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Flying at Niagra falls (US side)

mavic pilot 3

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Does anyone know if you can fly at Niagra falls legally? I checked the B4UFly app and it says you can but I have heard other people say you can’t. I have read some old forums but none of them had a good answer.
 
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no, it is a NO FLY ZONE on the US side it is a National Park. There is a netflix documentary that shows someone getting a ticket for it.
 
I've been looking into this too - it's very hard to get solid information. It sounds like the area directly above the falls is federal and a no fly zone, but there's the state park nearby and that area is less clear. I'm visiting in April (before tourist season) and am hoping to get some legal flight time (the only kind I take!).
 
Does anyone know if you can fly at Niagra falls legally? I checked the B4UFly app and it says you can but I have heard other people say you can’t. I have read some old forums but none of them had a good answer.
On top of what Jaysrmc said you would have all kinds of crazy air currents to deal with and might have trouble staying in control, not worth a ticket and potential Mavic loss IMHO.
 
I wouldn’t fly right over the falls. Just somewhere in the park close enough to see it from an altitude of 200 feet or something.
 
I wouldn’t fly right over the falls. Just somewhere in the park close enough to see it from an altitude of 200 feet or something.
Technically I think it's legal to fly over a state park as long as you don't take off or fly from inside the park, but it would really be asking for trouble especially at that location.
 
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Technically I think it's legal to fly over a state park as long as you don't take off or fly from inside the park, but it would really be asking for trouble especially at that location.
I have to agree.. That is a super packed location even on the off season...
 
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there is also regular tourist helicopter flights to take into considerationView attachment 32444
You wouldn't be that high with a Maic.
As is often the case a discrete flight especially very early in the day is not going to be impossible, whether it's wise or 100% legal is another mater.
If you daren't even use any recording it doesn't make much sense taking risks.
There's no shortage of drone video of the place on youtube, it isn't all 'historic' either.
 
I've been to Niagara Falls a dozen times and it's only been really busy once.

If flying from The USA side, it seems difficult to safely operate mavic from outside the park. Although I'm not familiar with the closest spot overlooking the falls that is not federal property.

As a side note, not talking drones, my favorite Niagara Falls thing to do is wait until after 10 pm, preferably on a warm summer night, and drive/walk to Luna island. It's in the park on the american side. This is a small island right in the middle of the river on the edge of the falls. The water is flowing past just feet away. And I've found that im typically the only one there this time of night. And it's free parking.
 
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Is it a state or federal park? Hmmm

If a state park I do not know New York drone rules.

If it was legal, I would imagine a safe flight could be conducted early morning when few people are around.

The air currents and water make it a little risky, but if you loose the bird you could always buy mavic II when it is released.

image.png
 
Here's the deal and it's not great. FAA reg for Niagara Falls is here.

Attached is a map of the area covered - everything both inside the red triangle and between it and the border are federal airspace and effectively a NFZ below 3500 ft (exceptions listed at the link and drones are not in it). That covers pretty much anywhere I'd want to fly near the falls.

Niagara Falls.png
 
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