Cobra_Commander
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I'm in Woodbridge Township. I'm researching before I buy - most likely a Mavic Pro sometime in March. The "where to fly" topic is a hot mess. As of this posting there are no posted local drone regulations (bans) on the shore points that I would like to fly / record at. A majority are in Monmouth County and include (from north to south):
Keansburg, Long Branch, Asbury Park, and Belmar
Ocean County is a different story - and I (would like) / (would've liked) to fly un-hassled at Point Pleasant and/or Seaside Heights, BUT...
According to posted literature from the Ocean County Parks and Recreation Dept. (pg 23/38 - search term "drones"), you are only allowed to fly in "designated areas of parks property, and by Special Use Permit only". What/Where those are, are not listed nor do I care enough to find out. The closest I could come up with is a RC plane flight field maintained by Ocean County Modelers - a private RC plane club. More on these clubs in a bit.
There may be ~limited~ hope for Seaside according to this artile, where they plan to vote on limited number of allowable drones per day during the summer months - with an accompanying fee. Other parts of Ocean County such as Long Beach Township (LBI) have installed a flat out ban.
Upon reading the FAAs rules on sUAS, and the various literature on various county, township, city/borough town or campuses, regulating drone flight, I am noticing that the only places to fly "hassle free" are at RC flight fields. BUT....
these fields are not all universally public - for some, you'll need to be a member of an RC club to fly at them and a portion of your yearly dues would go to the upkeep costs of the field. Most clubs require you to abide by FAA regulations - which would mean registering your drone with the FAA online ($5). Most would also require you to be a member of the Academy of American Aeronautics (AMA) with at least a Park Pilot Program level membership ($38) for insurance purposes. The flight fields that ARE public have usually been setup by the county or the municipality - that's why I'm a bit curious to see if Ocean County has set something up and not relying on a private club. Side note - it's important (and also your own responsibility) to know what type of park you intend to fly at; whether it be federal, state, county or municipal - so you can inquire at the appropriate governing branch if you are allowed to fly there. And, of course, you'll most likely need to apply for a special permit for a small fee. PRO TIP - There is a drone ban on all Federal Parks and all NJ State Parks.
@ Lacy 1:
As of this posting, I have not yet reached out to local municipality Parks & Recreation Depts. where I intend to fly - but have gathered contact information:
Woodbridge
Edison
Carteret
I intend to contact them and inquire if there are any local ordinances that apply to drone regulation in effect or have been proposed / up for vote .
I have contacted the head of Parks and Recreation for Middlesex county, but I'm hesitant to post my findings here - if only for selfish reasons.
Interesting to note - Alvin P. Williams Park (where Woodbridge holds it's annual 4th of July fireworks) is within Linden Airport's aerodrome (5 mile radius around the airport). That means, that if there are no town restrictions, by FAA drone regulations you would still need to contact Linden Airport and notify them of your intent to fly. They can advise, approve or disapprove, but they cannot prohibit you r flight - which means you can leave a message on their answering machine with the relevant information if you can't reach a live person. Relevant information would be your FAA #, you intended flight location, time of intended flight, expected altitude of your flight, and your contact information. It's also a good idea to give them at least a 3 hour notice if you get an answering machine to give them time to contact you back if they do have an advisory for the area. Of course if they disapprove, you choose to fly anyway, and an areal accident occurs in the vicinity (even though you may not have been directly involved), you bet DOT and FAA will be knocking on your door.
Speaking of FAA regulation in regards to Woodbridge Township, you'll have to ground your dreams of flying / capturing any outdoor town events as FAA forbids flying over large groups of people. So... no St. Patrick's Day or Christmas parades, no Mayor's summer concert series or any of the gatherings / car shows they have on Main St.
I hate to be the guy that rains on anyone's dreams of endless open sky for your flying robot, but I for one am not deterred by these regulations - at the moment the challenge of finding places to fly is almost as alluring as the promise to see just what's up there.
WOW that sounds super cornball - but it's the truth. |
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