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Unmarked no fly zones

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MBurris

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I was flying to video tape Lake Lanier. A city maintenance employee told me it was illegal to fly within eyeshot of the dam which supplies water to Atlanta. Flying near the dam is subject to a large fine so he says. The area isn’t marked as a noi-fly zone and doesn’t appear in any app as a no-fly area. The question is is it truly illegal if unmarked and unidentifiable as a restricted area?
 
And it’s still unmarked. To prohibit flying without notifying people through normally available channels causes havoc particularly for visitors unfamiliar with local restrictions. Can you imagine having such unmarked restrictions all over the country? Like having highways without posting speed limits or one way streets without notifying drivers.
 
And it’s still unmarked. To prohibit flying without notifying people through normally available channels causes havoc particularly for visitors unfamiliar with local restrictions.
The primary point is that Lake Lanier is Federal property.
 
@sar104 I agreee with your Post above #5. As long as the OP is not "On" the property he could certainly overfly. Another source quote:

People who are on corps property cannot operate a drone without permission. Anyone who is standing, swimming or boating on the lake would also need to submit a request because they are on corps property, Baggett said.

Anyone found to be operating a drone on corps property without permission would be approached by a ranger and asked to stop. Depending on the situation, the operator could receive a verbal warning, a citation asking them to go to court or a fine, Baggett said.

Anyone with questions about the policy or application process can contact the corps’ local
 
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Now that is truly confusing. There are hundreds of square miles of Private property bordering the lake. Unless one is on the lake itself, how is one to know what is Federal property since it’s unmarked? Further, are all Federally owned properties no-fly zones?
 
Now that is truly confusing. There are hundreds of square miles of Private property bordering the lake. Unless one is on the lake itself, how is one to know what is Federal property since it’s unmarked? Further, are all Federally owned properties no-fly zones?

No - most federal land is open for flying. Open: almost all USFS and BLM land except for wilderness. Closed: National Parks, National Recreation Areas, a handful of sites designated as sensitive national security locations.
 
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Aren’t unpublicized no-fly zones drone killers?
But they were publicized. Both in the Atlanta Journal and the Gainesville Times.
 
Every day? A local newspaper does nothing for a visitor to an area. Only for locals who read the newspapers thoroughly from cover to cover perhaps landing on the article or not. If it’s a no fly area, it needs to be marked either on the map or with signage. This just doesn’t apply to Lanier but to all areas where a pilot may be fined or punished for unwittingly flying in an unmarked zone.
 
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This just doesn’t apply to Lanier but to all areas where a pilot may be fined or punished for unwittingly flying in an unmarked zone.
Oh I completely agree with that. You don't see a clearly marked NFZ area very often. It should be but it is not. It is up to each individual pilot to do the research prior to flying in a particular area to ensure the legality of the flight unfortunately.
 
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Who maintains the dam? Is it considered "Sensitive Infrastructure"?
 
Who’s to know? No out-of-towner could know. No signage. No indications on commonly used maps.
 
We have certain restrictions not shown on our 'ok to fly' app.
National Parks in certain states have no drone policies (while a few are totally ok), generally known / easy to find with a little research.
Places like local councils ('City of *'), parks and reserves, critical infrastructure, these are less known, and sometimes very hard to find out !!
Councils bury their policies in very hard to find by-laws, other places like our big water catchment dams can be no fly zones, but neither are on our app.

I personally think fly, if (after a little pre flight research into the place, and nothing is found re drone flight) all other air authority rules are able to be followed.
If someone stops and advises drones are not allowed / banned, whatever, then you should be given a warning and you do the right thing, advise you checked about drone policy and without (FAA, CAA, CASA etc) restrictions . . . you thought ok to fly, apologise, and move on.
If you get fined, then you take it to court, fight it, shouldn't be difficult to get off, especially if you can show research, emails sent (with no reply), etc.

If some land authority pressed prosecution when you could show the due diligence, then they are probably going to lose.

Common sense should be applied though, you wouldn't be flying over busy places, serious places like nuclear power plants, Government buildings like parliament, white house, etc.
 
Who’s to know? No out-of-towner could know. No signage. No indications on commonly used maps.


The current system is far from perfect and this is a classic example.

I'd error on the side of caution and not tempt fate. Either do your research until an official source gives you the OK in writing or call your local FSDO and pose the question to them. They can tell you if there are any "Flying Restrictions" and after that it becomes a Land Use subject (trespassing etc) which the FAA will not even comment on.
 
Yes, of course. Once warned I moved away from the dam area. IMHO, pilots should not have to anything but be attentive to signs and the FAA and DJI maps. Going to court to fight a fine seems wasteful particularly from miles away
Having to research dated issues of newspapers and little-known local statutes is overly onerous on us.
With the proposed new FAA regulations and relatively unknowable restrictions, we need an effective lobbying arm.
 
Going to court to fight a fine seems wasteful particularly from miles away

Indeed, and why I'd recommend that due diligence, and tell the authority why you will fight it.
Their legal people would likely advise to drop the fine and avoid a losing battle, IF you had done all you could to do things right.

All the best with safe and legal flight, we're all in that same situation to some degree.
 
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