I live in Florida and except for one park in Lecanto, Citrus County, you cand take off or land in any public park or public dependencies. FAA has the airspace jurisdiction but not the land. Well, my question, if somebody knows, Can you take off or land in a sidewalk? When I say sidewalk I means the ones that are away from traffic, people, cars and electric wires.
Taking Off From a Public Sidewalk
- Thread starter Rmcolon
- Start date
I don't see why not. I'm not aware of anything in FAA regs that would preclude it, and have never heard of such a specific restriction at the local level.
My rule of thumb would be that if nobody is around to be a factor, and it is otherwise not prohibited (like no TFR), I can't see a problem.
You might find, however, that there may be an issue with calibration, where there is metal under the sidewalk or otherwise near it. I have a two-car concrete driveway, and I can't launch from any spot on the driveway, due to interference.
The decision of using a sidewalk comes from a conversation I hear from a police officer and his supervisor. The cop wants to stop the guy from flying his drone and the supervisor told him "we can't do anything. He's in a public sidewalk"... Thanks for your thoughts.
I also live in Florida. I thought it was illegal to fly in or over park's or
I also live in Florida i thought it was illegal to fly in or over park's or is that state parks
"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
Well, that's the thing. I can't take off or land in a park but the park administration can forbid you to fly over the park in a responsible manner, not over people or vehicles. As soon as I'm airborne, the rules that I have to follow are the FAA. That's my understanding of the applicable laws but could be wrong. Anyway, that's going to be my defense argument...
Yes, that is ideal, but I love to fly over lakes and other beautiful places in Florida. Nice hobby during this crazy pandemic.
I think you meant to say the park administration CAN'T forbid you from flying over the part...
The reason i asked is there are a number of city park's i can't find any law's prohibited flying there just not over people
Yes, you are right, but the problem is that do not allow to launch inside the park. In Citrus County, Lecanto Park, are allow to fly drones and actually, they encourage that activity with a part of the park dedicated. I live in Ocala and is almost a 50 minutes drive, but is worth the trip. I think that the problem is some people with reckless flying and making trouble with the aircraft. That affects every RPIC.
That doesn't change the fact of where you're standing while operating (aka flying) the aircraft. The mere fact that it's launching from your hand doesn't change anything.
Good try but that's not a loophole.
I agree. If you are standing in a place not allow to fly drones, It doesn't matter from where you launch.
You're correct that's why i try to follow the rules i don't want to ruin it for everyone else stay safe and have fun flying
When in San Francisco, I take off/land from sidewalks. I've heard that in Seattle, sidewalks or any other city property, are not legal for takeoff/land. Once in the air, though, only FAA has authority. In any case, it's best not to annoy the locals.
In at least a few jurisdictions I've checked, flying a drone "in dangerous proximity" to people is considered "disorderly conduct." Taking off from a sidewalk *might* put you into that category, depending on passers-by.
I'm pretty sure the Arizona bill making that particular change hasn't passed - yet.
I'm pretty sure the Arizona bill making that particular change hasn't passed - yet.
New drone owner here. Also in Florida, and finding the same issue. Called all nearby parks and they have a no drones rule. Looking to fly over the wilderness (trees, lakes). Not really to fly over people. I’ve been practicing like crazy and studying for my Part 107 for side work, but now I’m intrigued at the idea of flying from somewhere outside of the no drone zone, then up and over it (safely, away from people). To the original poster, have you had much luck doing this? Do you know if you can fly over state parks if you take off outside of them? Time for me to do more research.
They can try to forbid with the people and wildlife safety argument. I flew over a couple of parks in Florida, but always at 300ft or the maximum altitude according to Kittyhawk or Airmap. Good luck to them to try to find me. Also, I have a few "safe houses" to land if I see problems and the friends in that places know what to do when my drone lands in their yard. Don't get me wrong, I'm not breaking the law and don't want to, but many law enforcement officials are not aware of the rules and can make you waste time in the court. Bottom line, fly safe, responsibly and legally.
Rich QR
Well-Known Member
Only the FAA has authority over what's done in the airspace, but local authorities may still prohibit operating a drone while standing on ground within their jurisdiction. In other words, taking off from the sidewalk may not allow you to fly your drone while you then walk across a city park where drone operation is prohibited.
And there may be laws against invasion of privacy. If you fly in a neighbor's back yard and take pictures of people swimming or sunbathing where they were expecting privacy, you probably won't be in trouble from the FAA, but you still may be in trouble.
So I’ve now spoken to a drone pilot teacher (Part 107) and an owner of a Florida company that uses drones for surveying commercial property and cell phone towers. They both told me about the 2017 Florida law on this, then found it online. It is 100% legal to fly from inside these parks. Not only does the FAA rule the laws of the airspace, but law was passed in Florida in 2017 specifically to supersede any local ordinance to attempt to prevent drone flight. Most local parks don’t like it. The management will tell you “not allowed” but they don’t have jurisdiction to prevent it. I’ll attach a couple pages that seem to focus most on this.
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