We are planning a trip in sept. 2019 to AZ. Just read the facts about drone usage. Buummrrr. Anyone been there done this??? Thx for any info in advance. Our plans include. Grand Can. Monumet Valley , Painted Desert , and. Sedona. 
NFZ Navajo
- Thread starter G Lee
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Prismatic
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- Grand Canyon is a national park; no drones allowed, period.
- Monument Valley, like the rest of Navajo land, is off-limits because that's their call. So be it.
- Drones are allowed in much of the Sedona area, excepting the primitive & wilderness areas that lie mostly to the north and west of Sedona proper. There are a lot of visitors around Sedona (a lot!), so try not to be obtrusive.
- The so-called "Painted Desert" stretches from Utah, through Arizona, into New Mexico, so I've no idea what to say; some areas are fine for drone flights, some areas are definitely not. You'll want to become more educated about your specific location of interest.
Thx for the info. I know more now after your post. I was going on Airmap and looking around for areas of NFZ. I know of course Nat. Parks and crowds i will not fly. Im not pushy with my drone nore have i ever been rude or unsafe. Thx again for your post.
Bigbird48
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A lot of helicopter traffic in Sedona from private “air fields”, and a local Airport. You can try AirMap for LAANC or recreational clearance. But the grind can be worth it.
TheWolfen
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Except the airport has no tower and is in class G airspace, so that should eliminate that requirement, correct? There are a bunch of bogus 'no drone' signs around Sedona put up by people affiliated with the airport, but they have no authority to ban them. The local paper did an article on the subject and revealed the truth. Mainly you need to be extremely aware of your surroundings and constantly watch for air traffic. There is a lot of it and they can fly pretty low. But I wouldn't hesitate to fly there (and have).
All above is true, but in the interest of good will I spoke with them before I flew. The contact number for the airport is found here:
Contact – Sedona Airport
Official Website of Sedona Airport KSEZ, Sedona, Arizona with Live View Webcam of Sedona, Sedona Tourist Information, Important Pilot Information, Sedona Online Coupons, Sedona Airport Businesses
sedonaairport.org
Thx all for reply. Any info helps. The trip is not till sept this year but i want to be ready. Again i like safe and happy flying. Great pics BTW. Still looking forward to pulling off the highway in the middle of AZ and just getting some pics and vids of this land ive never seen before.
That's true for Part 107 flight, but not, currently, for recreational flight. That still requires notifying airports within 5 miles - just the operator if there is no tower, or the operator and the tower if there is one.
TheWolfen
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Good to know. So that means it is just a requirement to notify. The airport has attempted to impose their own ban, which went too far. I will add that having someone with you to help keep an eye out for helicopters is a good idea. They can pop up very suddenly over the rugged terrain and at low altitudes.
TheWolfen
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Enjoy your trip to our beautiful state!! You'll find lots of amazing places to fly here. It is sad that flying in Monument Valley is not an option - I would strongly recommend following any tribal park laws. Note that Airmap does not include those laws in their system so you can't rely on that app in those areas. However, there are some amazing buttes, etc, outside Monument Valley itself that should be OK to fly around.
If you come through Flagstaff, and I'm guessing you will, you might consider going up to the AZ Snow Bowl on the San Francisco Peaks. It's beautiful up there. The aspens and mountains are amazing even if the colors haven't changed yet.
If you come through Flagstaff, and I'm guessing you will, you might consider going up to the AZ Snow Bowl on the San Francisco Peaks. It's beautiful up there. The aspens and mountains are amazing even if the colors haven't changed yet.
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