I watched someone crash their drone in Hawaii 2 days ago

[prb]

Flying is Hawaii state parks is not allowed, so, irrespective of the environmental effects of batteries and all the rest, the UAV shouldn't have been there.

As a Hawaii resident, I read all the posts about flying here and get concerned about how mainland folks and others will end up spoiling the opportunities for the rest of us.

 

[DroningOn]

Flying is Hawaii state parks is not allowed, so, irrespective of the environmental effects of batteries and all the rest, the UAV shouldn't have been there.

As a Hawaii resident, I read all the posts about flying here and get concerned about how mainland folks and others will end up spoiling the opportunities for the rest of us.

All of these opportunities have been spoiled because a bunch of ignorant bureaucrats implemented these rules in a knee-jerk fashion and nobody stood up and opposed them. Nobody was ever hurt, bothered or damaged by drones flying in national or state parks. These rules serve no purpose other than limiting recreational activities which is the only reason these parks exist in the first place.

 

[prb]

All of these opportunities have been spoiled because a bunch of ignorant bureaucrats implemented these rules in a knee-jerk fashion and nobody stood up and opposed them. Nobody was ever hurt, bothered or damaged by drones flying in national or state parks. These rules serve no purpose other than limiting recreational activities which is the only reason these parks exist in the first place.

That blanket statement does not reflect the reality I know. First of all, it's bad enough having helicopters flying over parks. Drones would only add to the noise. Second, on the island of Kaua'i, the Waimea Canyon area is a state park that is accessible primarily by car along the rim. A UAV would have to be flown down to be safe, because helicopters fly in the canyon below the rim. Off-islanders unfamiliar with the area might endanger lives.

 

[Clipper707]

Drones would only add to the noise.

When drones were first banned at Yosemite National Park, the reason given was "noise." Might ruin a tourist's chi. Yet 137 decibel straight pipe Harley-Davidsons? No problem.

 

[joshmentele]

I watched someone flying what appeared to be a Mavic Air In a state park in Kauai 2 days ago, and they dropped their drone into a forest on a very, very steep mountain after hitting a tree. No way to recover it. Ever. So, now,, that drone, and it's batteries and other electronic chemistries, will leach into that soil and groundwater to what environmental effect? Just like the idiot that dropped his drone into Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone This is one more reason why I'm in favor of complete and total bans in state and National Parks and will support them every chance I get. There are a multitude of good reasons, but I watched this one. As a drone owner myself, it solidified my stance

One little battery is not going to hurt the environment. It is not like we are dumping car batteries into the wild.

 

[Boue71]

And herein this thread lies the very attitudes that are causing such bans to be required. Better get used to not flying your drones in an ever increasing number of places.

No way you’re a drone owner. What you’re saying is so extreme. Why would someone with an opinion as such even purchase a drone. I think you are full of it. OR you are a drone owner and get some weird satisfaction getting people fired up. Haha.

 

[djohnston]

Totally agree with MarkNix. ALL National parks should be off-limits to our toys, forever. The idea of a national park is serenity, nature, beauty, etc. (irrespective of loud Hardley-Abelsons but that's another topic). I am an MP owner, have flown mine on Maui and had a fantastic time doing it, but if I were a visitor to Waimea canyon or another such place and I had to hear the constant buzz of drones all around me, I'd be pissed. Keep them out of the parks, too many idiots would be scaring the wildlife and ruining the experience for the rest of us.

 

[gjhick]

if it stopped at one "tiny battery ", I would agree. But with unlimited access to fly drones in the parks and given the phenomenal increase in drone ownership of the last 5 years, can you only imagine how many "tiny batteries" would soon be in the Grand Canyon, Hawaiian mountains and Yellowstone thermal pools in the next 10 years? No and absolutely no. Keep them out

I hope you are also pushing to remove all vehicles with internal combustion engines from in, and anywhere near, these parks? The chemical pollution from vehicles, and the road-building that supports them, VASTLY exceeds that from “many” lost drones. As do the hundreds of tons of trash left by the vehicle owners, some of which blows throughout the parks.

 

[gjhick]

Totally agree with MarkNix. ALL National parks should be off-limits to our toys, forever. The idea of a national park is serenity, nature, beauty, etc. (irrespective of loud Hardley-Abelsons but that's another topic). I am an MP owner, have flown mine on Maui and had a fantastic time doing it, but if I were a visitor to Waimea canyon or another such place and I had to hear the constant buzz of drones all around me, I'd be pissed. Keep them out of the parks, too many idiots would be scaring the wildlife and ruining the experience for the rest of us.

In what possible way are Harley Davidsons “another topic”? It’s exactly the same topic, and ridiculous to be singling out drones when discussing it.

 

[ambarcapoor]

Unfortunate, but the effect of one tiny battery won't amount to much compared to all the other deposition from atmospheric sources and other items.
How many cameras and cellphones have been dropped/lost/forgotten for example.

Except if you start multiplying it as drones get cheaper. Also, one battery is enough to mess up stuff at the macro level.

 

[LeighD]

I watched someone flying what appeared to be a Mavic Air In a state park in Kauai 2 days ago, and they dropped their drone into a forest on a very, very steep mountain after hitting a tree. No way to recover it. Ever. So, now,, that drone, and it's batteries and other electronic chemistries, will leach into that soil and groundwater to what environmental effect? Just like the idiot that dropped his drone into Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone This is one more reason why I'm in favor of complete and total bans in state and National Parks and will support them every chance I get. There are a multitude of good reasons, but I watched this one. As a drone owner myself, it solidified my stance

Oh come on. A 2 stroke jet ski puts more emissions into a reservoir in 8 HOURS, than a car driven 100,000 miles. That’s a measured fact. There is more trash on a 5 miles stretch of freeway than that drone would ever create. It’s expensive to litter the landscape with drones. Most are recoverable. Those missing forever will not have any measurable effect whatsoever in the vast reaches they are lost in, compared to the amounts of unnecessary cigarette smoke puffed out EVERY HOUR by people hooked by the tobacco companies. They’ll find that drone, and others lost on land when logging companies clear the trees for houses or build a condo complex into the side of that National Forest after its rezoned to residential lol. My point is there are SO MANY more damaging issues than a little baby drone coming to rest in an u reachable spot. I’m against flying in National parks too, but it’s because drones would be zooming everywhere hovering over bears fishing for salmon, bison in a distant meadow trying to graze, an elk herd slowly meandering along the edge of a stream, etc., and I can only imagine the outcry when tourist pictures have drones in them hovering lol.
I’m far more concerned with not intruding on the animals than the recovery of a small accidental loss of some plastic and metal and one tiny battery. Do you even have a clue as to how many batteries are dropped illegally in dumpsters, or lithium camera batteries or even Duracell batteries and their kin, per DAY? This drone thinking is absurd purely from the pollution aspect, but very valid from a park ambience point of view.

 

[forsythem]

Unfortunate, but the effect of one tiny battery won't amount to much compared to all the other deposition from atmospheric sources and other items.
How many cameras and cellphones have been dropped/lost/forgotten for example.

I agree.. not to mention the environmental impacts of the construction process of the drones themselves...

Or the car that someone might drive to the National Park to enjoy it while complaining about the environmental impacts of crashing a drone into the same National Park...

 

[LeighD]

Except if you start multiplying it as drones get cheaper. Also, one battery is enough to mess up stuff at the macro level.

Micro maybe, but mitt macro, and even micro dimensions would need to be defined before I’d agree.
For example, macro might be an entire river from the area downstream of a drone splashing into it. No effect measurably, whatsoever in your example of one incident. Micro would be perhaps the five foot area surrounding the impact. Not sure there would be much other than the accident litter, but perhaps the battery would leach lithium or solder from circuitboards would microscopically enter the water at maybe a few parts per million.
Now, from hundreds of millions of incidents, but the hobby won’t be this vogue for as long as cell phone damage caused by inadvertent loss, which by the way, is hundreds of times more prevalent than drone losses.

 

[jedburgh01]

It doesn’t amount to anything. The excuses people will make up to vilify others is truly astounding.

Tru Dat

 

[Johanna]

Just thought I would add my 2 cents regarding drone noise disturbing people's peaceful enjoyment. Yesterday was the first gorgeous day here weather wise so I went to the local lake to shore fish while the rest of the ice melts. Beautiful and so very quiet and peaceful...until...along comes a dad with his little son and big dog. Dog got tied up about 30 feet away and yelped and whined non-stop. Kid ran around in usual kid excitement mode making the usual kid sounds. No one would have heard a dozen drones through all the noise. For those who complain of drone noise, earplugs work!

 

[RangerEd]

It doesn’t amount to anything. The excuses people will make up to vilify others is truly astounding.

I agree. I grew up in Molokai and watched the Army/Navy practice bombing a small area of the island. If you look at the area today it's like nothing ever happened. Same is true with all the sites where battles have occurred over the course of history. Not that we should be careless with it but Mother nature is more resilient than we think.

 

[Matparlier]

Hmmm....can I fly a kite, carry a helium balloon, play catch, frizby, or use anything from a package...etc. All will bespoil the 'pristine perfection of nature'. We exhale CO2....a known pollutant...there is so much to worry about.
We are part of Nature and will leave a very small footprint when we are extinct. The wait shouldn't be long...in geologic terms.
At a $1000+ a pop I think the collective impact of drones on the landscape will be insignificant.

 

[Matparlier]

Water bottles, beer bottles, energy drinks, plastic straws, brass (it has lead in it...OMG!)...And....please note the number of square miles covered by National Parks in the US. ( The total area protected by National Parks is approximately 52.2 million acres (211,000 km2).There must be a 'balance' in here somewhere.

 

[DroningOn]

It has been a long time since I have seen a thread that so clearly pulls back the curtain of why these regulations exist. I hope everybody can see that these rules do not protect anything, they are just there to provide a vehicle to control people. While most, if not all, of these regulations were originally written by people who were completely ignorant about drones they are now being promoted by actual owners and operators of them. People who absolutely should know better but again, it’s all about that control. The 900 pound gorilla sitting in the room is that many of those people are members and administrators in forums such as this one. Everybody has an opinion and an absolute right to express it but it’s time that people come out from behind the “safety and environmental“ curtain and engage in an open discussion of what your true goals are in all of this. The doom and gloom warnings are completely absurd. NOBODY is getting hurt or even bothered by our toys (and yes, they are toys) and those that claim they are being affected need to take a chill pill and deal with it..... including many members here.

 

[MadDogDan]

Hey, it could happen. We need a law!!

We need a law against making NEW Laws