Anyone have any knowledge/experience flying in/near Pisgah National Forest NC?

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I'm in the beautiful, mountainous area of North Carolina and of course would like to capture some nice footage. I can't seem to get clear info on flying around here. Specifically in Pisgah National Forest where sliding rock is. I know about national parks but this is a national Forest. I know about not disturbing any wild life. I'm just hesitant to take off and figured I'd ask here. Thanks!
 
Hey I know what you're talking about it's an Asheville I thought of going myself as I am in NC. I mean I would instantly thinking it's a no fly zone because its state owned either way. Best advice I can offer and im not expert. Maybe you can reach out to the administion and ask to fly maybe after hours or at som other not busy time. If they give permission your good. But make sure you document that. If you get approval for sure. As far as im concerned as long as your not taking off from state property and you keep it in vlos. You can fly it anyway. I wouldn't fly under any treelines as thats when you start dealing with privacy laws etc. But if there is a homeowner or a business that is nearby you can always ask for permission to fly from their land. I would just check for any notams or anything else. Good luck and if you ever wanted to fly or needed any help id love to go!
 
you can fly over state property. Just cant take off or land from state property. Also cannot descend on state property. Thats means if your caught like below the treeline or the highest point (tower or building) descending thats when you can get on trouble. So if you're cruising above the trees your ok. At least this is my knowledge and understanding of it. And its how I have been flying.
 
I'm in the beautiful, mountainous area of North Carolina and of course would like to capture some nice footage. I can't seem to get clear info on flying around here. Specifically in Pisgah National Forest where sliding rock is. I know about national parks but this is a national Forest. I know about not disturbing any wild life. I'm just hesitant to take off and figured I'd ask here. Thanks!


I'm local to this area (Haywood County) and I'm the FAA Safety Team Representative for this area (Charlotte NC Region).

This is from the USDA's website directly:

What is the U.S. Forest Service stance or regulations regarding hobbyist drones? Where is it OK to fly them? Where not? Why?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has regulatory authority over ALL airspace, including recreational use of airspace by model aircraft, which is covered by FAA Advisory Circular 91-57. The U.S. Forest Service does not have the authority to establish any additional regulations regarding where a UAS can or can’t be flown. However, recreational UAS must abide by Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) in place by the FAA over disasters such as wildfires. The FAA also has an advisory (AIM Section 4, 7-4-6) with suggested limitations for flight over Wilderness areas. Unmanned Aircraft must abide with specifications identified through the FAA's Certificate of Authorization process which includes no flight over populated areas.


Keep in mind there may be other restrictions in play (TFR, Wilderness Areas etc) so you'll need to know exactly where you're flying and always follow hobby/Part 10 regulations regardless where you're flying.

Just a heads up.... Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock are areas where we find a LOT of lost/crashed UAS. Be smart and SAFE.

If you have any questions feel free to give me a shout.

Allen
 
I'm local to this area (Haywood County) and I'm the FAA Safety Team Representative for this area (Charlotte NC Region).

This is from the USDA's website directly:



Keep in mind there may be other restrictions in play (TFR, Wilderness Areas etc) so you'll need to know exactly where you're flying and always follow hobby/Part 10 regulations regardless where you're flying.

Just a heads up.... Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock are areas where we find a LOT of lost/crashed UAS. Be smart and SAFE.

If you have any questions feel free to give me a shout.

Allen


Thanks so much!!
 
I've been there. It's private property administered by the state. Not really national forest. I see no restrictions, so use maximum caution and safety.
 
I've been there. It's private property administered by the state. Not really national forest. I see no restrictions, so use maximum caution and safety.


Huh? I think you might be confusing Pisgah Forest with the Pisgah National Forest. While there may be some "private" land within the PNF ( I have no idea tbh) the vast majority is wilderness land very much removed from privately owned property. Within the PNF is (but a few):
The Pisgah Ranger Districts
The Grandfather Ranger Districts
The Appalachian Ranger Districts

Cradle of Forestry
Shining Rock Wilderness Area
Linville Gorge Wilderness Area


It's administered by US Forest Service (part of USDA) and locally managed by North Carolina Forest Service. I don't see any mention of "Privately owned land" but I'm sure it's possible but not the majority. Most everything I can find states it is land purchased by the Federal Govt to create Wilderness Areas to preserve it's natural state back in the early 1900's.
 
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Big Al, I was mistaken. When I visited my family in western North Carolina, we visited the Pisgah, and the Dupont Forest near Brevard. I confused the two.
 
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Big Al, I was mistaken. When I visited my family in western North Carolina, we visited the Pisgah, and the Dupont Forest near Brevard. I confused the two.


No worries it's all good.

That's some BEAUTIFUL area. Did you hike to the falls while at Dupont?
 
Up until about (3) years ago there was an amazing campground very close to Dupont called Cascade Lake. Our family went there every summer (sometimes several times) camping and we'd always end up at the falls a few times. I used to fly an R/C Floatplane off the lake (actually just a very large pond) and had a blast. They converted it over to a Conservancy and closed the campground so I only get out there 1x a year when we have a national Search & Rescue training event there in the fall.

BEAUTIFUL area :)
 
Good morning Allen. We are going to be staying in Arden, NC next week. The weather looks great. Could you recommend some areas where I could fly for some good photography shots? I have my 107 and this thread seems to recommend the Pisgah National Forrest. This is actually what I saw when looking at the map. Thank you.
Brian Wellman
 

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