Shiprock flyover with MavicMini

[Paleomanjim]

We spent a week camping and exploring New Mexico. After 3 days in the San Juan Badlands we got up early to drive to Shiprock, arriving just before sunrise. The road was rough so I parked a 1.5 miles from Shiprock and flew to the summit with the MM some 1600' above where we were parked. The Max altitude of 1640' was just barely enough to allow the Mini to reach the peak and fly over it with 40' to spare. Just a fantastic morning. Enjoy.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Is the ridge an exposed volcanic dyke?

 

[RogerDH]

Is the ridge an exposed volcanic dyke?

Yes, and Ship Rock itself is a huge volcanic "feeder pipe" remnant.

 

[Jack43]

Wow, these are some fantastic rock fomations
cheers Paul

 

[muabg]

Wonderful video, just wondering if drone launches are permitted this near Ship Rock?

I know that rock climbing is not allowed on the Indian reservation did you need some sort of permit for this?

I would love to fly this also, but I don’t want to drive all the way there if it is illegal

FWIW I and 107 certified

 

[Tony Smith]

Great flying, well done. Exceptional footage.

 

[RogerDH]

Wonderful video, just wondering if drone launches are permitted this near Ship Rock?

I know that rock climbing is not allowed on the Indian reservation did you need some sort of permit for this?

I would love to fly this also, but I don’t want to drive all the way there if it is illegal

FWIW I and 107 certified

I wondered about that last summer when I was visiting the area, and I found this video:

Short answer: You need to ask tribal permission, at least, and depending on where you want to go, you may need to hire a guide. Legally, the tribe controls the ground but the FAA controls the airspace, so the situation is similar to flying over a national park if you take off and land from outside the park. But if you're willing to risk being hassled going that route, be very sure you know which roads are state roads and which are tribal.

 

[muabg]

I wondered about that last summer when I was visiting the area, and I found this video:

Short answer: You need to ask tribal permission, at least, and depending on where you want to go, you may need to hire a guide. Legally, the tribe controls the ground but the FAA controls the airspace, so the situation is similar to flying over a national park if you take off and land from outside the park. But if you're willing to risk being hassled going that route, be very sure you know which roads are state roads and which are tribal.

Yes, I am aware of Federal Preemption regarding the air space, this is why I phrased my question “Launching a drone”

How to you get “tribal permission”?

I know from my rock-climbing past when they find an illicit climber’s car parked at ship rock, they usually smash it and break the windows. They really do not want people climbing on their sacred towers and I respect this

Wonderful video

 

[RogerDH]

Yes, I am aware of Federal Preemption regarding the air space, this is why I phrased my question “Launching a drone”

How to you get “tribal permission”?

I know from my rock-climbing past when they find an illicit climber’s car parked at ship rock, they usually smash it and break the windows. They really do not want people climbing on their sacred towers and I respect this

Wonderful video

I don't know how to get permission -- I didn't pursue it -- but I think I'd start with asking the tribal police, since they would be the ones who would potentially arrest you for trespassing. If they can't give permission, I expect they would either refer you to the right person or tell you to buzz off.

 

[muabg]

I don't know how to get permission -- I didn't pursue it -- but I think I'd start with asking the tribal police, since they would be the ones who would potentially arrest you for trespassing. If they can't give permission, I expect they would either refer you to the right person or tell you to buzz off.

Cool sort of a fly and dash

I am not sure they could arrest you for trespassing

years ago, before there were any drone regulations, I was detained by the Huntington Beach police in California while flying for a client and they threaten to arrest me for inciting a riot and disturbing the peace. I guess you use any tool available

 

[Paleomanjim]

We arrived around 6am in the dark. There are no gates on the entrance road and no signs posted. The gate is 3 miles from the summit of Shiprock. If you have a Mavic Air 2 you could probably fly to the summit from the paved road, but I don't think the MM would make it without signal loss.I flew 3 flights of 18 minutes each. I was nearly 2 miles out at times with range extenders on my antenna and did get weak signal several times but did not lose connection. We drove 1.5 miles and parked and I flew from there. The roads were flooded from recent rains and there was risk of getting stuck. We saw no one on the way in, just a few wild horses. We did talk to some local tribal people and were told that as long as you stay off the rock and do not attempt to climb it there should not be any problem. It is mostly a matter of not disrespecting the mountain. On the drive out we saw 1 other person driving in and 2 others parked taking pictures. One appeared to be setting up a drone. For anyone visiting this area I highly recommend visiting the Bisti Badlands, which is a vast area 50 miles east worth exploring. We hiked 20 miles over 3 days and saw no one! There are no trails at Bisti so a GPS is a must to prevent getting lost. We did meet a photographer in camp that hired a native guide to take him to the Alien Egg Hatchery but the guide cancelled due to the rains, although it was not to muddy for hiking. So keep that in mind if hiring a guide. There are many other areas to explore nearby so we plan to return in the spring. I'll be posting video of the Badlands soon after editing. Highly recommend NW New Mexico for anyone wanting to explore some unique landscapes with a drone. Thanks everyone.

 

[Phillywilly01]

Beautiful area well done

 

[hiflyer201]

I really enjoyed seeing it from that angle. It's a hard to miss landmark even from 370 and I've viewed it from high altitude many times

 

[Paleomanjim]

Thanks. Those walls radiating out for miles must be very noticeable even from 30,000'! Almost look manmade.
Here is the video from Bisti badlands. Another very strange landscape nearby....

 

[Little bird]

Thanks. Those walls radiating out for miles must be very noticeable even from 30,000'! Almost look manmade.
Here is the video from Bisti badlands. Another very strange landscape nearby....

Nice video, the ending was very cool.

 

[Lauee]

Thanks. Those walls radiating out for miles must be very noticeable even from 30,000'! Almost look manmade.
Here is the video from Bisti badlands. Another very strange landscape nearby....

Fantastic video

 

[ff22]

Marvelous. (opps, appears that I did not post this the other day. Also as a reminder some of the tribal areas are now off-limits to avoid spreading covid).

 

[Paleomanjim]

Marvelous. (opps, appears that I did not post this the other day. Also as a reminder some of the tribal areas are now off-limits to avoid spreading covid).

Thanks. We had planned to go to Canyon De Chelly and Navajo National Monument but all closed down from the virus. Checked out the Pink Coral Sandunes in Arizona instead, awesome place as well. There is so much more to check out in NW New Mexico so we plan another trip.

 

[RogerDH]

Thanks. We had planned to go to Canyon De Chelly and Navajo National Monument but all closed down from the virus. Checked out the Pink Coral Sandunes in Arizona instead, awesome place as well. There is so much more to check out in NW New Mexico so we plan another trip.

If you like the Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) ruins, Chaco Canyon is by far the most impressive site, although you can't fly drones there. Near Farmington, Salmon Ruins and (misnamed) Aztec NM are easier to get to and worth a few hours if you're passing that way.

 

[ff22]

Thanks. We had planned to go to Canyon De Chelly and Navajo National Monument but all closed down from the virus. Checked out the Pink Coral Sandunes in Arizona instead, awesome place as well. There is so much more to check out in NW New Mexico so we plan another trip.

I've been to both of those places twice. With a Native Guide at De Chelly. Although you can hike down to the White House unguided.

Chaco is amazing but I think drone flying probably is or should be prohibited. When we last hit it, it was during the Fall Equinox and they specially opened the park super early so that folks could witness the astrological alignment of a mountain and a building (well, its windows) in the complex with the rising sun.