FYI, the Texas State Parks do not, as a rull, allow flying of any drones. It is left up to the individual park managers to decide if you can fly a drone in the park. Last year I was allowed to fly my P4 in and around the Battleship Texas and the San Jacinto Monument. This year I was wanting to fly the P4 in Balmorhea State Park and the park manager declined my request. Go figure. Balmorhea is in the middle of nowhere west Texas and a couple of roads go right by it, so I'll be taking the P4 outside the boundaries of the park and just do a flyover a couple of times.
Drones in State Parks (illegal? yes or no)
- Thread starter mikeisi
- Start date
Based on my conversation with the National Park Service I would agree with what SteveMann stated. It's the take-off and landing that the NPS would not permit. The main concern seems to be disturbing the visitors. That said - I have noticed that there are some "private" areas within some national parks so you could take off from there.
I think the restrictions are more because they don't want a ton of people standing around flying drones around the park. Plus the noise would probably become a factor and you would have all the improper drone pilots there as well.
As for National Parks if you look at sectional aviation charts some National Parks have a blue line with dots that follow the line. This just means they recommend that aircraft stay at 2000 AGL. It does not mean you can't fly less then that, they just discourage it out of respect. Of course you can't legally go to 2000 AGL with a drone without approval but if you have a small drone I would think that 400 AGL would be as quiet if not more so then a plane or helicopter at 2000 AGL.
I would highly recommend doing the Drone Pilot Ground School & Test Prep Course from King Schools. Even if you don't take the test you will learn a ton. They go over all this stuff and more. I have my private pilot and IFR so many of the aviation rules I already know but it was still a great course. It's $99 but worth it.
As for National Parks if you look at sectional aviation charts some National Parks have a blue line with dots that follow the line. This just means they recommend that aircraft stay at 2000 AGL. It does not mean you can't fly less then that, they just discourage it out of respect. Of course you can't legally go to 2000 AGL with a drone without approval but if you have a small drone I would think that 400 AGL would be as quiet if not more so then a plane or helicopter at 2000 AGL.
I would highly recommend doing the Drone Pilot Ground School & Test Prep Course from King Schools. Even if you don't take the test you will learn a ton. They go over all this stuff and more. I have my private pilot and IFR so many of the aviation rules I already know but it was still a great course. It's $99 but worth it.
I just flew the Battleship and San Jacinto Monument yesterday. They have a form they ask you to fill out and explain what is off limits around these two monuments. No flying over either one. No flying over the birth of the ship (water) and no flying past the circle drive around the monument. In our conversation they said in the past many drones have crashed into these monuments. One case where a guy came in the SJ monument asking if someone could go up and retrieve his drone that crashed. In another case, a "very large" drone fell from 100' onto the deck of the battleship. No visitors were there but workers were. It was these incidents that caused to park to add the limits. I understand it but certainly wished I could go over them!
They also require you to not fly over 400'. Problem is...the SJ monument is 560 feet tall!
Geo
If the monument is 560' technically you can fly at 960' ie 400' above the structure but you cannot fly at 960' in that area because class E airspace starts at 700' AGL. There are no airports that I see within 5 miles. Again you have to look at current aeronautical charts. You can download these on the FAA site. However if you don't have any aviation training it is very difficult to read them. Currently that area is not a restricted zone so if you are not taking off from the park and you are in a place that you are allow to land and take off there is nothing they can do except not be happy. If there are accidents they must be filed with the FAA and NTSB within 48 hours by the PIC (Pilot in Command). You also have to report if an injury occurs that is beyond minor. It is the responsibility of the PIC to maintain their Drone and fly responsibility. I'm sure if there are enough incidents they will make it restricted. It's sad because incidents like these will destroy any future for drones. There is no reason to fly directly over that structure. It is the responsible thing to do. Also note that the B4UFly app is not aways accurate. I've been to area where airports have been closed for years but it still shows you have to be 5 miles out or contact the airport. I can't recommend enough to take the Drone course. Actually I think everyone should have to take the course to legally fly a drone that can fly certain heights and distance.
...but of course I would always respect their wishes and follow their process because it's the right thing to do.
Good info. I was just curious. It was a great day being out in the park with such great weather. The videos look great as well. You know when I watch the videos I see my mistakes but in reality, I've gotten much better. My early videos confirm that!
Geo
Geo
Drones ARE allowed in ALL state parks, park rangers can say please don't fly the drone here but are not legally allowed to force you to land the drone, no State, County, or City body is allowed make rules regulating national airspace, only the federal government or FAA is allowed to make those decisions. Unless the state park is near an airport or you are flying directly over people you are allowed to fly in a state parkI film a ton in Tennessee State Parks (mostly of waterfalls and overlooks). I had someone leave me a comment on one of my videos of Burgess Falls telling me they're illegal in state parks. Here is a short conversation. What do yall think? (If you want to see my vids, check out youtube.com/mikeisi)
"Allen Fenoseff 3 days ago
Just a reminder that the use of drones on state parks is illegal
mikeisi 3 days ago
+Allen Fenoseff I don't believe it currently is. I've not (as of yet) seen anything officially documenting it is illegal in Tennessee 'state' parks. There is a national ban on them within National Parks however.
Allen Fenoseff 3 days ago
+mikeisi Drones fall under the same policy as aircraft and are prohibited on all Tennessee State Parks according to the Director of State Parks in Tennessee. The policy has filtered down to staff and we inform the public when we see drones. I manage Dunbar Cave State Natural Area and Port Royal State Historic Area in Clarksville Tn. Just giving you a heads up. We , park rangers, would much rather inform people of the rules so they can have a better time on the parks instead of having to haul equipment in and then haul it out and waste your time. I hope this was helpful and saves you time and money. Thanks for visiting our parks. P.S. loved the footage, awesome."
That's not true. State parks can regulate what you do on their land. They can easily state at the entrance, no drone flying from within the state park. They cannot regulate you flying over a state park if you are launching and retrieving outside the state park. Same goes for National Parks.
N017RW
Premium Pilot
Now that you have been informed on the difference between flying over and flying from state park lands, Please cite your source which says otherwise.
First off, WELCOME to the forum @Droneyboi
That's a very bold statement you've made. Now we need to back up a pinch and take a look at what the regulations really DO allow and restrict and define Air vs Land use.
As noted above (very accurately) any owner/managing body CAN dictate what you do when on their land. No different than you telling someone "You can NOT stand on (fly from) my property". It's called Lands Use Restrictions and perfectly legal.
What is NOT legal is you standing on your property and telling someone, who is NOT on your property "Hey you can't fly your drone/airplane/helicopter/Space Shuttle over my land." That's the FAA's domain and ONLY the FAA's domain.
Of course with almost any rule there could be exceptions (state and local entities are allowed to designate "Sensitive Infrastructure" for things like Power Plants, Dams, Jail/Correction Facilities etc etc. and we are restricted from flying over/near Sensitive Infrastructure by the FAA) and this is no different. There are very few absolutes in this industry and I wouldn't try and make such a broad statement without some deeper research and credible sources combined with an true understanding of the difference between Air & Land use restrictions.
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