Just trying to be nice... Jeeze!

[willhay555]

Were you being nice?

Of course.

Were you flying without permission?

Seems so.

Did you send the footage as somewhat of a marketing tool for future work?

Dunno.

 

[MavicCF]

Nice video! Your response was very well played with the manager. I am curious what would have happened if you had said "quadcopter" or "flying camera" instead of "drone".-CF

 

[its2loud]

Now I know why the park manager was so pissed.

It's easy to find on the Westchester.org website. The OP is making it seem like it was a harmless little park. People, we must do our due diligence in order for the others to take us seriously and trust that we, as pilots of dangerous devices, are flying safely and responsibly. This was not a responsible flight. Nor was it legal. It is within 5 miles of an airport. Did you contact the control tower?

I'm not trying to be the drone police here but the park manager was well within his right to give a stern response. And like I said in a previous post, consider yourself lucky you didn't get a visit from the local authorities. If you do something wrong, admit it and acknowledge it. Don't just complain about getting yelled at because you feel like you didn't deserve it. You did deserve it. Let's all learn and move on from this pilot's experience. Be responsible and we will be respected.

Happy Droning, Quad Coptering, UAVing, or whatever you want to call it.

 

[erkme73]

I would add some more delicious comments, but I'm guessing the thread will be closed and pruned in very short order, so I won't waste my time.

 

[dirkclod]

You were correct erkme and I just did.
Guys please try and refrain from this getting
any more out of hand were it's reported as I
will just close it.

 

[Oyibo VFX]

I like to use it as RPAS (official in Belgium) and I also check NOTAM but every new flight, I first check AirMap. Toggle on the National Parks. There you should be good enough informed

 

[Strafe1]

I would add some more delicious comments, but I'm guessing the thread will be closed and pruned in very short order, so I won't waste my time.

I would too, but my comments to the drone police won't pass the THINK acronym. I sure wish they could see the negativity they bring to a learning and sharing environment.

 

[Ziggy01]

I would too, but my comments to the drone police won't pass the THINK acronym. I sure wish they could see the negativity they bring to a learning and sharing environment.

That cuts both ways.

 

[JP]

From now on I'm going to use the word "quadcopter" and not the word "Drone"!

Honestly I use the term Aerial Camera. I was chastized on this site when I said I used that term but honestly it works and seems to keep people from raising an eyebrow.

I seldom ever use the word Drone because of how people react to it.

 

[Sjez]

Sadly restrictions of all sorts are becoming more common. In regard to using the term "drone", I recall years ago when I flew a Blade 350, the user group generally avoided that term and referred to them as quadcopters because "drone" conjured up negative sentiments by the general public. Seems like " drones" is the default name these days.
RPAS is an alternative, commonly used here in Australia by CASA (FAA equivalent).
In regard to the curt reply... it could have been more courteous but rules are rules as seen on their website.

 

[Ziggy01]

Well to be fair, at least they're not discriminating.

They're simply banning everything in Lasdon Park.

 

[Smokey5159]

Sadly restrictions of all sorts are becoming more common. In regard to using the term "drone", I recall years ago when I flew a Blade 350, the user group generally avoided that term and referred to them as quadcopters because "drone" conjured up negative sentiments by the general public. Seems like " drones" is the default name these days.
RPAS is an alternative, commonly used here in Australia by CASA (FAA equivalent).
In regard to the curt reply... it could have been more courteous but rules are rules as seen on their website.

 

[jpbluzharp]

Now I know why the park manager was so pissed.

It's easy to find on the Westchester.org website. The OP is making it seem like it was a harmless little park. People, we must do our due diligence in order for the others to take us seriously and trust that we, as pilots of dangerous devices, are flying safely and responsibly. This was not a responsible flight. Nor was it legal. It is within 5 miles of an airport. Did you contact the control tower?

I'm not trying to be the drone police here but the park manager was well within his right to give a stern response. And like I said in a previous post, consider yourself lucky you didn't get a visit from the local authorities. If you do something wrong, admit it and acknowledge it. Don't just complain about getting yelled at because you feel like you didn't deserve it. You did deserve it. Let's all learn and move on from this pilot's experience. Be responsible and we will be respected.

Happy Droning, Quad Coptering, UAVing, or whatever you want to call it.

As noted earlier, I visited the park by chance that morning and though I have gone there before I was not aware of their rather draconian policy concerning photography. As images are readily available from Google Earth and any helicopter, plane or jet flying overhead.. I believe they'd have a hard time defending that rule in a court of law on constitutional grounds.

As to the heliport.. I have contacted the manager of that rarely used "airport" much to his surprise before flying locally and he first asked, "Why are you contacting me?". When I told him of my plans to fly in the area he asked if I would maintain flights below four hundred feet. I assured him I would be following FAA guidelines and he cheerfully said, "fly safe".

This is another case of overreach by a local agency that would easily create havoc in federally controlled airspace. Imagine any camera equipped aircraft or satellite being forced to reroute based on the whims of every local official.

I'm curious as to the reasoning behind restricting non-commercial photography. Tax payers who fund the park are not allowed to take photos of their investment? Or, if they do plan on taking pictures with their smartphones or cameras they should have to pay more money? And the people demanding that payment are employed by the victims of that shakedown?!

This situation reeks of bureaucratic buffoonery.

 

[its2loud]

Bureaucratic buffoonery or not, I think the lessons to be learned from this experience is that we can never assume a location is ok to fly in just because it looks pretty or doesn't have any posted signs.
The only way we are going to change restrictions is by adhering to them in the first place and then presenting our thoughts and reasoning for change to the bureaucrats. If we just ignore the rules and fly anyway, it just give them more reason to create more restrictions. Like I said in a previous post, we have to earn their trust as responsible pilots. Does a store post signs that say "no stealing"? No, because we already know that we shouldn't do it because it's against the law. I think, as pilots, we can't just assume we can fly anywhere we like just because there is an open space. This hobby, or profession, is a privilege, not a right. We operate a dangerous device that can seriously injure another person, animal, or artifact. If someone were to get injured in a park, garden, or any other public open space, that is a huge liability for the pilot, the city, and the county. City lawyers are scrambling to figure this all out. There is actually a convention in San Diego to discuss this kind of thing. Let's all take the two minutes to look up any rules and regulations in the area you intend to fly in before powering up.

 

[Ziggy01]

Agreed.

 

[Kalibr]

Lasdon Park seems like a really fun place to never visit!

 

[Georges]

Absolutely, don't let the trolls try to change what the intent of the original message was.

 

[RobertD]

Perhaps you can provide a photo of the sign? Don't take it with your RPA! Seems to me, posting a sign on the front gate without citing the specific law or authority doesn't make it "legal". NVZ are marked and enforceable. Restricted Zones are also marked and may be waived. Interesting he signed it "Manager" and also speaks for all of Westchester County. Just another self-empowered and rude public servant.

 

[Foxtrot Uniform]

So, I went to a local park early on a recent spring morning in order to test some depth of field settings on my Mavic Pro. Edited a little piece and sent a thank you note and a link to the park's administration... I figured they might enjoy it and use it to promote their work. Once again it looks like I failed to anticipate the power of drone hate!

First my email..

To Whom It May Concern,

I wanted to thank you for maintaining the beautiful grounds of Lasdon Park Arboretum.

I went there early last weekend and shot some video of the fountain.. Spring provided some spectacular cinematic backgrounds.


Feel free to use this footage and if you'd like to document more of the ongoing progress and construction please contact via the information below. I'm a FAA licensed drone pilot and have worked as a video producer and director for the last thirty years for Fortune 500 companies, US Presidents, and foreign tourist bureaus.


Enjoy,

Mavic Pro - Spring Fountain

What a surprising response...

JP – Obviously you disregarded our posted sign at the front gate prohibited the use of drones in our park. Do not do this again and you do not have permission from Westchester county to market this video.

Ted Kozlowski, Manager

I posted the edit on FB and within 24 hours got over six hundred views with a bunch of likes and positive comments.. How can we educate the powers that be to embrace our capabilities in marketing their places? Shouldn't it be the goal of every taxpayer funded park to ensure that as many people as possible enjoy the benefits of their tax dollars? During this weekend of rain I'd say far more people saw that video than visited the park and judging from the comments I'd say many more are interested in paying a future visit.

I apologized for not seeing the sign and alerted Ted that I had checked the VFR sectionals to make sure that area of my intended flight was class G airspace. I also asked if cameras and smartphones were prohibited in the park. Seems to me that public places and images of them are pretty much fair game for display in any medium..

My intent now is to suggest the benefits of using drone footage for marketing, archiving development within the park, and for sharing with the people whose tax dollars fund county parks.

I guess we'll see how deep the fear and loathing of drones is around here.

Mavic Pro - Spring Fountain

I tlbelieve you should send the above post, as written, to the city manager, as well as the mayor and city council (if that s the form of local government you have) with a intro paragraph explaining, as a citizen and taxpayer, that you don't appreciate the condensending response you received and were not aware of the park policy. You only had good intentions and were vilified.
You also may wish to read the city's zoning ordinance to verify if there is an actually ordinance, or if it's just a policy of the parks director. The city council may or may not know of the "policy". It's worth investigating, plus you could approach the city council (along with local flyers or group), as a citizen, to request they re-look at the ordinance, if there is one, or even have "certain flying areas" in various parks.
Again, that you only had good intentions and believe you were demeaned. It can't do any damage to investigate and you may be successful.

 

[RedBully]

Honest question...when people send you letters soliciting you for their amazing services that you don't currently need, what do you do? What about when they call you? Me, I tell them flat out, I am on the do not call registry, take me off your list as you already broke the rules, and never call again.

In your case, you offered something they don't see as needed. That is the first issue...even if it really would benefit them (like so many salesmen swear you do when they cold call you), that does not mean they want it or will get it, or that they are even remotely interested in getting it from you as they may already have something else in the works. Also, along the way, you broke their rules. At the same time, you are just one more in a long line of solicitors that send them messages on a daily basis...only most don't break their rules getting there. For you to feel emotionally damaged enough to create a thread about this, yet you are man enough to have all of these accomplishments and world records...well...do you see what I'm getting at here? You make great videos...don't let this interaction turn you bitter, but instead sack up and learn from it. Solicitation will get responses of all types...and actually, most solicitation will get ZERO response at all. In your case, this was not the one you hoped for. Move on as crying about it on the web takes away from the aura of awesomeness you have built with the long list of incredible achievements you listed in nice detail.