How To Legally Fly a Drone in a National Park? (YDQA Ep 50)

Thanks for the heads up. Every superintendent is going to wonder why their phone is ringing off the hook this weekend. But this is good stuff to know. Appreciate your research on this.

There's an over abundance of rules on flying drones. I have a mini 3 pro and really that is all you need. The worst that could happen is it could fall on someone. It is light and small. This country needs to lighten up on all the rules and regulations. I'm thinking about buying and training a falcon and just fitting it with a small camera. No regulations for that, just a bird flying around, are they going to ban birds?

Thanks for the info. I do believe you can fly in a National Forest, within some boundaries like not near a road etc.

In the PNW there is also a 25$ permit fee that is non refundable

Then there's the FAA that is obviously restricting drone video on YouTube unless one pays the FAA shakedown for the two hour test just to post ones road trip or vacation video on YouTube or ones own website, being that if YouTube were to monetize the video, and the FAA sees it, then that could be a problem. I'm thinking this must be quite a profitable operation for the FAA!

OK, So then where can a vacationer novice actually enjoy flying a drone and get great footage in the USA? Not only is DJI as a whole on the chopping block, but flying a drone (Even with a Part 107 certificate) is becoming severely and exponentially increased seemingly on a monthly basis.

Drones do no harm other than loud motorcycles, gas-guzzling RV's and tour buses, hunters, fishermen, etc. National Parks are for citizens who naturally want to do harmless photography, and a drone is just a camera with a different perspective. We must fight back against the ignorant, prejudiced drone haters who advocate banning drones because it is no skin off their backs.

Or you can just launch from the edge of the parks border and fly over the park property and come back and land at the place you launched from off their property but on their border

Or you take off and land out side the perimeter of the park.

My first query is why? I have some footage from drone flights and have even been approved to fly between the airport and freeway. By phone. What are federal parks hiding??? As a rec pilot I don't know my destination down to. Small area. It is what I see when I get there

No drones over grand canyon?

Fun, and only distantly related fact: It's even illegal to fly a kite in some national parks. You can't play a kite anywhere in Grand Canyon National Park, for example. My little grand niece is a potential desperado if she ever tries to fly her beloved Unicorn Kite in the wrong place.

Can't fly a drone but can rock through a national park with an ear blasting motorcycle. Stupid arbitrary rules meant to control and gatekeep.

All NPS superintendents will tell you NO if you are simply a recreational pilot asking to simply take pretty pictures. I've been flying multirotors since before 2010 and have flown at many NPs before the universal ban was put into place. Now, they are constantly catching people with drones in the parks and every time that happens, they harden their resistance to our recreational flying. It's the yahoos who don't care about the rules and just go for it that are keeping these bans in place.

Why is the rabble, trying to enjoy their UAV, in the National Parks THAT THEY PAY FOR, be of any less importance than some scientific endeavor, etc..? This is absurd. I flew in Yellowstone, after stopping by a ranger station and asking permission. They said, “Sure, just don’t fly directly over the geysers.” That was it. A crowd gathered around me while I was flying, and clapped when I landed. (Flying a giant homebuilt hexcopter.) It was a great time. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it. (Kids were watching the ground station monitor.) Again, this is all absurd.

Why go through all these hoops fly it like u stole it. I have personally seen people flying ( taking off and landing) within the park! Rangers didn't care ! Just like the FAA they don't have enough people.

I do love the amount of EV bicycles in National parks now. Like we forgot to peddle. Yet you know EV drones are the DEVIL 🤣 home of the free