Being new to this (P2V for xmas) Ive been reading a bunch on these forums and watching a bunch of videos from fellow pilots.  I'm curious, where is it ok to fly and not ok?  i dont mean technically or 'by law', but more of a practical question.  if i launch from someones house, it is pretty straight forward.  however, where besides my house or a friends can/should i really consider launching?  see aspects of this below:

1. i see lots of beach videos, assume it is legal to launch from a public beach?
2. i see lots of videos around parks, the sports field where my daughter plays soccer (has 5 soccer fields and 4 baseball fields) has a sign up that clearly says 'no RC craft'.  we still flew there because it was a friday at 3pm (in the winter) and literally NOBODY there.  i get how they dont want RC craft flying around when there are 10 ball games going on (irritant, injury, etc) which is why i assume it is called out on the sign along with tons of other things.  But do you guys ever have issues flying at places where other people are at?

ive seen lots of posts about 'check your local laws/rules' but im guessing that pretty much EVERYWHERE anymore is so risk averse and litigation laden that i just dont see anyone or any place ever 'agreeing' to let me fly it if i actually ask.

so i was curious if any of you have found good locations or good tactics to be able to fly without causing problems.  

fyi, im in the US (Charlotte,NC) and i know many posters are international (EU, Asia, Canada, etc) which may be why im seeing shots of things that would look 'off limits' for me to do here.

i guess i didnt think this through when purchasing.  here i was thinking, im going to go film at national landmarks and fun vacation places that i go with my family but now that im thinking about it, im worried that 99% of the place i WANT to fly, im probably not going to be ABLE to fly.  

thoughts?  

For starters, check out the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) and a club in your area.

http://www.modelaircraft.org/

http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx

We have lots of parks and so-called "conservation land" around here - it's owned by the town and state but still farmed or otherwise used...

I fly there as well as local parks and even on my street. Town parks are usually OK, state and federal parks less so. Most beaches should be somewhat OK - but I wait until the times of day when less people are there (evening or early morning). Above relatively rural streets with open fields around them can also be OK. It all depends on how quick you want to be!

We have a nice park in Rhode Island which is town owned and has a mansion which is used for weddings and parties. That's a grand type of place to fly - see it later in this video (all Rhode Island).
http://vimeo.com/99962391

Seeing video from a craft flying somewhere definitely does not mean that it was legal, proper, or a good idea.

National Parks are no fly zones.  All you have to do is ask yourself when you fly, "am I really going to piss people off by ruining somebody else's experience in an area I am flying?  And if I lose control of my drone, can people get hurt?"

yes, as i mentioned in my original post, i get all the COMMON SENSE things about it (dont piss a bunch of people off, dont fly where people are likely to get hurt by a flyaway, etc).  i meant like if i go to a park (say local city/county park) at a time of day where it isnt crowded or highly used, were you guys flying in places like that on any sort of regular basis and not having police or other folks run you off.  i will say i am a VERY respectful person in public so i wouldnt be doing things that make people want to throw me out but didnt know if people often were getting told to leave just because it is considered an 'rc craft'.

i also now realize after reading this forum that places like national parks (or state parks) are going to be a no, which is disappointing but understandable.  

but it seems like there are already extremely limited places to do it and that will probably continue to shrink as drones proliferate and idiots do stupid things with them ruining it for the rest of us.  so then i was sort of bummed out that flying over and over again 'in my neighborhood' while fun, isnt really the experience i was hoping for.

thanks for all teh feedback guys, i really do appreciate the folks on these forums.  i checked into the model aircraft org and have already found 2 places near me that i can contact and such.  that is defn somethign i wouldnt have found out without posters here so thanks guys.

gnixon@comporiu Posted at 2015-1-6 13:38
yes, as i mentioned in my original post, i get all the COMMON SENSE things about it (dont piss a bun ...

Hey Gnixon,

Im in CLT as well and just bought a P3S. Did you find more parks/places to fly? I'm lucky that my wife owns a horse and she boards him at a barn in Indian Land where I'm allowed to fly but I was wondering if you have found places around Charlotte that allow drones. thanks

miggy03 Posted at 2016-2-19 18:41
Hey Gnixon,

Im in CLT as well and just bought a P3S. Did you find more parks/places to fly? I'm lucky that my wife owns a horse and she boards him at a barn in Indian Land where I'm allowed to fly but I was wondering if you have found places around Charlotte that allow drones. thanks

I am also in Indian Land, newbie M2P pilot, and looking for places (safe and legal) to fly. Have you looked at the old Knights Stadium? There is a CLT group of drone pilots who fly there on Saturdays. They are incredily nice and helpful. Any other places you know of, please share.

miggy03 Posted at 2016-2-19 18:41
Hey Gnixon,

Im in CLT as well and just bought a P3S. Did you find more parks/places to fly? I'm lucky that my wife owns a horse and she boards him at a barn in Indian Land where I'm allowed to fly but I was wondering if you have found places around Charlotte that allow drones. thanks

Which horse barn?

This thread is over four years old.

Be very careful flying from/in/near/over an indian reservation.  I know a guy who got fined five figures USD for it, because they have their own laws and once they get you, there's very little you can do other than pay the fine.  

Litchi used to have a map where you could see where others have made missions, so that might give you some ideas.  Not sure if that map still exists.

Also, the old flytrex site still shows places where people have flown, so those are more potential spots.  Just zoom in to your current location and look for the red dots for some ideas.

http://x.flytrex.com/globe/

Obviously you want to be sure your flight is legal.

www.airmap.com

Good luck