Outerbanks, NC - Areas to fly, anything I should know?

[naiku]

Later this summer I will be spending a week in the Outer Banks, I am 50/50 on whether to take my drone with me or not. While it won't take up much cargo room (Mavic Air) I prefer to travel light, so if flying around that area is going to be very restricted then I might just leave it at home and instead stick to using the DSLR for any photos. Ideally I want to take photos and possibly video along the beach / ocean front, so am going to be somewhat restricted in that I will likely only fly in the morning / evening to avoid any potential trouble from the general public (while I don't really expect any, I can imagine some people who have no idea what the capability of the drone is, thinking I am trying to photograph them on the beach, something I have absolutely zero intention of).

I'd love to fly it over the Wright Brothers Memorial, but obviously that's not happening, same thing with the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. What about flying over the beach in general? Past experience the beaches there have never been packed, so not flying above people shouldn't really be an issue, especially with the time of day I will be flying. But, are the beaches no fly zones? Looking on the B4UFly app, I see 2 heliports (Kitty Hawk One and Outer Banks) as well as 2 airports (First Flight and Dare County Regional) so will I need to notify them before flying?

Any advice much appreciated, Thanks.

 

[BigAl07]

Here's a quick search that might help you find your answers:

Search results for query: Outer Banks

 

[JAW]

Large portions of the beach are National Seashore so it's a no-go. Up north towards Corolla are much better.

 

[naiku]

Large portions of the beach are National Seashore so it's a no-go. Up north towards Corolla are much better.

Thanks, looking on AirMap it does appear that it could be problematic for most of the area, a small part between Southern Shores and Duck looks OK, then it is restricted until up closer to Corolla again.

 

[JAW]

If you have 4WD, you can enter the beach just north of Corolla. The Virginia border is about 12 miles away and the NC town of Corova, accessible only by 4WD or boat, is about 6 miles away. Corova is the home of the northern herd of wild horses who wander all over the place and are protected. The area, except for the beach, is part of the Currituck Wildlife Refuge. If you launch from the beach within 100 yards of the ocean (and land there), you're outside of the Refuge. But you will need a beach capable 4WD vehicle.

 

[naiku]

Up until a couple months ago I had a beach capable vehicle, while I do still have a pair of AWD vehicles, neither are at all suitable for driving on the beach. Will take a look at some maps and try to plan something out.

 

[BigAl07]

If you have 4WD, you can enter the beach just north of Corolla. The Virginia border is about 12 miles away and the NC town of Corova, accessible only by 4WD or boat, is about 6 miles away. Corova is the home of the northern herd of wild horses who wander all over the place and are protected. The area, except for the beach, is part of the Currituck Wildlife Refuge. If you launch from the beach within 100 yards of the ocean (and land there), you're outside of the Refuge. But you will need a beach capable 4WD vehicle.

That's an AMAZING trip to say the least. Last time I was there was long before multirotors were on the scene but we got some amazing pics standing on top of the truck watching the horses from afar.

 

[Trollistika]

Worst experience so far from buying my first drone is finding out I can't fly it anywhere around. I have to travel about 35 miles to find a good sate spot away from everything.

 

[Darrell_Mavic 2]

Large portions of the beach are National Seashore so it's a no-go. Up north towards Corolla are much better.

I;m going to Avon, NC on 4/27 it is just north of Hatteras, the National Sea Shore only covers the beach, the city of Avon is mainly clear on AirMap. I am three houses away from the National Sea Shore and the area is green on AirMap. Since I will be taking off, controlling the drone, and landing outside of the National Sea Shore am I right to think I can overfly the beach? I too would be flying in the early morning for sunrise and late evening.

 

[BigAl07]

You'll want to check for LOCAL ordinances at each and every location you decide to fly. In addition to FAA type things you also need to know any Land Use ordinances for the town/county you'll be flying in. They can't (or more accurately shouldn't) control AIRSPACE but they have every right to enact Land Use restrictions which could restrict you taking off and landing in the area.

Know before you even try to fly.

 

[JAW]

Avon is an unincorporated village and therefore does not have its own ordinances, rather it falls under the Dare county ordinances. Here's a link to the Dare ordinances and it looks like you're good to go, outside of the National Seashore. Some Outer Banks incorporated towns and villages have very restrictive ordinances, i.e., Nags Head. Just keep in mind that full-time Outer Bankers have their own ideas about what is legal and what is not.

Drones & Unmanned Aircraft Systems | Dare County, NC

Drone and UAS rules and regulations on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

www.darenc.com

 

[Campin123]

You'll want to check for LOCAL ordinances at each and every location you decide to fly. In addition to FAA type things you also need to know any Land Use ordinances for the town/county you'll be flying in. They can't (or more accurately shouldn't) control AIRSPACE but they have every right to enact Land Use restrictions which could restrict you taking off and landing in the area.

Know before you even try to fly.

Thank you. I checked locally and the only restriction to fly recreationally was having approval from the land owner. The folks I am renting the house from are drone owners and they were fine with me using their yard as command central. I did find out between Memorial day and Labor day drones are restricted to flying before 9:00 am and after 7:00pm. Just wanted to be sure to fly legal and not cause any problems for the sport.

 

[PropSpin]

Thank you. I checked locally and the only restriction to fly recreationally was having approval from the land owner. The folks I am renting the house from are drone owners and they were fine with me using their yard as command central. I did find out between Memorial day and Labor day drones are restricted to flying before 9:00 am and after 7:00pm. Just wanted to be sure to fly legal and not cause any problems for the sport.

I am looking at being in kitty hawk over the weekend and the only thing I've found so far is that Nags Head is the only municipality in Dare County that has any ordinances about drone use. Also found the article linked below that indicates they were revisiting their ordnance back in Sept, not sure if it passed or not, but the language in the proposed ordinance about restrictions between 9am and 7pm (memorial to labor day) were to be struck. Essentially, they are not allowed to regulate airspace - that's the FAA's jurisdiction.

Nags Head to revisit its drone ordinance