The Statue of Liberty with my Mavic

[pgitug]

I see you are referring to me and yes you could, especially if you crashed into the statue of liberty and if you crashed and your drone hit someone. There is a guy in Seattle facing jail time because he hurt someone with his drone, you don't think you wouldn't? I'm not freaking out either, i'm just stating my opinion on your flight. Good video but with the potential to land you in hot water if things went wrong.

New york harbor is pretty cold, being fed from the Hudson River. No hot water to be found.

 

[GadgetGuy]

You can fly under either set of rules. You must determine which rules you're going to follow before taking off. See more details in the FAA FAQ.

I believe 107 cert holders can still fly in Class G airspace without permission as a Hobbyist, and as a Hobbyist, VLOS is a Guideline, not a Rule, so they are not completely mutually exclusive.

 

[msinger]

as a Hobbyist, VLOS is a Guideline, not a Rule

It is most definitely a rule (law) for hobbyists. See more details here.

 

[RamiAgonistes]

Since the site's rules do not permit me to reply in a manner more suited to your observation, I will simply compliment you on your perception of integrity and your sophistic ability to discount that which does not comport with your perception of the circumstances. Bravo!

joet the poet! Go run off now and report this malicious video to the FAA

 

[Karmalord]

Not sure of the legalities of this,but this has got to be one of my favorite Mavic videos so far.
This includes the music backing it up also. Well done,Bravo!

 

[JROK]

I've been busy so I haven't had time to read all the interesting replies to this post but in two to three weeks I plan to reply to most and give my answer(s) to why I think this flight was/was not in compliance

Also, as I said before, get off the NPS kick, it's not the answer here but just for fun If You're Flying a Drone in a National Park Without a Permit, You're Hurting the Industry | Fstoppers

One more thing, when in doubt, call your local FSDO manager. I spoke with George Bennett and he gave a nice list to why flying over Lady Liberty would be non compliant w/o a list of checks needing to be checked off first (non of it was obviously done here).

I almost forgot, the final rules will be announced in a few weeks by the FAA pertaining to NP flights. I'm not happy about it because now there will be more red tape for me (because of this individual)....

 

[JROK]

I believe 107 cert holders can still fly in Class G airspace without permission as a Hobbyist, and as a Hobbyist, VLOS is a Guideline, not a Rule, so they are not completely mutually exclusive.

Sorry but 14 CFR part 107.2 is a federal regulation - VLOS is in there.

 

[Nomand Eloc]

It is most definitely a rule (law) for hobbyists. See more details here.

Is this "rule" an actual law with stated penalties or a rule? It seems even the so called experts seem to disagree on this point.

 

[borislip]

Can't fly in/over national parks, can't fly in most (all?) of the state parks, can't fly in ski resorts, can't fly in NYC (not just in crowded areas) and many (most?) other cities, can't fly anywhere with an airport or a heliport in 5 miles radius without notifying them, with no realistic way to do so, can't... can't... can't... can't... and if there is a place i finally can fly, legally... there is a chance to find myself in range of a trigger happy, privacy concerned, shotgun owner

 

[borislip]

I wonder what are the laws regulating kites flying. Can we tether the drone and call it a "kite"? ;-)

 

[msinger]

Is this "rule" an actual law with stated penalties or a rule? It seems even the so called experts seem to disagree on this point.

A rule and law are one and the same. See more details here.

 

[Nomand Eloc]

Is this "rule" an actual law with stated penalties or a rule? It seems even the so called experts seem to disagree on this point. VLOS is

A rule and law are one and the same. See more details here.

Seemed like a dogged question. Please state actual penalties for said violations and any case examples. I don't wish you any stress @msinger, you do a great service helping educate new flyers like me, however, please let us pilots know that the FAA gives a rats ***. @FAA when people can shoot down our UAV and not face any repercussions.

 

[kodiak1120]

Unfortunately the flight was not legal. Why? All drone "Overhead Flights" are banned in the NPS (from the floor up).

WRONG!

In this case, Lady Liberty is 315 ft/msl and the shelf for the class b airspace over her has a 500ft floor to 7000ft ceiling so are your safe there.

WRONG!

But, there are 17 non expiry TFR's for the entire bay.

WRONG!

"Operating" includes over-flight.

WRONG!

What that means, and its within the language of the memo, is an operator (defines as a cert holder - not hobbyists) must apply for a Special Use Permit (SUP) and it is up to the administrator of the park in question to issue the SUP.

WRONG!

So with that little bit of info, no, an operator cannot fly in the NP system.

WRONG!

Note: DO NOT use Sectional Charts for reference to piloting your sUAV - They do not contain the vital information needed to determine if your intended POI is within compliance.

REALLY WRONG! LOL!!!

The SFRA note box calls out to see whats on the back of the TAC:

WRONG! ONLY APPLIES TO CLASS B, WHICH STARTS AT 1,300 ft.

I'm sorry to see you guys are taking the bait. I'll give a hint to the problem: The answer has nothing to do with the NPS Memo and yes, I have the authority to give the answer. Cheers.

TAKING THE BATE, LOL!!! SEE ABOVE!!

I don't know why everyone is so stuck on the NPS issue (esp. the OP), its not the answer

LOLLOLOLOLLOL!!!!

I specialize in flying in the NPS regulated under the Dept. Of Interior and fly in Congressional Wilderness Areas.

YOU ARE SO FULL OF IT! IF YOU REALLY DID, YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT WHAT YOU WERE SAYING REGARDING NPS'S IS B.S. GET A CLUE BUDDY. YOU'VE BEEN THOROUGHLY DISCREDITED. GO AWAY!!

 

[Nomand Eloc]

.

 

[msinger]

Please state actual penalties for said violations and any case examples. I don't wish you any stress @msinger, you do a great service helping educate new flyers like me, however, please let us pilots know that the FAA gives a rats ***. @FAA when people can shoot down our UAV and not face any repercussions.

I don't know the exact penalties for breaking these laws. You'll likely get the best answers to these questions if you contact the FAA directly.

Would it really even matter though? Are you considering breaking the law if the penalty is not too steep?

 

[Nomand Eloc]

I don't know the exact penalties for breaking these laws. You'll likely get the best answers to these questions if you contact the FAA directly.

Would it really even matter though? Are you considering breaking the law if the penalty is not too steep?

Not at all. I just wish the lines were not so Grey. I would like the FAA to actually stand up and clear the air.

 

[Nomand Eloc]

Not at all. I just wish the lines were not so Grey. I would like the FAA to actually stand up and clear the air.

People seem to be freaking out over this video more than they should.

 

[msinger]

I'm assuming the FAA is just too busy to bust everyone that breaks a law. This video is a perfect example. The flight took place without incident, so perhaps they are going to let this one fly.

 

[sporte77]

I'm assuming the FAA is just too busy to bust everyone that breaks a law. This video is a perfect example. The flight took place without incident, so perhaps they are going to let this one fly.

The FAA hasn't issued a waiver since January. So, they won't have time to track down one of thousands of videos they don't like. The Park Rangers won't issue a permit to anyone without a yearly million dollar insurance policy with the NPS added as an additional covered party (at your expense). Same story with them...

I don't condone it- but It's no wonder people are just doing a quick video - that by the time the "drone police" hear about it - months or years will pass. If the FAA or Rangers are really worried about drones - they will make it at least possible to get permission for the guys that want to follow the rules. At this point, it's **** near impossible to even get permission, regardless of how much planning you put effort into. So many are saying "screw it" - and taking their chances.

I'm all about rule following - but the gov't is pathetic. As far as drones are concerned - their discriminating against a type of remote aircraft that's been around for many many years in various forms. I'm guessing that the infancy of the regulation is going to suck for a couple years to come. But eventually our voices will be heard. Until then, unanswered NPS/FAA emails, phone calls, permits and waivers will be the story.

I fly manned aircraft and drones - so I get the politics of what's going on. But the government is going about this with no common sense at all. When flying manned aircraft, I'm limited to 500' - 1000' AGL. When I'm driving the drone, it's 400' (although I rarely go above 200). So, in many places, with just a radio call - I can buzz around at 500' above any person or object in a sparse area (1000' in congested areas). They are criminalizing a mostly innocent hobby. As far as this Statue of Liberty video, it's stunning. But it was the operator's personal choice. He has many rationalization points backing up his choice. A lot is interpretation of very vague and blurred lines of regulations (govt's fault). One thing I do know is that we, as a community, must not give the gov't any ammo to use against us to point to in their next proposal. Mostly, they don't have any tragic events related to drones. But it only takes one to destroy any chance of improvement of our current restrictions. Personally, I'd like to be able to use a vhf radio to communicate my position with ATC. But they are afraid we'd tie up the manned aircraft frequencies. The future is here. So they won't be able to maintain denial forever - unless someone causes an accident or high security incident.

 

[teshreve]

Sweet video, Kodiak dude.
Thanks for sharing!