Niagara Falls

[Surge]

I am in Toronto. The no-fly zones are 5.5km around airports and this includes Billy Bishop making downtown pretty much off limits. 1.8km around heliports are also no-fly. The government UAV map and the DJI one show the areas around air/heliports that are classed - these are not the no-fly zone as per recreational drone use. 5.5km and 1.8km are.

The area around Niagara Falls IS A NO FLY ZONE! Do not fly your drone around the Falls. you will screw it up for the rest of us as the governement will use your irresponsibility to create more resitrictive laws. Before around 2014 we had no real laws governing recreational RC usage but because people with drones decided it would be fun to fly around airports and passenger jets in the air, we now have very restrictive laws.

Yes Niagara Falls is amazing. Please look with your eye and keep your drones on the ground. Please! Thanks.

UAV Site Selection Tool - National Research Council Canada will show you where heliports and airports are. Also use Hover app. Both show Niagara Falls to be restricted. DONT DO IT!

The link you provided shows Niagara Falls as NOT a no-fly zone. It's shown in YELLOW for recreational flying, NOT RED.
Class F:
Class F airspace is Advisory Airspace in Canada which is not designated for military operations is shown in yellow. Advisory Airspace indicates that there may be concentrations of activity which is potentially hazardous to aircraft such as flight training or hang gliding.

You are advised to fly with caution, recreationally.

While we are on the subject, you are never allowed to fly more than 500m away from yourself, and always within line of sight, and cannot cross International borders -- anywhere (not just for Niagara Falls).

So the Falls is allowed, provided you follow the general drone flying precautions and rules.

 

[plexus]

The link you provided shows Niagara Falls as NOT a no-fly zone. It's shown in YELLOW for recreational flying, NOT RED.
Class F:
Class F airspace is Advisory Airspace in Canada which is not designated for military operations is shown in yellow. Advisory Airspace indicates that there may be concentrations of activity which is potentially hazardous to aircraft such as flight training or hang gliding.

You are advised to fly with caution, recreationally.

While we are on the subject, you are never allowed to fly more than 500m away from yourself, and always within line of sight, and cannot cross International borders -- anywhere (not just for Niagara Falls).

So the Falls is allowed, provided you follow the general drone flying precautions and rules.

You are wrong: UAV/Drone Use in Niagara Parks

DO NOT FLY AROUND THE FALLS. DON'T SCREW THINGS UP FOR THE REST OF US.

 

[plexus]

I live downtown and fly inToronto all the time. It's not at all a 'no fly zone'...

Where downtown? Any area 5.5km around Billy Bishop or Peason, or 1.8km around heliports like Sick Kids or St. Mikes are no-fly zones.

If you are not within these areas you are fine. Where exactly are you flying and have you checked if you are in these no-fly zones?

 

[MrsTreat]

You can’t fly there. It’s even posted at the park.

 

[Thwyllo]

https://www.niagaraparks.com/media-room/uav-drone-use-in-niagara-parks/

DO NOT FLY AROUND THE FALLS. DON'T SCREW THINGS UP FOR THE REST OF US.

Pointless comment. Firstly the rule already exists; what's to screw up? Secondly, for every one person on this forum that takes a calculated risk, there are ten thousand morons out there who couldn't care less and do as they please wherever they please - they're the ones you should be shouting at, but frankly the system has already made its mind up without any evidence.

 

[borislip]

With all those arguments going on, can you fly it legally over Niagara falls or not? I've been trying to launch from the US side, and got caught by a ranger, before ever taking off or even starting the motors. He claimed its a national park, and that he can't let me take off. Whats about the Canadian side? I've definitely seen people launching, but is it legal? What about crossing the border with a drone (as in overflying the border line, not getting it across in a bag)?

 

[Thwyllo]

What about crossing the border with a drone (as in overflying the border line, not getting it across in a bag)?

I'd get a good lawyer first

 

[Lapeer20m]

Can you legally take off and operate from the US side? You won't be able to cross international boarders with the drone, but you'd still be able to get many great shots provided the airspace is legal to fly in from the US perspective.

It is my understanding that you cannot fly over the falls. The park on the USA side is a nee York state park and they prohibit taking off, landing, or operating from park property.

Google drones in New York State parks and you can read the rule.

 

[Lapeer20m]

Here is what transport Canada has to say about drones over Niagara.

For the record, I am not a rule nazi but i feel that pilots should have an understanding of the rules:

In my opinion, many drone regulations are overly broad, but keeping drones out of the airspace above the falls is pretty reasonable from a safety to other manned aircraft perspective since many of the manned aircraft are helicopters.

14 CFR 93.71 - General operating procedures.

 

[mad monkey]

I think something like Niagara falls is the perfect opportunity for them to let drones in. If you want to risk it going in the drink then so be it lol
However there are dummies who won't keep it under a certain height, not cross the border, avoid people etc. So they had to blanket statement it.

My backyard is technically in close proximity to a nfz but I keep the drone under 200ft up.. If a plane is that low we're all screwed anyways

 

[plexus]

I don't think you people are understanding the impact of your selfish drives to fly your drone - as I said 5 years ago, there were essentially no laws relating to recreational RC flying. But because you selfish jerks insist of flying your drones in irreponsible, inconsiderate and risky ways, the US, Canada and many other governements have now imposed strict laws. If you continue in your selfish ways, there will be even more laws and perhaps a total ban on drones.

Please do not fly your drones in ways that might cause people to complain about you otherwise we will all continue to suffer from restrictions. Just don't do it regardless of the laws. What I mean is, if there are people around, or there is a risk of your drone crashing and hurting people or property, either in the air or on the ground, do not fly.

... for crying out loud!

 

[Thwyllo]

I don't think you people are understanding the impact of your selfish drives to fly your drone - as I said 5 years ago, there were essentially no laws relating to recreational RC flying. But because you selfish jerks insist of flying your drones in irreponsible, inconsiderate and risky ways, the US, Canada and many other governements have now imposed strict laws. If you continue in your selfish ways, there will be even more laws and perhaps a total ban on drones.

Please do not fly your drones in ways that might cause people to complain about you otherwise we will all continue to suffer from restrictions. Just don't do it regardless of the laws. What I mean is, if there are people around, or there is a risk of your drone crashing and hurting people or property, either in the air or on the ground, do not fly.

... for crying out loud!

Selfish jerks? Who exactly are you patronising sunshine?

At my age I don't need another jerk telling me what I already know thanks, so keep it to yourself. The damage was done long ago and by far bigger idiots, and a lot more of them, than you seem to think there are on this forum.

 

[borislip]

I don't think you people are understanding the impact of your selfish drives to fly your drone...

For a moment, lets put the laws, local regulations, border presence and similar legal stuff aside, for a moment, just imagine none of it exists. Total anarchy.

Now, imagine me getting my MP out, taking off, and flying over the falls. High enough above the mist, to minimize the chance of damaging the MP, but low enough to remain way below the tour copters flying in the area. Not above any group of people or single person, at least not for any significant amount of time. What part would be irresponsible here? What kind of terrible catastrophe could i possibly cause? Please explain.

 

[plexus]

I don't think you people are understanding the impact of your selfish drives to fly your drone - as I said 5 years ago, there were essentially no laws relating to recreational RC flying. But because you selfish jerks insist of flying your drones in irreponsible and inconsiderate ways, the US, Canada and many other governements have now imposed strict laws. If you continue in your selfish ways, there will be even more laws and perhaps a total ban on drones.

Please do not fly your drones in ways that might cause people to complain about you otherwise we will all continue to suffer from restrictions. Just don't do it regardless of the laws. What I mean is, if there are people around, or there is a risk of your drone crashing and hurting people or property, either in the air or on the ground, do not fly.

Crying out loud!

For a moment, lets put the laws, local regulations, border presence and similar legal stuff aside, for a moment, just imagine none of it exists. Total anarchy.

Now, imagine me getting my MP out, taking off, and flying over the falls. High enough above the mist, to minimize the chance of damaging the MP, but low enough to remain way below the tour copters flying in the area. Not above any group of people or single person, at least not for any significant amount of time. What part would be irresponsible here? What kind of terrible catastrophe could i possibly cause? Please explain.

None. It would likely not be an issue. But your example is irrelevant because there are now laws, laws created because of people doing as you describe.

But, because others have flown their drones in more precarious situations, specifically around airports and at the same altitude as passenger jets at close range, the laws have now been set. So now, if you fly your drone around Niataga Falls you would be contravening the laws and the governement would then have reasons to make them more strict.

I am sorry these concepts are lost on some of you. But if you either a) fly irresponsibly and b) break the laws, the laws will clamp down on the rest of us. The risk is a total ban on drone flying. Don't be a selfish jerk about it and THINK before you fly and follow all the laws and rules and outside of the laws, fly responsibilty - I guess you need a definiton of what "respoinsible" means - it means "flying such that there is no risk that your actions will cause further restrictions on the rest of us responsible drone fliers".

It's not rocket science. It's simple consideration and intelligence.

The law is now no flying around Niagara Falls. So don't fly around Niagara Falls.

 

[Thwyllo]

And you think that talking to a group of adults, almost all of whom are on this forum for the right reasons, as if they were a bunch of retarded children is helpful do you?

 

[plexus]

And you think that talking to a group of adults, almost all of whom are on this forum for the right reasons, as if they were a bunch of retarded children is helpful do you?

If the show fits. Seems a lot of you seem to think you can do what you want with your drone. You can not. Those of you who are "retarded children" (your words) did and now the rest of us have strict restrictions. That is observable evidence. Sorry you don't like the facts but those are the facts. If you fly like a "retarded child" then you risk a ban on drones. Don't act like a "retarded child". Point made. Done.

 

[Thwyllo]

It's clear my posts went right over your head. And that you've probably been drinking. Your comments are insulting to the vast majority of the members of this forum.

 

[plexus]

It's clear my posts went right over your head. And that you've probably been drinking. Your comments are insulting to the vast majority of the members of this forum.

You can only speak for yourself. I don't think my comments would register as insulting to those that fly responsibly and want others to do so. This perhaps tells us something about you. It's a shame. Keep in mind the way you fly your drone can impact everyone who has a drone - this has been proven with observable evidence as per my previous posts. It's up to you. Don't screw it up for the rest of us.

 

[Thwyllo]

I can feel your smugness from 4000 miles away. Which is about as close as I want to be to people like you.

 

[David2111]

Got back from Canada a couple of weeks ago. We visited Niagara and there was a drone about. The pilot was flying it around the Maid of the Mist (the USA boat) and we were on the Hornblower (Canadian boat).

We also went up Sulphur Mountain on the Gondola while in Banff, and an asian gentleman was flying his drone around the top of the mountain. He was politely told to ground it by a warden.

Both drones looked like Mavic Air's. I have to say, from a personal point of view both these guys were idiots.

Laws or no Laws we still live in a world with idiots.about.