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Flying on a forrest preserve

Arted

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Hello everyone!
Today i was flying my mavic mini trying to get some quick shots after a snowstorm.
I was doing this in a forrest preserve called “ Blackwell Forrest Preserve “ in Illinois . One of the reasons i was there is because i even wanted to take a drone picture of the same spot in two different seasons.
While i was flying, always in line of sight, never above people , even though there were some people close to me i tried to go as far from them as I could. While flying i noticed a ranger stopping his car and he told me that i am not allowed to fly in this area, you need an insurance with at least 1m dollars of coverage, your drone could fall on top of someone. He said you can only fly on designated areas where rc planes fly ! I tried to explain him that the drone is under 250grams and even though i still have registered it with the faa , but he insisted that you should not fly in this area because you need permission .So my question is , i have been flying there at least 4-5 times, last time i even used 3 batteries while there and nobody stopped me . Do drones follow the same rules as rc planes ? Should i try to get an insurance for the drone ?
Thank you !
Ps: I attached some pics i took ?
 

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Googled "Fly drone in Forest Preserves Illinois,"
Also Click Here and scroll down to Drone Flying.

These seem to be for Cook County but may apply state wide.

Interesting pictures. One thing noticed, and seems to be same where I hike around NYS, the Porta Potties are removed in winter. ☺
 
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I'm not sure the less than 250gr makes any difference on flight rules, just weather it needs to be registered or not. And as far as not being stopped before, maybe you just got away with it before.
I wonder how much $1,000,000 ins costs?
 
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I'm not sure the less than 250gr makes any difference on flight rules, just weather it needs to be registered or not. And as far as not being stopped before, maybe you just got away with it before.
I wonder how much $1,000,000 ins costs?

it seems like its a must to fly over forrest preseves , i think if you have a commercial license maybe you need it and its worth paying it, but for recreational ??
 
I've found many public areas don't allow you to operate) take off and land from their specific properties for recreational flight. You just have to read their rules. If you can find a spot to launch and operate outside their boundary, provided you stay VLOS and below 400 AGL you can fly over some of these spots. But because many authorities only have a vague idea of FAA rules, sometimes they try to run you off. Also if something goes wrong and you have to land/crash on said properties, you might be in violation. I don't argue with public authorities and prefer to find a different spot to fly.
When I fly I check:
The airspace via sectional maps.
Airmap or similar fly apps.
Local ordinances. This might include different agencies.
TFR's or similar restrictions.
Private properties.
An example of one spot I fly at that is a local county park. During most of the year the county allows us to fly w/o restrictions provided we abide by standard FAA rules. During duck season, we are not allowed to operate from their property. However I can park outside the park boundary and fly over the parks lake. Not a good idea flying over people hunting for obvious reasons. At other times of the year, geese nest there. We have to make sure we don't harass the wildlife. Another similar spot that is a state park, we actually had one of the duck hunters ask us to run off the geese, and later that day the fish and game asked if we had any video of the duck hunters shooting the geese. This particular state park has no drone restrictions but I don't know how the F&G would feel about us trying to get close up imagery of the nesting geese.
 
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I wonder how much $1,000,000 ins costs?


I don't have this app but I have seen YouTubers use it.

It's on the fly insurance.

 
I tried to explain him that the drone is under 250grams and even though i still have registered it with the faa , but he insisted that you should not fly in this area because you need permission

As mentioned above, the fact that your drone weighs below 250 grams makes no difference to anything except that, even though you have registered it, you didn't actually need to do that. The other comment about where you launch and land is probably the most significant aspect in regard to this situation.

In any case, I agree with @dronerdave in that you should always do as much research as possible before flying at a location where you are not already absolutely sure about the regulations pertaining to drone operations. CASA rules are not the only ones that apply when operating your drone.
 
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Look up up your parks rules. National Parks are the worst as they have been running under a temp ban for 6 years now. No motion to create a real set of rules. As said 249G is not a DO anything you want Drone in the US. it saves you $5 on registration. Not much else. In Canada it moves you from some serious training and permits to a rule that basically says "Don't be stupid"
In Washington State you can apply for temp state park permit. Which means you have to file a flight plan and show proof of insurance, So one day can cost you $150 to shoot. I tried to do this in the Summer, then ended up in Hospital during that vacation time, so never followed up. I want to drone Palouse Falls. Drone photographers need a national advocacy organization I would pay $50 a year to belong if I knew they were working to standardize rules and get access to park with permits etc.
 
I just purchased a drone, and am a little confused about what I’ve been able to find online re: state/local regulations. In August 2018, Illinois passed a law stating that only the state is allowed to regulate drones...no cities, towns, municipalities under population of 1,000,000 (basically, everyone other that Chicago). Anyone else familiar with how this state law interfaces with local rules/regulations (I.e., forest preserves, park districts?)
 
Look up up your parks rules. National Parks are the worst as they have been running under a temp ban for 6 years now. No motion to create a real set of rules. As said 249G is not a DO anything you want Drone in the US. it saves you $5 on registration. Not much else. In Canada it moves you from some serious training and permits to a rule that basically says "Don't be stupid"
In Washington State you can apply for temp state park permit. Which means you have to file a flight plan and show proof of insurance, So one day can cost you $150 to shoot. I tried to do this in the Summer, then ended up in Hospital during that vacation time, so never followed up. I want to drone Palouse Falls. Drone photographers need a national advocacy organization I would pay $50 a year to belong if I knew they were working to standardize rules and get access to park with permits etc.
Interesting about Palouse Falls. I shot it last summer. Pretty easy to do as you just have to walk across the railroad tracks and you are out of the State park, but you can still have VLOS of the falls.
 

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