Flying over schools when no one is there?

[zenfly2]

There are 40 answers above me here and I din't read any...Every school where I live is a no fly on the AirMap and I don't go near them... THE END

 

[LAB ONE]

I served as a school admin for a high school and was asked for permission to take drone footage of the building, FB field etc for a class reunion, and after going over details authorized the drone pilot to do so. This was in 2015.

 

[AMann]

I routinely fly in a couple of huge middle-school fields when no one is there on weekends. If people show up I stop. But the fields are huge and rarely used on weekends. They are a great place to practice without worrying about running into anything or anyone. One has approximately 28 acres with only a few backstops as obstacles. I've been flying there for years and no one has ever questioned me. I never fly over the physical building and stay over the grassy fields. I think the issue here is common sense.

If you use a large school field to practice and use common sense then I'd guess you'll be OK. Don't fly over the buildings, don't fly over perimeter houses or property (because they'll be the first to call the cops), don't fly if people are using the fields and don't draw attention to yourself. Common sense...

^^^This is a very responsible and respectful way to do it.

 

[CenlaUAS]

Louisiana law states you cannot fly over school grounds without the permission.
Law creates the crime of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system, defined as the intentional use of a drone to conduct surveillance of a targeted facility without the owner’s prior written consent. This crime is punishable by a fine of up to $500 and imprisonment for six months. A second offense can be punished by a fine up to $1,000 and one year imprisonment.

 

[AMann]

I served as a school admin for a high school and was asked for permission to take drone footage of the building, FB field etc for a class reunion, and after going over details authorized the drone pilot to do so. This was in 2015.

Hi, welcome! If you didn’t see the first page of posts, as a teacher myself, I recommended (on post #2) doing exactly what they did for you and hopefully for him, the results will be the same. After I asked my principal for permission to fly mine on a Saturday to practice making maps using the campus, the school gave me a contract to do it (I am 107 permitted) and I will also be doing it with our aviation and computer club as part of their curriculum.

Thanks for your service in public education, and welcome to this site!

 

[superstarpup]

There are 40 answers above me here and I din't read any...Every school where I live is a no fly on the AirMap and I don't go near them... THE END

you should have read some of them.

I served as a school admin for a high school and was asked for permission to take drone footage of the building, FB field etc for a class reunion, and after going over details authorized the drone pilot to do so. This was in 2015.

do you still feel you have control of the air above the school?

 

[AMann]

do you still feel you have control of the air above the school?

I can answer that one. No, probably not. I believe he (LAB ONE - the principal) was talking about controlling flights from within school grounds.

But in order to fly on and from school property, which most of us have been talking about here, one will have to get permission, or at least check to see if they prohibit it. Because they can control access to their property, right?

It happened to me as a kid too, we used to fly gas powered U-line model planes and model rockets on a large football and soccer field at our middle school as kids with no issues. But when I brought my young son there to do it with him, there were signs prohibiting model airplane flying and rockets there everywhere. Oh well, we got away with a lot in those old days until the adults found out about it!

 

[DroningOn]

..... But in order to fly on and from school property, which most of us have been talking about here...

The thread title is:
Flying over schools when no one is there?
I read this thread from the beginning that the discussion was about “flying over” school property, not “flying from”. Of course the government can control physical access to public property within reason.

 

[superstarpup]

The thread title is:
Flying over schools when no one is there?
I read this thread from the beginning that the discussion was about “flying over” school property, not “flying from”. Of course the government can control physical access to public property within reason.

I don’t understand how some are having such a difficult time understanding that this is what is being discussed.

 

[AMann]

The thread title is:
Flying over schools when no one is there?
I read this thread from the beginning that the discussion was about “flying over” school property, not “flying from”. Of course the government can control physical access to public property within reason.

I don’t understand how some are having such a difficult time understanding that this is what is being discussed.

The principal’s point was more likely giving permission to fly on campus. OP was talking about flying over and shooting buildings, which could have been from off campus or on it, we don’t know. I assume from on it, as most campuses have buildings and trees that are high enough to block your view from the side enough that you will not maintain VLOS or even a clear signal if one is controlling it from off campus.

In order to properly map out my campus, I am going to have to be flying from the middle of it.

Also, if you are flying above a closed campus (gated) on a weekend and your bird goes down on campus, it wont be fun asking for it back if you neglected to inform them about it before.

Anyways, this circular discussion seems to be ending up more as one about personal freedoms vs. how one’s actions affect others. Let’s just agree to disagree...

 

[MrMike]

Myself and a friend often go to a local school to fly on the weekends. They have a very large field behind it and open parking lots that we use to land and take off our park flyer size airplanes. (aprx. 1500mm wingspan) I also take my mavic with me to fly as well. Local LE has driven through while we were flying and has not stopped us or anything else for that matter. Sometimes there are events going on during the weekend and we cancel our activities but most of the time we have the place to ourselves. No one has ever complained or otherwise bothered us. We have been doing this for a few years now and so far, no one has said a word to us.

 

[FlyingGary]

...Yet.

Sadly, the “yet” is key. One by one, we are being locked out of various locations.

 

[DroningOn]

Sadly, the “yet” is key. One by one, we are being locked out of various locations.

Politicians and bureaucrats will always act like politicians and bureaucrats. That will never change. The real tragedy in all of this is the hostility and open vilification against anyone within the “drone community” who speaks out or works against these ever increasing attempts to stifle the hobby. Sadly, much of this hostility is coming from other hobbyists.

 

[marcorasi1960]

I read this forum with interest, and I have a question that is related, but broader than the school. One of the key FAA rules is not to fly over crowds of people. What exactly does that mean? It's clear to me that it is not allowed to fly over an open-air stadium full of people, or a school yard full of children. But what about flying over a street where there may be a couple of pedestrians per block? I live in a city where there are many neighborhoods with low density of people outdoors. There are certain hours in which there may be nobody outdoors, or just a few people (like for example one or two every hundred yards). Is it permitted to fly over those neighborhoods in order to reach the river or the lake that border the city?

 

[Drgnfli]

As a teacher, I’d have to disagree with this. There would definitely be more alarms set by flying an unannounced drone over a school, even on weekends and more negative results would result if something happened by accident than if notice was made and permission were obtained first. It’s those who choose to fly unannounced over schools, and even more so those who would do it even if they said no, that may cause the creation of new laws prohibiting it for security and student safety.

Also, I do work in a large district (albeit a Charter School as part of that district) and it was their district admin that approved the contract after the principal’s request.

I wonder if helicopters & airplanes need "permission" to fly over schools?

 

[Drgnfli]

Can somebody please tell me how photographing unoccupied public property can be deemed a threat of any kind? Please, help me out on this.

Thank you for a great statement!

 

[Drgnfli]

If you want to play Mother May I, feel free. You can find someone to ask permission to fly anywhere that it’s legal to fly, that’s your decision. The cops likely won’t charge with legally flying a drone.




It isn’t. Anything you’ll see from a drone you can see from google earth. Apparently some don’t understand regulations and prefer to have the reassurance that a perceived authority figure granted them approval.

Well said!

 

[Drgnfli]

Louisiana law states you cannot fly over school grounds without the permission.
Law creates the crime of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system, defined as the intentional use of a drone to conduct surveillance of a targeted facility without the owner’s prior written consent. This crime is punishable by a fine of up to $500 and imprisonment for six months. A second offense can be punished by a fine up to $1,000 and one year imprisonment.

Another reason not to live in Louisiana...

 

[AMann]

Another reason not to live in Louisiana...

That makes someone happy ?

I wonder if helicopters & airplanes need "permission" to fly over schools?

The answer would be yes for critical reasons. That’s why planes stay over 1000ft above them (in urban areas), and why low flying police and air ambulances will not land or fly (legally) low over schools with students directly below them.

 

[superstarpup]

That makes someone happy ?


The answer would be yes for critical reasons. That’s why planes stay over 1000ft above them (in urban areas), and why low flying police and air ambulances will not land or fly (legally) low over schools with students directly below them.

are you saying airplanes and helicopters need permission to fly over schools?