EdisonW1979
![](https://forum44.djicdn.com/data/attachment/common/aa/common_14_usergroup_icon.png) Second Officer
Flight distance : 1535679 ft
Canada
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Hi rolling56,
Actually, flying from outside the park, whilst putting you outside the jurisdiction of the park rangers from confiscating your drone or slapping the operator with a fine, is still considered illegal:
https://www.nps.gov/articles/unmanned-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
To quote a passage from the NPS:
"Policy Memorandum 14-05, released by the National Park Service (NPS) director in June 2014, directed each superintendent to use the authority under 36 CFR 1.5 to prohibit the launching, landing, or operation of unmanned aircraft, subject to the certain conditions and exceptions set forth in the memo."
By this language, it defines that even if you launch your UAV outside park boundaries, you are still not permitted to allow the aircraft to enter said boundaries, unless without first obtaining a special use permit from the park superintendent prior to the flight.
Another passage from the site:
"Can I launch and land my unmanned aircraft outside the park boundary?
The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries; the unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the permission of the landowner."
This goes back to the previous statement that you can launch your UAV outside park boundaries, so long as you have permission from the land owner, however it does not negate the official no-fly-zone regulation for the park.
We have similar regulations up in Canada, where our National Parks are total no-fly-zones for UAV's, and even launching the drone from outside the boundary does not permit the operator to violate the no-fly-zone.
Whilst the footage is beautiful, I categorically cannot condone UAV operations like this. This has been a known law for years in the US and Canada, with no-fly-zone signage posted EVERYWHERE; a friend of mine was recently at Grand Canyon and even sent me a bunch of pics showing all the signage posted.
I know many of us often fly beyond VLOS, or bend the rules a little in order to get that great shot (of which I am guilty of as well), to the criticism of the "drone police" around here, which is not what I am trying to be, but a no-fly-zone is a NO-FLY-ZONE, period! No and's, if's, or but's about it! People who do this give ALL UAV operators a bad rep, and right now the public is already tainted against drones due to all the recent bad press (justified or not) the community has received, and this just adds fuel to the anti-drone fire. |
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