Finding it difficult to legally fly my drone

[wco81]

One thing is the legal demand ... the other thing is what they can control. Tourism is a very big factor for Thailand, so if you pay respect and use common sense, I doubt you will have much of trouble if you don't expect to fly anytime or anywhere you want.

Don't get me wrong, certainly it is necessary to comply to the rules, but in some cases, especially on a trip basis, they are not accomplishable or involve quite some money.
That said, I am insured just flying recreationally, and my insurance states exactly what they want to have: SN, model, owner and it's worldwide for 750,000 SDR.

Hmm not familiar with that currency but Google say 1 SDR is worth 1.36 USD?

Then 750,000 SDR is a fortune.

In any event, it doesn’t sound like insurance which would be available to Americans.

 

[tjohnson1800]

The legislature in North Caroline has made it difficult to fly also. You cannot fly anywhere without someone's permission. This includes public property. If there is no one around to ask or you do not know who to ask, then you do not fly.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

@wco81
SDR is an artifical currency, as Wiki is describing.
It is used instead of "real currencies" to have an exchange for international claims to cover damages of third parties up to 750,000 SDR ... which is lowest damage sum required legally in my country.

I pay about 55 Euros a year for this liability insurance, that's not a fortune.
I wonder how your insurances work then? Certainly, losing a drone is a costly thing, but damages from a broken drone falling out from the sky might be tremendously higher.

 

[wco81]

@wco81
SDR is an artifical currency, as Wiki is describing.
It is used to cover damages of third parties up to 750,000 SDR ... which is lowest damage sum required legally.

I pay about 55 Euros a year for this liability insurance, that's not a fortune.

Ok makes sense.

What is the carrier?

 

[globetrotterdrone]

It's a subsidiary of the German R+V Insurance company.

 

[wco81]

Thanks, so definitely not available to Americans, website not even in English.

 

[TheWolfen]

I live fairly close to Burney Falls and Lava Beds. B Falls is a state park so that's a no go for drones, but Lava Beds is a national monument and I don't think there are any restrictions for drones (if there are I plead ignorance . From Burney Falls you could have driven 20 minutes East towards the town of McCloud and found 3 waterfalls on the McCloud River that are far more photogenic than Burney Falls and have no drone restrictions afaik. I think the key here is to do the research and talk to the locals before you go on vacation to find cool areas to fly and capture great footage.

National monuments, national historic sites, national recreation areas, wilderness areas, etc all follow the same rules as national parks - no launching, landing or controlling drones from their land. National forests are not restricted.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

Thanks, so definitely not available to Americans, website not even in English.

Yeah, I know ... in Europe, especially the German speaking countries of Germany and Austria it is mostly mandatory to have insurance for damages to third parties, such as for cars, your household, etc. I guess, that's why such products exist here.

I fully understand that temporary drone flyers in other countries face a lot of problems when even citizens of their respective country need to do a lot of paperwork in order to be on the legal side. That's why I like US approach to differ between citizens and those who want to fly their drones vacationally on their trips.

Hope you can figure it out!

 

[wco81]

I was in Austria earlier this month.

Didn't even try to fly until I crossed the border to Italy, though I think nobody would have really noticed if I tried in a small village near Salzburg.

I guess EU is suppose to have some big EU-wide set of rules go into effect in 2020.

 

[Bigbird48]

The legislature in North Caroline has made it difficult to fly also. You cannot fly anywhere without someone's permission. This includes public property. If there is no one around to ask or you do not know who to ask, then you do not fly.

never heard of North Caroline what country is that in?
If you mean North Carolina then you info is wrong.Were do you find you can't fly there with out permission there is no such law.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

I was in Austria earlier this month.

Didn't even try to fly until I crossed the border to Italy, though I think nobody would have really noticed if I tried in a small village near Salzburg.

I guess EU is suppose to have some big EU-wide set of rules go into effect in 2020.

I do hope so actually.
There are countries with a very modern attitude, others with a conservative and some with a clueless approach.
Getting this right would help all of us with our dear hobby.

I am pretty sure, no one would have noticed if you took a short flight.
Hope you still enjoyed your stay in Austria.

 

[wco81]

It's absolutely a beautiful country. I stayed at Wolfgangsee for 3 or 4 days but unfortunately a lot of rain during my stay there. Also stayed in Vienna but obviously didn't try to fly there.

But I went up to Shafberg the one time it was sunny and someone flew a Mavic of some kind up there, took off and hovered over for a bit and brought it back down. Not sure if he flew it again but it would be a spectacular location for flying and filming.

I just took a lot of pictures with my Nikon instead.

 

[Thomas B]

never heard of North Caroline what country is that in?
If you mean North Carolina then you info is wrong.Were do you find you can't fly there with out permission there is no such law.

N.C. laws seem to say differently:

NCDOT: Unmanned Aircraft Laws & Regulations

N.C. Division of Aviation's official list state and federal laws and regulations regarding drones and unmanned aircraft in North Carolina

www.ncdot.gov

NCDOT: Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program

Official drone and unmanned aircraft information for recreational, commercial and governmental operators from N.C. Department of Transportation Division of Aviation in North Carolina

www.ncdot.gov

 

[Bigbird48]

To fly a drone as a hobbyist in the state of North Carolina (i.e. for fun / pleasure) you are required to register your drone with the FAA and follow the FAA’s Special Rule for Model Aircraft.

To fly a drone as a government employee in the state of North Carolina (i.e., for a police or fire department) you may either operate under the FAA’s Part 107 rule or obtain a federal Certificate of Authorization (COA).

 

[globetrotterdrone]

It's absolutely a beautiful country. I stayed at Wolfgangsee for 3 or 4 days but unfortunately a lot of rain during my stay there. Also stayed in Vienna but obviously didn't try to fly there.

But I went up to Shafberg the one time it was sunny and someone flew a Mavic of some kind up there, took off and hovered over for a bit and brought it back down. Not sure if he flew it again but it would be a spectacular location for flying and filming.

I just took a lot of pictures with my Nikon instead.

Oh, great to hear.
This time of year is my favourite but it's often filled with rain. Glad you at least got some good hours.
The State of Salzburg is absolutely beautiful, lots of mountains and beautiful scenery. Could have guided you through Vienna too, but I am sure, you got some fine impressions nonetheless.

Good luck with your approach in Thailand. ?

 

[Drgnfli]

I've been flying drones since 2012 and have owned each Phantom version since FC40. Aerial video and photography is a passion and I am serious about this hobby. It's obvious that safety is the overwhelming cause of all our nightmares. A few bad apples always ruin it for the rest of us...forever. Take 9/11 = Patriot Act, Shoe Bomber = take your clothes off, flying near aircraft = total panic and fear of drones.

Each time the government gets a request to "do something", it sacrifices your freedom for safety. It took them quite a while to construct a set of rules and impose laws to deter hobbyist. Once the "consumer" funded enough research (2015 - 2018), the corporations saw great opportunities to use these commercially and did not want to compete for safe airspace with the hobbyist. The ensuing legislation and imposed laws were enacted to catre/favor the commercial user and deter the common hobbyist. I can honestly say, it worked.

Take the advertisement blitz DJI produced in the earlier years. Flying over ice and volcano, ocean, sky, claiming distance and GPS sensor. Does 5 miles and 45mph seem like an appropriate specification for VLOS? Face it, VLOS is not even a possibility unless you have a "crew" with you. Sounds rather commercial, doesn't it?

The best advice I can offer is this. DO NOT become the idiot flying near aircraft, airports, annoying people. The only way I have avoided any trouble over the past 5-years is to simply AVOID HUMANS AT ALL TIMES.

Pre-plan your flight and survey your area using the tools/applications available to stay out of restricted areas. Keep a safe altitude that avoids aircraft and avoids crashing into trees, mountains and telephone poles. VLOS is not possible if you're enjoying this hobby alone. It's a joke. The moment you look at your screen, you've lost VLOS. If VLOS was intended your drone would cost $99 and fall out of the sky once it reached 30 feet away because your receiver lost signal. Bah!

The purpose of the drone is to capture something you can't get to via iPhone or DLSR. PLEASE! Spare me the non-sensical hypocrisy. Try to capture a 360 video of an iceberg with your DSLR from the shore? What a joke.

The rules were put in place to keep you grounded and free up space for commercial use while giving (drone haters) a false sense of security. AVOID HUMANS, FLY AND ENJOY. Want VLOS, then remove all consumer drones for sale...DONE!

Famous last words "we've gotta do something about those..." God forbid we punish the 1-2 criminals that violate the law. Nope, we gotta turn the other 99% into criminals through legislation. Legislation put forward by commercial users with a different agenda. Let me tell you how a really feel, lol.

I couldn't have said it any better! You are right on!!!
~

 

[Shon]

Wow! that is so cool, thanks for sharing your video, but I was wondering how you were allowed to fly in a national park, I thought that was prohibited

As others said, it is In a National Forrest which is legal. I think it is also co-managed by Idaho State Parks.


I flew at Upper Mesa Falls very early in the morning to avoid crowds. I talked with the ranger later and asked about drones, even though I had flown earlier. I hadn’t seen anything posted against it, and had researched it very carefully before I drove out there, but was just curious what she would say.

She acknowledged it was legal to fly there but highly discouraged it. She said that many drones had been lost and not recoverable due to the steep and wet terrain. She indicated that if I looked carefully, there were pieces of lost drones on the opposite side of the falls that were still there, unretrievable by rangers due to the risks involved.

She warned me that if I crashed my drone, not only would it not be recovered but I would be charged with dumping hazardous waste in a National Forest or other related charges that would mean thousands in fines.

After talking with her, I hiked down to some other falls ( Lower Mesa Falls) that were about a mile away ( in the same park) and flew over those falls. They are the falls seen in the second half of my video.

Funny story... and this might sound confusing... much earlier in the day, earlier in the morning when I was driving out to the park I stopped at the overlook to the “Lower MesaFalls” ( second falls in the video). I was on a cliff several hundred feet above the Falls. From this vantage point there did not appear to be another way to reach these falls. There were some trails far below near the top of the falls, but I had no idea how far or treacherous the hike would be to reach them. I decided to take a chance and launch my drone from the overlook at the top of the cliff.

I was VERY NERVOUS due to flying in a steep narrow canyon and the possibility of poor GPS. I was flying the Gopro Karma... and needless to say... I had very real reason for concern!

I slowly maneuvered my drone down into the canyon. I was trying to keep it in VLOS while also paying attention to my surroundings and not crash into a tree.

Suddenly, I lost sight of my drone in the tree line! This drone drifts, it is definitely NOT the type of drone you want to take your eyes off!!!

I could see that the waterfall was still in view on the remote, but try as I might... I just couldn’t see my drone. I tried to maneuver it back and forth, but I couldn’t see it and was afraid I would crash into a tree. I decided that I would ascend above the canyon until I could see my drone silhouetted against the sky. The remote announced “maximum height reached” but I could still not see my drone.

After minutes that seemed like hours, my battery was starting to run low, and I decided to use automated “Return to Home”. I knew there was a very real risk that without obstacle avoidance sensors my drone would crash into a tree, but it was either try this or assuredly lose my drone.

I did not see or hear my drone until it was almost on top of me, maybe 20 feet above my head. I was able to regain control of my drone and land safely.

With all the risk I took with that flight, the footage was absolutely unusable. I was too high... to far away from the falls, and was too concerned about where my drone was, and avoiding trees to film anything worth posting.

As you can see from the video above, I had only to drive another mile down the road to film at a much more picturesque waterfall, basically standing in proximity to it. Not only that, but it was a fairly short hike to the second falls and again, I was able to get much closer and much better shots of the second falls later in the day.

I almost lost my drone that day. This incident taught me that I shouldn’t press my luck, that if I play it safe, my drone will live long enough to take better pictures or videos another day.

 

[STKNRUD]

Gaia Maps which is a free app shows the boundaries of National Parks, National Monuments, National Forests, Wilderness Areas, Study Areas and others in detail since it is a topo map intended for hikers. It pinpoints your location with GPS so always accessible with your phone. I find it very helpful when flying near those areas.

 

[AMann]

National monuments, national historic sites, national recreation areas, wilderness areas, etc all follow the same rules as national parks - no launching, landing or controlling drones from their land. National forests are not restricted.

True, mostly, but wilderness areas occur on most types of federal lands (military excluded), so they don’t just cover areas managed by Narional Park Service. They also are on lands managed by Forest Service, BLM, Fish and Wildlife, etc.

Pilots just have to check before flying, don’t just assume it’s ok to go if on Forest Service or BLM lands where it is mostly OK to fly.

 

[Brojon]

Most

I'm planning a trip to Thailand and they make you jump through all kinds of hoops.

They say registration is mandatory and have an online portal. I filled out most of the info, including my drone serial number.

But they want proof of drone liability insurance which must have the drone model number, serial number on the policy as well as terms which say "worldwide" coverage.

There are few or zero drone liability insurance for non-commercial pilots worldwide.

OK do I pretend ignorance of these laws and try to fly anyways?

If you go to Google Maps, you will find many drone pics in StreetView in the center of cities which are suppose to be near airports or heliports.

Unless you launch and land around a lot of people, where there are likely to also be cops, odds of you getting caught seem low.

But you want to comply with the laws as a visitor, yet some of these countries make you jump through ridiculous hoops.

insurance offer personal liability for things like recreational vehicles and such. I paid $35 for a month of $2 million coverage worldwide - after I made sure that drones were covered as personal recreation equipment.