Legal drone use in the town of Mammoth, Ca USA?

[Big Jon]

Hi all, one of my first posts, I’ve been reading a while and enjoy the forum. Hopefully I’m posting this in the correct area.
I am vacationing up in the town of Mammoth this week with my two kids and my folks have joined us also. We visited the skate park today and I checked B4UFLY to make sure there were no restrictions in the area. The only restriction was a 150m height restriction, which is higher than the legal 400ft requirement anyway. The park had other skaters in it, but I put my bird up and stayed to the outskirts away from being “over” them. I only flew for less than 10 minutes, just to try and get some shots and video of my kids riding back and forth in the park, and then went up pretty high to nab one straight down shot of the whole park, then I brought my bird down. As I was putting it away one of the skaters came over and asked if I could not fly my drone over the park. I was already putting it away any way, so rather than confront I just told him I was done anyway and no problem.
-I am 103 certified, carry a card with me with my credentials, try my best to always fly legally, also my drone is appropriately labeled with my FAA numbers.

I was sort of put off as this is my first instance of someone being upset about the use of my drone. It prompted me to look and see if there was anything on the net about drone use in mammoth. Sure enough...

DOWN WITH THE DRONES | The Sheet

A New Mammoth Lakes ordinance limits drone use Drones are being restricted on Town of Mammoth Lakes land. The Town Council approved an ordinance at its Wednesday meeting to require[...]

thesheetnews.com

Some recent town ordinance was put in place that restricts flight to faa certified pilots, but also required obtaining a “town permit” to fly. So I tried to find where to locate a town permit, to no avail. Am I missing something? Has anyone else flown in this area and encountered this? Does anyone know where to find this magical permit? Isn’t the FAA in control of airspace and not the town? I want to take some back woods shots tomorrow and I’m concerned I’ll get flak again if anyone is around. I want to be armed with the correct information to defend myself if necessary.

Sorry for the long winded post but I wanted to be as inclusive as possible with my info and side of the story. It’s frustrating that every time I turn around I hear more and more encroachment and limitations imposed on our hobby.
Thanks in advance,
Jon

 

[BigAl07]

First off you did great by NOT being confrontational or combative. The more we play the role of Ambassadors the better so job well done.

While it's true the the FAA and only the FAA can dictate FLYING our aircraft we do have to understand that many places (my county for instance) can very much legally enact Land Use restrictions. It's all in the wording but it boils down to they can say if you can take-off/land but they can NOT control if you simply over fly their property. Also it's important to note that even if you get around the "Flight Restrictions" you could also have local ordinances that come into play... Privacy, Reckless Behavior, Land Use......

 

[charlas]

A bit rubbish, but they I suppose (I'm not American, so my constitution knowledge is v poor) they can do it to block launch/land on their land (like the forestry service do I understand), can't block the airspace FAA over there, like the CAA over here, still if they then don't make it simple to at least apply for a license that's surely got to infringe on something legally?

 

[Big Jon]

I was definitely annoyed at the idea of having to get a permit, but fine, I’ll play their game. However I would think a simple google search would help me find an avenue to do that, and I can’t find anything about it. I guess I could go to whatever city hall they might have here, but seriously...it shouldn’t be so difficult :/ I’m trying to follow their rules.

 

[Montana John]

I was definitely annoyed at the idea of having to get a permit, but fine, I’ll play their game. However I would think a simple google search would help me find an avenue to do that, and I can’t find anything about it. I guess I could go to whatever city hall they might have here, but seriously...it shouldn’t be so difficult :/ I’m trying to follow their rules.

In small towns what you do IS to go to city hall. I have always found the people there ready to help.

 

[Mr. Salty]

The story you posted would seem to indicate the parks department is overseeing the permit process. I would start there. There are plenty of phone numbers and email addresses listed on the parks department's website: Parks and Recreation Department | Mammoth Lakes, CA - Official Website

I would start by calling them. That would be the fastest route.

But I'm willing to bet they've designed the permit process cost prohibitive or easy to deny. I would be prepared to fly from an area that isn't owned by the city.

 

[gottahavit]

So reading the article, the article is very poorly written as it starts of talking about takeoff and landing and then continues talking about control of flight over restricted town land. I believe what they are saying is the former which is you cant take off or land from town land without permit, which they can absolutely control if they want. It's funny since no one really cares about where we take off or land, they WANT to control where we fly, so instead you need to find private land owner to give you permission.

I would NEVER go to a small town office looking for a permit to fly a drone, unless you are doing it for commercial purposes and have VERY good legal in your company. Small town offices are the most corrupt, uninformed, and opportunistic political organizations in the country. Pay a private land owner.

 

[JAW]

You really want to be confused:

Down With The Drones In Mammoth Lakes | UAV Expert News

Down With The Drones In Mammoth Lakes The Sheet reports that drones are being restricted on Town of Mammoth Lakes land. The Town Council approved an

www.uavexpertnews.com

I don't know if Mammoth and Mammoth Lakes are the same

 

[Big Jon]

You really want to be confused:

Down With The Drones In Mammoth Lakes | UAV Expert News

Down With The Drones In Mammoth Lakes The Sheet reports that drones are being restricted on Town of Mammoth Lakes land. The Town Council approved an

www.uavexpertnews.com

I don't know if Mammoth and Mammoth Lakes are the same

I always considered them one and the same. I believe that to be true, but cannot with certainty verify. I never took my bird up again during our trip. I understand launching somewhere else and flying where I wanted to, but then I’m not only away from my kids, but also violating the VLOS rule. I’m not perfect with that, but I’m trying to be a “good pilot/advocate for proper drone use” I do my best to follow the rules. My primary purpose for this trip was to enjoy the time with my kiddos. Mission accomplished. Really appreciate all the input from you guys, thanks a bunch.