Haven't even received my Mavic Pro yet (due today), am a complete newbie, and like I should be I am reading and trying to learn as much as I can.  ONE thing I am learning is I live in  a state which has some of the strictist UAV laws in the nation..Texas.  WOW.  Has anyone on this forum flown in Texas, had any issues, said the hell with it and rather than risk arrest any time you walk out the door with your drone ya just sold the damn thing?!?!  I am truly, completely, and utterly disappointed at this point and I haven't even flown 10 feet.  I am 62, a medical professional, I am a rule follower, and I have purchased this thing to have some fun while traveling, take pics of grandkids, and hopefully if I ever get to retire I HAD hoped I would be able to photograph some of the national parks I plan to revisit...(of course some dumb "A" from overseas who flew his drone into a gyser (sp?) ruined that for the rest of us)...but OMG...how have y'all kept your enthusiasm, and spark going??...this is ridiculous.....even more ridiculous in Texas....looking forward to hearing from my fellow Texans!....thanks.

Hi, sorry to know that, hopefully, someone can provide the best advice regarding with that policy in Texas and gave you best recommendation to this scenario. Anyways, thanks for the information.

Hello,
I'm from Texas and I'm really not sure what you're referring to as far as the drone laws are concerned. I have flown all over Houston, San Antonio and the valley and never had an issue. If it's National Parks you're talking about, that's federal law, not Texas. Please explain what laws you are referring to.

They don't seem that restrictive, with the exception of allowing private property owners to shoot your drone down. You would have to be stationary for long enough to allow Billy Bob to get to his shotgun and line you up!

http://statedronelaw.com/state/Texas/

EastyT Posted at 2018-7-19 12:35
Hello,
I'm from Texas and I'm really not sure what you're referring to as far as the drone laws are concerned. I have flown all over Houston, San Antonio and the valley and never had an issue. If it's National Parks you're talking about, that's federal law, not Texas. Please explain what laws you are referring to.

Well bit of a rant on my part, sorry 'bout that.  Here is link to Texas drone law...look at #15 what is your interpretation of that regulation? https://jrupprechtlaw.com/texas-drone-laws  Most of the laws pertain to privacy protection which I understand and would never infringe upon.  Having said that the laws state permission is required to photograph private residence,  people on their property, etc..  I have no desire to photograph any of these things directly, but of course it very well could inadvertently happen...Flying along taking a shot of the beach, during the shot you get some ladies sunning themselves, a shot of someone sitting on the porch of their condo, and on and on...while this is, in my mind, is not an invasion of ones personal privacy I could see someone making a case out of an innocent shot like that if they wanted to just raise a stink.  As far as the national parks that was just a tangent rant I tossed in!!...thanks for the reply

ghostrdr Posted at 2018-7-19 12:36
They don't seem that restrictive, with the exception of allowing private property owners to shoot your drone down. You would have to be stationary for long enough to allow Billy Bob to get to his shotgun and line you up!

http://statedronelaw.com/state/Texas/

have to be stationary for long enough to allow Billy Bob to get to his shotgun

In Texas, Billy Bob carries his shotgun with him.  

10-Round 12-Gauge also available in pink for Billie Jeans...

hiviz1955 Posted at 2018-7-19 12:56
Well bit of a rant on my part, sorry 'bout that.  Here is link to Texas drone law...look at #15 what is your interpretation of that regulation? https://jrupprechtlaw.com/texas-drone-laws  Most of the laws pertain to privacy protection which I understand and would never infringe upon.  Having said that the laws state permission is required to photograph private residence,  people on their property, etc..  I have no desire to photograph any of these things directly, but of course it very well could inadvertently happen...Flying along taking a shot of the beach, during the shot you get some ladies sunning themselves, a shot of someone sitting on the porch of their condo, and on and on...while this is, in my mind, is not an invasion of ones personal privacy I could see someone making a case out of an innocent shot like that if they wanted to just raise a stink.  As far as the national parks that was just a tangent rant I tossed in!!...thanks for the reply

Lead in to various numbers listed including #15 {(15)  of public real property or a person on that property;}

Sec. 423.002.  NONAPPLICABILITY.  (a)  It is lawful to capture an image using an unmanned aircraft in this state:

hiviz1955 Posted at 2018-7-19 12:56
Well bit of a rant on my part, sorry 'bout that.  Here is link to Texas drone law...look at #15 what is your interpretation of that regulation? https://jrupprechtlaw.com/texas-drone-laws  Most of the laws pertain to privacy protection which I understand and would never infringe upon.  Having said that the laws state permission is required to photograph private residence,  people on their property, etc..  I have no desire to photograph any of these things directly, but of course it very well could inadvertently happen...Flying along taking a shot of the beach, during the shot you get some ladies sunning themselves, a shot of someone sitting on the porch of their condo, and on and on...while this is, in my mind, is not an invasion of ones personal privacy I could see someone making a case out of an innocent shot like that if they wanted to just raise a stink.  As far as the national parks that was just a tangent rant I tossed in!!...thanks for the reply

I looked at your link and I had to stop reading or my head was going to explode. That document is a good example of a read and ignore memo. I feel sorry for someone that likes to follow the rules trying to interpret that pile of drivel. Just get out there and have fun.

hiviz1955 Posted at 2018-7-19 12:56
Well bit of a rant on my part, sorry 'bout that.  Here is link to Texas drone law...look at #15 what is your interpretation of that regulation? https://jrupprechtlaw.com/texas-drone-laws  Most of the laws pertain to privacy protection which I understand and would never infringe upon.  Having said that the laws state permission is required to photograph private residence,  people on their property, etc..  I have no desire to photograph any of these things directly, but of course it very well could inadvertently happen...Flying along taking a shot of the beach, during the shot you get some ladies sunning themselves, a shot of someone sitting on the porch of their condo, and on and on...while this is, in my mind, is not an invasion of ones personal privacy I could see someone making a case out of an innocent shot like that if they wanted to just raise a stink.  As far as the national parks that was just a tangent rant I tossed in!!...thanks for the reply

You ain't got ya one of them zoooooom lens on that thing now do ya?   Didn't think so.   You should be good to go as long as you are not hovering over someone backyard swimming pool.

So, I'm not from Texas but as far as privacy laws go, If you are in a public place where it's known to be public, park, beach and so on, there is no expectation of privacy.  Just use some common sense when it comes to that.  I think a lot of people get a little extra paranoid when they shouldn't.  Like mentioned before, don't linger/hover over peoples houses and you should be good.

Hello and welcome and congrats. I'm the same age as you, i have 2 Mavic Pros, i am a FAA part 107 certified Pilot.
It helps if you have had experience with electronics and flashing firmware as they come out from time to time (maybe not so much the Mavic Pro as it is getting old). These drones are very fragile.
If you are a rule follower then be sure to follow all the FAA, state and local laws/rules (are your God) AND all the info in the manual (is your bible) and you should be good to go. You know what i mean. Have fun and fly safe!

Thanks for the link, legal speak overload!!  I have been wondering about the drone laws around here.  I was in North Dallas and went to one of the huge lots with houses being built on them.  I found a corner where no one lived yet and there was lots of open spaces.  A Police car pulled up minutes after I stopped there and had not even gotten out of my car yet.  I was checking KittyHawk to make sure it thought I was in a safe place to fly.  I told the cop why I was there (got a new drone and wanted to practice flying) and he said that was ok then drove off.  I have seen city parks with rules posted on signs next to the entrance forbidding remote control vehicles including air craft so I have chosen not to test that and have not flown there.  Sad because some of the parks have some great scenery and are often empty when I get there.

When I have been some places where people are walking by, one couple was on the sidewalk away from me and looked like they were on a cell phone but keeping an eye on me.  Paranoia made me think they were calling the cops and giving a description.  Another time a car drove past me and stopped in the middle of the road for about 4 minutes.  The drone was at 200 feet watching a storm roll in so the people in the car could not see it.  Had me wondering what they were up to.  I am getting the assumption that people just assume the reason the drone is there is to spy on them which is limiting the locations I can go to fly.  I could care less what anyone is doing and once we are past 100 feet, there wont be any identifying people in the video.  When I go into parks and nature trails with my DSLR camera and big 300mm lens, I don't get as many dirty looks as I think I am getting with the drone.
Very annoying.

I'm not a lawyer but my understanding is that only the FAA has jurisdiction over the airspace above the US.  When parks say you can't fly drones there (except maybe national parks), all they really can enforce is that you don't land or takeoff from the park.  They don't control the airspace over it and thus if you takeoff and land from outside the park, you can fly over it legally.

Again, this is just my interpretation of the confusing drone regulations in our country.

BKahuna Posted at 6-24 09:11
I'm not a lawyer but my understanding is that only the FAA has jurisdiction over the airspace above the US.  When parks say you can't fly drones there (except maybe national parks), all they really can enforce is that you don't land or takeoff from the park.  They don't control the airspace over it and thus if you takeoff and land from outside the park, you can fly over it legally.

Again, this is just my interpretation of the confusing drone regulations in our country.

This is just about my interpretation on airspace jurisdiction.

i live in Texas.  A lot of the laws posted above are *discussions* about laws.  It's not legal to shoot a drone out of the sky in Texas.  Just sayin'.

The only real Texas law you have to worry about regards the photography of private property.  It is illegal to take pictures of humans in their fenced back yard using a drone.  It has to be a fence/wall that affords privacy.  The beauty of the law is this: If you find that you have inadvertently taken an illegal picture and delete it, then you are no longer guilty.  I'm not saying that "It's only illegal if you get caught" or anything like that.  That's literally the way the law is written.  Just delete the photo and no biggie.

So yeah, basically, it's not really much of a thing.