Who makes the rules?

[CrossQuads]

So the FAA says outside of certain airports and other restrictions, from 1 nm off the ground to 400 feet AGL is my airspace as a drone pilot. Now from my bad knowledge of our government, federal rules trump (no pun intended) state rules. So how can my college say I cannot fly on my campus? The FAA doesnt restrict it, so how can my school?

If I take off from off campus, then fly over the campus, is that legal? In my book I say yes because my school doesnt own airspace. (all this assumes I am not flying over people)

 

[halley]

This boils down to "what can they do to you?" If you are not a student, maybe it is worth that fight. If you are a student, they can easily cause you a world of grief even if you are technically in the right in the eyes of the letter of the law.

 

[MPPilot]

I can understand why a college or the owner of any large tract of land like a business park would not want casual flying over their campus. Something goes wrong and the drone goes out of control and hits someone, yes, you are going to be blamed/sued, but as they probably have deeper pockets the campus will also get sued for not keeping their students safe. If you have something specific to shoot then try treating it like a business proposition and lay out what you would like to film/photograph, proposes time and date, safety measures you will take, etc. and politely ask for an exception to the policy. Mention that you are trying to capture the beauty of the school, blah. blah, blah. If they say yes you now have a precedent you can use for future filming without harassment.

 

[CrossQuads]

I can understand why a college or the owner of any large tract of land like a business park would not want casual flying over their campus. Something goes wrong and the drone goes out of control and hits someone, yes, you are going to be blamed/sued, but as they probably have deeper pockets the campus will also get sued for not keeping their students safe. If you have something specific to shoot then try treating it like a business proposition and lay out what you would like to film/photograph, proposes time and date, safety measures you will take, etc. and politely ask for an exception to the policy. Mention that you are trying to capture the beauty of the school, blah. blah, blah. If they say yes you now have a precedent you can use for future filming without harassment.

See that's what I told them. I am a part 107 certified pilot who logs everything. But they say I cannot fly because I could hurt someone. I'm not just some random student but the part 107 license means nothing to them. It's hard not to fly because there are so many beautiful spots on campus.

 

[mark_t]

So how can my college say I cannot fly on my campus? The FAA doesnt restrict it, so how can my school?

They can't restrict your flight, but they can restrict what you do on their property, this is much like the ban on flying in National Parks, they can stop you taking off/landing in the park, but if you start and end outside the park there is little they can do.

This particular battle may not be one to fight though while you are still studying there though...

 

[tcope]

As Mark mentioned above, land owners have the right to tell you what you can/can't so... on their land. So they an tell you that _you_ (standing on their land) cannot engage in certain actions, such as taking off or landing a drone. They can't tell someone not on their land that they can't fly over their property or take photos of what is in a public place.

 

[MPPilot]

As Mark mentioned above, land owners have the right to tell you what you can/can't so... on their land. So they an tell you that _you_ (standing on their land) cannot engage in certain actions, such as taking off or landing a drone. They can't tell someone not on their land that they can't fly over their property or take photos of what is in a public place.

But is it a public place? State and community colleges could be argued are "public" but many are private institutions. Again, if he is a student, they do have the ability to hold him responsible to the rules no matter where he takes off from. That's why I said come up with a nice written plan and present it to someone with authority to grant an exception, not just those mindlessly enforcing the rules.