National Parks Rules

[Surf Island]

Anyone know what the policy is for national park system on flying drones within?
As the White House in Wash. D.c. is technically inside a NP, will my drone get shot down if I fly over the house?

If your goal is to video the "president" or "first lady", then you are wasting your time. You need to fly over a golf course or other vacation spots where they are spending taxpayer money. Since you alrady own a Drone, you are on "the list", so tread carefully my friend. :lol:

 

[crschmidt]

I flew my FC40 in the Presidio (near the Golden Gate Bridge) in SF earlier today.

While flying, I wasn't bothered, but after I had run out of batteries, a ranger saw me walking back to my car with the copter, and he stopped to let me know that if I flew it in the park, he'd have to ask me to leave. He was polite about it, and let me know that I could fly inside the city of San Francisco, but not inside the park.

Other people in the SF area have reported that they also have been asked to leave other national parks when flying model aircraft.

 

[acall]

I don't understand why they have to be so strict about national parks. I mean these are huge expanses of land for our recreation that for the most part don't have large crowds of people that could potentially be in harm's way. It's just frustrating that there seem to be so few places that you're allowed to fly without getting heat from someone.

Also, in regards to the white house thing, it would be pretty cool to see the footage. If you live streamed the feed to the ground, and hid yourself somewhere well, you might even get away with it (doubtful you'd get the quad back though, you wouldn't want to fly it back to you as they'd just follow it if it hadn't already been shot down). But as cool as it would be, I would discourage anyone from doing it, because it would just add a tremendous amount of additional negativity to our hobby, which we can't afford.

 

[Hiway]

I have mixed emotions, and I am not the best person as I have a sort of luxury in that I live beside a Nat. Park.

On one hand, I enjoy the benefit of being able to "sneak" across the line and film fpv or los from my yard or my tailgate parked along the road... I am probably overly cautious and do not push the envelope and leave if people are in the vicinity... it is a big park and there are plenty of places to fly it by proximity.

On the other hand, and if this forum isn't a clear example I don't know what is (read all the selfish stunts posted by people) if 100 hobbyists all lived within a few miles of here and they flew Phantoms, I can be sure that a portion of them would begin doing selfish and foolish things that would then cause severe regulation instead of the looking the other way unless you are blatant about it mentality I enjoy now.

So, as always, the regulations were implemented only in recent months (last year I believe) in order to have the foundation to be able to effectively deal with the dumb-dumbs before they become an issue and cause an injury to person or property.

I also know that Park Services and administrations will work with pros to do documentary and similar projects- but as with anything there is a process and committee thing (who was it that said a committee was a situation where each individual comes with a vibrant color and together they all manage to make grey?) and proof of this is a film done not too long ago using aerial uav's at Gettysburg. Very nicely done. Same kinds of craft we fly more or less. Pro grade though.

I would hate for my freedom to be checked- but I know it is only a matter of time before I am... somebody in this hobby will notice what I am doing, or come to the same decision (local hobby store 15 miles from here has sold at least 5 to 8 Phantoms) and then proceed to go out and do something stupid... and then the hammer will fall. I know my door will be the first knocked on if a Phantom is found with no one claiming it also in the event of the worst case- because I took the time to introduce myself and let the ranger station know where to find me when I went last year to ask permission (instead of begging forgiveness for a change)

So this year I am going to be even more low profile or gracious, or charming in order to solidify my "unwritten liberties" to buffer my work- I do not need the bureaucracy for my little non profit personal venture... it would make it not worth doing. I would hope that the price point would have kept most of the really poor decision makers out of the hobby... but having money and having common sense are not mutually exclusive.