Yellowstone investigates drone photo of Grand Prismatic

AMann · Nov 22, 2018

angell said:
Sir you are incorrect . I have a banner towing operation for advertising . I can strap anything that I want on my piper cub .Also you can attach a camera to any aircraft . I strapped it to the inside of the landing gear anyway . I dont want to scratch my lens.

It really happened, we were on the tarmac putting on two Telonics antennas and were approached by a FAA inspector that was at the rental facility. Kindly went along with his info and put them on later at a different airport with the help of a mechanic that had the appropriate mounts for them. If you are towing a banner, was your mount already certified? And did you record it in your maintenance and weight and balance records? Banner towing is addressed along with glider tow planes the same. In our case, antennas as well.

sar104 · Nov 22, 2018

angell said:
Sir you are incorrect . I have a banner towing operation for advertising . I can strap anything that I want on my piper cub .Also you can attach a camera to any aircraft . I strapped it to the inside of the landing gear anyway . I dont want to scratch my lens.

No - of course you can't just strap anything onto your aircraft. It has to be FAA approved. Your banner system probably is:

ORDER 8130.2G

211. Banner Towing. An aircraft that is in full compliance with its type design and has an FAA-approved banner tow installation may be operated under a standard airworthiness certificate for banner towing purposes. An aircraft that has a standard airworthiness certificate and is modified for a special purpose operation must be operated under a multiple airworthiness certificate (standard/restricted) when the following conditions occur:
a. The special purpose modification does not meet the type design.
b. The special purpose modification is not approved for standard category use.
c. The aircraft will be operated outside the normal category operating limitations.

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/8130.2G.pdf

elfatih · Nov 22, 2018

Major volcanic eruptions in the future have the potential to affect global temperatures and precipitation more dramatically than in the past because of climate change, according to a new study led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
The study authors focused on the cataclysmic eruption of Indonesia's Mount Tambora in April 1815, which is thought to have triggered the so-called "year without a summer" in 1816. They found that if a similar eruption occurred in the year 2085, temperatures would plunge more deeply, although not enough to offset the future warming associated with climate change. The increased cooling after a future eruption would also disrupt the water cycle more severely, decreasing the amount of precipitation that falls globally.
The reason for the difference in climate response between 1815 and 2085 is tied to the oceans, which are expected to become more stratified as the planet warms, and therefore less able to moderate the climate impacts caused by volcanic eruptions.

Read more at: Future volcanic eruptions could cause more climate disruption

angell · Nov 22, 2018

sar104 said:
No - of course you can't just strap anything onto your aircraft. It has to be FAA approved. Your banner system probably is:

ORDER 8130.2G

211. Banner Towing. An aircraft that is in full compliance with its type design and has an FAA-approved banner tow installation may be operated under a standard airworthiness certificate for banner towing purposes. An aircraft that has a standard airworthiness certificate and is modified for a special purpose operation must be operated under a multiple airworthiness certificate (standard/restricted) when the following conditions occur:
a. The special purpose modification does not meet the type design.
b. The special purpose modification is not approved for standard category use.
c. The aircraft will be operated outside the normal category operating limitations.

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/8130.2G.pdf

i am confident that no one will care ever .

angell · Nov 22, 2018

AMann said:
It really happened, we were on the tarmac putting on two Telonics antennas and were approached by a FAA inspector that was at the rental facility. Kindly went along with his info and put them on later at a different airport with the help of a mechanic that had the appropriate mounts for them. If you are towing a banner, was your mount already certified? And did you record it in your maintenance and weight and balance records? Banner towing is addressed along with glider tow planes the same. In our case, antennas as well.

I know the rules almost always state you are doing something illegal but most often you not are bothered with such minor things . But yes It can happen .You are right about that

PhoebeSnow · Nov 24, 2018

I flew into the national park from outside of the park boundaries - perfectly legal. Got great photos and video and then back to out of the park. It's not difficult to see from forums and other posts that many state and national parks are off limits to drones. Plus if you attempt to fly from within the park you receive a no fly warning. Not sure how all of this was missed after the drone was purchased as most of us start reading forums to learn more about our new hobby and it's all right there in plain sight.

Gabe · Nov 24, 2018

ryanolivas said:
Shouldn't he at least ask permission? He is a professional photographer, right? Shouldn't he know the rules already?

So I was there a few months ago and this site specifically has a sign that says NO DRONES LOL

he’s full of sh1t ~. Great photo though. Believe me I wish I could have taken the mavic 2 out but I respected the rules.

baddog · Nov 24, 2018

Bottom line for me...I he were a part 207 licensed pilot he would have known to check the local area and regulations about flying drones. He would have or should have known about flying in and over National Park. If he was an experienced pilot he should have know.

He is nothing more than a photographer trying to get noticed. Which it seems as though, he will do what he has to do, to get that recognition.

He is a problem for all photographers and licensed drone pilots!!!

erkme73 · Nov 24, 2018

angell said:
I know the rules almost always state you are doing something illegal but most often you not are bothered with such minor things . But yes It can happen .You are right about that

The average American commits 3 felonies by dinner time, every single day. Government cannot control men who are not breaking the law. However, with enough conflicting and redundant laws, they can control everyone all the time. Ask a cop. He can pick a person at random and find any number of things that person is doing that violate some law. America... Land of the free...

sar104 · Nov 24, 2018

erkme73 said:
The average American commits 3 felonies by dinner time, every single day. Government cannot control men who are not breaking the law. However, with enough conflicting and redundant laws, they can control everyone all the time. Ask a cop. He can pick a person at random and find any number of things that person is doing that violate some law. America... Land of the free...

Since most Americans go their entire lives without ever being prosecuted for a felony, let alone convicted of one, that control mechanism doesn't seem to be working very well.

Surge · Nov 24, 2018

dewster said:
It’s hard to find legal airspace to fly. If it’s a tourist attraction chances are they you’re not allowed to fly there.

The rules are overly broad and don’t make much sense. A professional photographer should be able to fly a drone if he is in the park legally. Yellowstone is doing more damage to itself here by reducing attendance. It’s not going to stop most people from flying drones there anyway, just from sharing beautiful photos of the park.
Stupid beurocrats who fail to see the bigger picture.

MrMavic · Nov 24, 2018

Prmath said:
I sincerely pray you are correct, partner

Worrying about things like Yellowstone blowing and a meteor hitting you on the head is a waste of time. If it happens it happens.

Imtnbike · Nov 24, 2018

As a Montanan and drone pilot I have to side with the NPS on this one. He makes it sound like putting in a 24-hour effort to get there entitles him to get the picture.

Not only was it illegal to fly but his ACCESS into the park itself was illegal.

The term “professional” is being loosely applied in my estimation. No professional would risk his entire reputation on getting a single shot while skirting a broad based law known by a majority of amateurs in the same “profession”.

It’s a sad situation of putting oneself to please “the followers” ahead of doing what’s right and I’m afraid there is a lot more of that kind of action in our future.

sar104 · Nov 24, 2018

Surge said:
The rules are overly broad and don’t make much sense. A professional photographer should be able to fly a drone if he is in the park legally. Yellowstone is doing more damage to itself here by reducing attendance. It’s not going to stop most people from flying drones there anyway, just from sharing beautiful photos of the park.
Stupid beurocrats who fail to see the bigger picture.

What about amateur photographers?

stoowy · Nov 24, 2018

This guy is lame... There are rules in place for a reason, and jerks like this are the reason more rules keep getting pushed down to the rest of us. In my opinion a "professional" should know the FAA rules better than anyone else. If a race car drive drove through town blowing all the red lights, we probably wouldn't say "oh it cools, their a professional". If he is a true pro, he would have gotten the permits, talked to the right people, done whatever he needed to to do to get the shot.

sar104- Trust me, YS is not hurting for attendance... hundreds of thousands visit YS every year.

I happy to see enough people have respect for the hobby and respect for the park to shame him into taking his photo down.

sar104 · Nov 24, 2018

stoowy said:
This guy is lame... There are rules in place for a reason, and jerks like this are the reason more rules keep getting pushed down to the rest of us. In my opinion a "professional" should know the FAA rules better than anyone else. If a race car drive drove through town blowing all the red lights, we probably wouldn't say "oh it cools, their a professional". If he is a true pro, he would have gotten the permits, talked to the right people, done whatever he needed to to do to get the shot.

sar104- Trust me, YS is not hurting for attendance... hundreds of thousands visit YS every year.

I happy to see enough people have respect for the hobby and respect for the park to shame him into taking his photo down.

I think you replied to the wrong poster - I wasn't defending him or arguing against the NPS rule.