I’ve seen conflicting information about whether it’s illegal to fly over a National Park in the U.S. if you’re launching, landing, and controlling the drone from outside the park boundaries. Can anyone confirm if it’s allowed, or am I misunderstanding the rules?
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Jony said:
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Interesting. So flying over the park, while controlling from outside, is allowed?
Jony said:
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Interesting. So flying over the park, while controlling from outside, is allowed?
Here’s what the NPS says: ‘The closures only apply to launching, landing, or operating drones from lands and waters inside the park. If you’re operating from outside non-federally owned lands, the closures don’t apply. Flying over the park is fine if you’re operating from outside.’
MaryJane said:
Jony said:
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Interesting. So flying over the park, while controlling from outside, is allowed?
Here’s what the NPS says: ‘The closures only apply to launching, landing, or operating drones from lands and waters inside the park. If you’re operating from outside non-federally owned lands, the closures don’t apply. Flying over the park is fine if you’re operating from outside.’
Just to clarify, while this is what the rules say, it doesn’t mean you should do it. As long as you’re being safe and not disturbing anyone or wildlife, you’re fine legally.
Johnstone said:
MaryJane said:
Jony said:
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Interesting. So flying over the park, while controlling from outside, is allowed?
Here’s what the NPS says: ‘The closures only apply to launching, landing, or operating drones from lands and waters inside the park. If you’re operating from outside non-federally owned lands, the closures don’t apply. Flying over the park is fine if you’re operating from outside.’
Just to clarify, while this is what the rules say, it doesn’t mean you should do it. As long as you’re being safe and not disturbing anyone or wildlife, you’re fine legally.
To be clear, I’m not planning on flying over any national parks. Just trying to understand the rules.
Johnstone said:
Johnstone said:
MaryJane said:
Jony said:
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Interesting. So flying over the park, while controlling from outside, is allowed?
Here’s what the NPS says: ‘The closures only apply to launching, landing, or operating drones from lands and waters inside the park. If you’re operating from outside non-federally owned lands, the closures don’t apply. Flying over the park is fine if you’re operating from outside.’
Just to clarify, while this is what the rules say, it doesn’t mean you should do it. As long as you’re being safe and not disturbing anyone or wildlife, you’re fine legally.
To be clear, I’m not planning on flying over any national parks. Just trying to understand the rules.
That’s not right. You can’t fly over a national park, period.
MaryJane said:
Johnstone said:
Johnstone said:
MaryJane said:
Jony said:
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Interesting. So flying over the park, while controlling from outside, is allowed?
Here’s what the NPS says: ‘The closures only apply to launching, landing, or operating drones from lands and waters inside the park. If you’re operating from outside non-federally owned lands, the closures don’t apply. Flying over the park is fine if you’re operating from outside.’
Just to clarify, while this is what the rules say, it doesn’t mean you should do it. As long as you’re being safe and not disturbing anyone or wildlife, you’re fine legally.
To be clear, I’m not planning on flying over any national parks. Just trying to understand the rules.
That’s not right. You can’t fly over a national park, period.
Airspace above national parks is controlled by the FAA. You can fly over the park as long as you don’t take off or land inside it.
Jamesfavor said:
MaryJane said:
Johnstone said:
Johnstone said:
MaryJane said:
Jony said:
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Interesting. So flying over the park, while controlling from outside, is allowed?
Here’s what the NPS says: ‘The closures only apply to launching, landing, or operating drones from lands and waters inside the park. If you’re operating from outside non-federally owned lands, the closures don’t apply. Flying over the park is fine if you’re operating from outside.’
Just to clarify, while this is what the rules say, it doesn’t mean you should do it. As long as you’re being safe and not disturbing anyone or wildlife, you’re fine legally.
To be clear, I’m not planning on flying over any national parks. Just trying to understand the rules.
That’s not right. You can’t fly over a national park, period.
Airspace above national parks is controlled by the FAA. You can fly over the park as long as you don’t take off or land inside it.
The FAA doesn’t allow drones to fly over national parks either. Since 2014, national parks have been designated no-fly zones for drones.
Zachary said:
Jamesfavor said:
MaryJane said:
Johnstone said:
Johnstone said:
MaryJane said:
Jony said:
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Interesting. So flying over the park, while controlling from outside, is allowed?
Here’s what the NPS says: ‘The closures only apply to launching, landing, or operating drones from lands and waters inside the park. If you’re operating from outside non-federally owned lands, the closures don’t apply. Flying over the park is fine if you’re operating from outside.’
Just to clarify, while this is what the rules say, it doesn’t mean you should do it. As long as you’re being safe and not disturbing anyone or wildlife, you’re fine legally.
To be clear, I’m not planning on flying over any national parks. Just trying to understand the rules.
That’s not right. You can’t fly over a national park, period.
Airspace above national parks is controlled by the FAA. You can fly over the park as long as you don’t take off or land inside it.
The FAA doesn’t allow drones to fly over national parks either. Since 2014, national parks have been designated no-fly zones for drones.
Actually, the FAA allows flights over national parks as long as the drone operator is outside the park. The FAA governs airspace, not the NPS.
Jony said:
According to the National Park Service (link): ‘The NPS has no authority outside park boundaries. The unmanned aircraft operator would have to get the landowner’s permission outside the park.’ But I would check the specific park’s website for more details. It can vary depending on the park.
Interesting. So flying over the park, while controlling from outside, is allowed?
No, it’s not allowed.
As long as you’re following FAA rules, it’s legal. The NPS can’t control the airspace over their parks, but they do control what happens on the ground. In practice, as long as you don’t cause problems, it’s unlikely to be an issue. Just don’t post videos of rule-breaking online, and you should be fine.
dillisonmicheal said:
As long as you’re following FAA rules, it’s legal. The NPS can’t control the airspace over their parks, but they do control what happens on the ground. In practice, as long as you don’t cause problems, it’s unlikely to be an issue. Just don’t post videos of rule-breaking online, and you should be fine.
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dillisonmicheal said:
As long as you’re following FAA rules, it’s legal. The NPS can’t control the airspace over their parks, but they do control what happens on the ground. In practice, as long as you don’t cause problems, it’s unlikely to be an issue. Just don’t post videos of rule-breaking online, and you should be fine.
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Some apps like B4UFLY include NPS rules in addition to FAA restrictions. To see just FAA regulations, you can use sectional charts or apps that don’t mark NPS areas as no-fly zones.
dillisonmicheal said:
As long as you’re following FAA rules, it’s legal. The NPS can’t control the airspace over their parks, but they do control what happens on the ground. In practice, as long as you don’t cause problems, it’s unlikely to be an issue. Just don’t post videos of rule-breaking online, and you should be fine.
Thanks for clearing that up!
Most national parks have boundaries far from areas you’d want to film. Even if you take off outside the park, it’s hard to use that loophole to fly in places like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Rangers can still cite you for things like disturbing wildlife. Even if you’re legally in the right, do you really want to deal with that?
ChristopherSmith said:
Most national parks have boundaries far from areas you’d want to film. Even if you take off outside the park, it’s hard to use that loophole to fly in places like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Rangers can still cite you for things like disturbing wildlife. Even if you’re legally in the right, do you really want to deal with that?
I understand. I’m not planning to fly over national parks, but I want to be clear on the laws.
ChristopherSmith said:
Most national parks have boundaries far from areas you’d want to film. Even if you take off outside the park, it’s hard to use that loophole to fly in places like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Rangers can still cite you for things like disturbing wildlife. Even if you’re legally in the right, do you really want to deal with that?
I understand. I’m not planning to fly over national parks, but I want to be clear on the laws.
You can legally take off and land from outside and fly over within line of sight. But if anything goes wrong, like crashing your drone, you could face serious fines.
ChristopherSmith said:
Most national parks have boundaries far from areas you’d want to film. Even if you take off outside the park, it’s hard to use that loophole to fly in places like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Rangers can still cite you for things like disturbing wildlife. Even if you’re legally in the right, do you really want to deal with that?
I understand. I’m not planning to fly over national parks, but I want to be clear on the laws.
No, you cannot fly over a national park, no matter where you take off from.
No, you can’t bypass the rule by taking off from outside the park. FAA guidelines suggest staying at least 2000 feet above sensitive areas, like national parks. Drones can’t legally fly that high, so they can’t fly over these areas.