions. All it takes is one pearl-clutching busybody to screw things up for everyone. Often as not the official in question has never even seen a drone in person and just hates the very idea of them for no definable reason. It wouldn't bother me so much if there were serious issues with noise or wildlife disruption, but in my experience drones make very little noise and most wildlife just ignores them. As for safety/privacy concerns, that's just a complete fear mongering nonsense.

 

[SleeperNo1]

Lapeer20m, you're guilty of breaking one of the oldest rules out there..... "Contempt of cop". Sadly there are too many of them out there that think this way. There are also many that don't, thankfully.

Contempt of cop nailed it. 1983 claim for false arrest should be filed.

 

[E90RAW]

Was there anyone you dealt with during this process who took a reasonable approach? That mindset is bizarre.

I feel as if I am missing something being new to drones. What about federal parks, say, the Grand Canyon. (which would be very cool to fly a drone over). I guess I just assumed or maybe read somewhere you could not fly a drone over any parks, state or federal. I am sure there already is a post out there about this.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

What about federal parks, say, the Grand Canyon.

NAtional Parks are off limits when operating from land under the parks authority.
You can overfly it though, and keep to FAA drone rules . . . bear in mind that doesn't allow too long a flights into the parks as VLOS would be say 500m max ?
Maybe a bit further with strobes.

Funny you ask about the Grand Canyon as it does have at least some no fly zones allotted to it by the FAA . . . don't think it's ALL the park, but the high tourist flight corridors and other such areas.

A small section of map with a NFZ was posted in another thread recently, maybe someone US based can do this again for you.

 

[sar104]

I feel as if I am missing something being new to drones. What about federal parks, say, the Grand Canyon. (which would be very cool to fly a drone over). I guess I just assumed or maybe read somewhere you could not fly a drone over any parks, state or federal. I am sure there already is a post out there about this.

The National Park Service prohibits operation of drones from land it controls. Operating from outside and flying over is not prohibited since they don't control the airspace, but note that the Grand Canyon is an exception since the FAA has made it restricted airspace - no overflights allowed either. Many State Parks have similar restrictions.

The issue in this case, however, is that State law prohibited this county from implementing such restrictions.

 

[E90RAW]

NAtional Parks are off limits when operating from land under the parks authority.
You can overfly it though, and keep to FAA drone rules . . . bear in mind that doesn't allow too long a flights into the parks as VLOS would be say 500m max ?
Maybe a bit further with strobes.

Funny you ask about the Grand Canyon as it does have at least some no fly zones allotted to it by the FAA . . . don't think it's ALL the park, but the high tourist flight corridors and other such areas.

A small section of map with a NFZ was posted in another thread recently, maybe someone US based can do this again for you.

I have hiked every corner of the Grand Canyon, now I want to take my drone out there. How cool would it be to go down 5000 feet to the river with direct vision (sort of-at least to the antenna). No trees in the way of the signal. I think if you stay out side the park there is still enough "Canyon" left to navigate. The remainder of the park is Indian reservation and they dont have the same rules/regs.

 

[sar104]

I have hiked every corner of the Grand Canyon, now I want to take my drone out there. How cool would it be to go down 5000 feet to the river with direct vision (sort of-at least to the antenna). No trees in the way of the signal. I think if you stay out side the park there is still enough "Canyon" left to navigate. The remainder of the park is Indian reservation and they dont have the same rules/regs.

That's not going to be legal - all the airspace between Lake Mead and Lake Powell is restricted:

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I have hiked every corner of the Grand Canyon, now I want to take my drone out there. How cool would it be to go down 5000 feet to the river with direct vision (sort of-at least to the antenna). No trees in the way of the signal. I think if you stay out side the park there is still enough "Canyon" left to navigate. The remainder of the park is Indian reservation and they dont have the same rules/regs.

Would be great to see that from the ground or air, for sure.
Just make sure you are ok, probably best to contact ranger hq, and ask nicely direct.
It'll probably be no, but worth checking.

Pretty sure I read somewhere manned flights are banned from below the rim ?
Also read a report of a pilot of a foam fixed wing UAV getting a $10k fine by GC Rangers when caught flying in the no fly area (which could be the whole park, better confirm).

 

[JimWest]

I have hiked every corner of the Grand Canyon, now I want to take my drone out there. How cool would it be to go down 5000 feet to the river with direct vision (sort of-at least to the antenna). No trees in the way of the signal. I think if you stay out side the park there is still enough "Canyon" left to navigate. The remainder of the park is Indian reservation and they dont have the same rules/regs.

As a backpacker who has also hiked much of the Grand Canyon, I'm really happy that drones are prohibited there. Swarms of drones, and that's what we would have, would do too much harm to the wilderness experience.

 

[Silverexpress]

Thank you for standing up to our rights!

 

[E90RAW]

That's not going to be legal - all the airspace between Lake Mead and Lake Powell is restricted:

View attachment 94340

Your good

That's not going to be legal - all the airspace between Lake Mead and Lake Powell is restricted:

View attachment 94340

Your good.....so the hatched lines are all "controlled airspace"? I guess it makes sense, would ruin the feel of the canyon.

 

[tmgrood]

Being respectful and responsible drone pilots helped out.
They knew their rights and took the legal steps to prove it without making things worse.

 

[Ranger]

it seems to me that if you give people a uniform and a badge,then any semblance of common sense goes out of the window

Hey!!

 

[G Randy Brown]

It's unfortunate that there are jerks in every field that abuse their power but it's really a shame when someone with a gun does it.
A week ago I emailed a Ruidoso, NM park to find out the restrictions or if it was even possible to fly there (I'm a total newb that figured it wasn't allowed) and they said fly away and asked if I could send them a link when posted ?

 

[Cymruflyer]

Agreed. And what is additionally disturbing is that rather than accepting that they were wrong and that there is no basis for the attempted bans, both LE and the county appear to treat this like some kind of vendetta against a section of the general public.

Precisely and then the LEO make statements as was heard, to roughly say that since they can't do anything to the drone flyers they will do their best to make things so difficult for them that they won't want to be around them. That in itself is a threat with no reason from LEO against a member of the general public. That should be taken up and looked into by the governing authorities and local new agencies. People who make statements like that are not the type of people anyone wants in a position of authority.

 

[Cymruflyer]

The National Park Service prohibits operation of drones from land it controls. Operating from outside and flying over is not prohibited since they don't control the airspace, but note that the Grand Canyon is an exception since the FAA has made it restricted airspace - no overflights allowed either. Many State Parks have similar restrictions.

The issue in this case, however, is that State law prohibited this county from implementing such restrictions.

One further point, there are also minimum height restriction to adhere to when overflying National Parks in manned flight and these altitudes are far above what a drone is allowed to fly maximum, so again that would not allow a drone to take off from outside a National Park and overfly it.

 

[Loduklodge]

Never mind drones, if your an firearms owner you know what it feals like to be harrassed by the police for no reason,

 

[sar104]

One further point, there are also minimum height restriction to adhere to when overflying National Parks in manned flight and these altitudes are far above what a drone is allowed to fly maximum, so again that would not allow a drone to take off from outside a National Park and overfly it.

Not sure where you got that from - there are no statutory minimum altitudes over National Parks.

 

[Ranger]

Here's some information from Aeronautical Information Manual. The 2000 ft altitude seems to relate to reducing bird strikes and noise, and is listed as a request (Info is also printed in the margin of the Sectional Chart);

7-4-6. Flights Over Charted U.S. Wildlife Refuges, Parks, and Forest Service Areas

1. The landing of aircraft is prohibited on lands or waters administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or U.S. Forest Service without authorization from the respective agency. Exceptions include:
   1. When forced to land due to an emergency beyond the control of the operator;
   2. At officially designated landing sites; or
   3. An approved official business of the Federal Government.
2. Pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet above the surface of the following: National Parks, Monuments, Seashores, Lakeshores, Recreation Areas and Scenic Riverways administered by the National Park Service, National Wildlife Refuges, Big Game Refuges, Game Ranges and Wildlife Ranges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Wilderness and Primitive areas administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
   NOTE-
   FAA Advisory Circular AC 91-36, Visual Flight Rules (VFR) Flight Near Noise‐Sensitive Areas, defines the surface of a national park area (including parks, forests, primitive areas, wilderness areas, recreational areas, national seashores, national monuments, national lakeshores, and national wildlife refuge and range areas) as: the highest terrain within 2,000 feet laterally of the route of flight, or the upper‐most rim of a canyon or valley.
3. Federal statutes prohibit certain types of flight activity and/or provide altitude restrictions over designated U.S. Wildlife Refuges, Parks, and Forest Service Areas. These designated areas, for example: Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Areas, Minnesota; Haleakala National Park, Hawaii; Yosemite National Park, California; and Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, are charted on Sectional Charts.

 

[stiller_paul]

Sounds like adults acting like kids at the park.
Child A: You can’t fly your drone here.
Child B: Yes I can.
Child A: The rules says you can’t.
Child B: There’s no rules that says I can’t.
Child A writes own rules.
Child A: There, the rules says you can’t fly here.
Child B talks to an adult.
Adults talks to Child A: You can’t make your own rules. *rips rule*
Child A writes another rule.
Child A: Ok, you can fly there, there and there, but not here, here and here. Cool?

Did I sum it right?

Child B just wants the freedom we were promised in the constitution.