Encounter with a National Park Ranger,,,or the stupid B4 UFly app.

[Jimmykjimmy]

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park is along the western coast of Michigan, high up in the northwest part of the state. It has a guard post for entry fees and is an 8-10 mile loop. Since this is a designated national park I know as a FAA UAS pilot I cannot go into the park and fly.
Surrounding the park, but on country roads, used by everyone are old farmhouses that are part of the Port Oneida Historic District. They resemble abandoned farm houses, and are about 10 miles from the national park. Big old fields with farmhouses. I've been doing aerial photography in this area for about 5 months. Last night a park ranger drove up to my car and said that drone photography wasn't allowed, that the national parks had justification over the area, many many acres from the park.

I said I was surprised since I wasn't in the national park proper, and had not received a warning on my B4UFly app, that was released by the FAA. I knew that the interior of the park, 10 miles away was off limits. He gave me a warning and let me go.

So I decided to revisit the app. I had reviewed it many times before and would never fly in a national park. But this was different. Not only was Sleeping Bear not on the list of National Parks list on the app,there weren't any NFZ's surrounding the area. Go to Grand Canyon or any other other National Park and it shows the NFZ for drones.

Okay, I assume this is some type of oversight, but this is a park that is well visited ( although not the old farm houses). And of course, the ranger didn't care about the app being wrong he was just there to enforce the national park rules. If I would've gotten a citation I would've fought it.

Downstroke, if the FAA is serious about drones, airspace etc they need to stay on top of their game. But I don't think they are serious.

 

[AeroMirage]

I personally think the B4UFLY app is a joke.
I have deleted it from my phone because it is useless.

 

[The Editor]

I personally think the B4UFLY app is a joke.
I have deleted it from my phone because it is useless.

Agreed - total waste of time.
DJI NFZ's are flawed as well. The only true reference is an aviation approved sectional air chart with the correct plates/overlays and doing necessary research into your intended flight area.

 

[Jimmykjimmy]

Yep, and I did research, but alas the finkle finger of the FAA struck, no damage done fortunately.

 

[licensed pilot]

Agreed - total waste of time.
DJI NFZ's are flawed as well. The only true reference is an aviation approved sectional air chart with the correct plates/overlays and doing necessary research into your intended flight area.

The only true reference is an aviation approved sectional air chart with the correct plates/overlays and doing necessary research into your intended flight area." Bingo.



SkyVector: Flight Planning / Aeronautical Charts
Check out the Green Bay Sectional

 

[Jimmykjimmy]

I have sky vector. But when your standing on the ground in an irregular shaped area, you need to be positioned accurately. I have found Kittyhawk does a pretty good job. Anyway enough said.

 

[RMartin]

I have sky vector. But when your standing on the ground in an irregular shaped area, you need to be positioned accurately. I have found Kittyhawk does a pretty good job. Anyway enough said.

Try looking at iFlightPlanner after you register (it's partially free at least). Flight Planning & Online Logbook | iFlightPlanner In addition to sectionals you can overlay airspace classes on top of satellite imagery which allows you to be a lot more accurate planning your flights. Just my two cents.

 

[Dejan Smaic]

I think the real issue here is the park ranger overstepping his / her bounds. If the NPS has jurisdiction beyond its park boundaries, then this is a new precedent by NPS. I would call the district office and file a complaint.

 

[William Gaddy]

Ok well, I've read all the regs front cover to back cover. AND I had a park ranger Confirm this for me verbally after he busted me. You cannot alight and land within NSP areas.... full stop. I complained "but the sign doesn't say anything about drones"... and his reply was "well, we haven't had time to update the signs yet. But look... if you take off from over THERE [points to area outside of NSP boundary] and flight INTO and OUT of the park, I don't have jurisdiction. The FAA does."

 

[Dejan Smaic]

Ok well, I've read all the regs front cover to back cover. AND I had a park ranger Confirm this for me verbally after he busted me. You cannot alight and land within NSP areas.... full stop. I complained "but the sign doesn't say anything about drones"... and his reply was "well, we haven't had time to update the signs yet. But look... if you take off from over THERE [points to area outside of NSP boundary] and flight INTO and OUT of the park, I don't have jurisdiction. The FAA does."

The Park ranger is correct. National forests are fine to fly, but ALL National Parks are off limits to drones (per his statement).

 

[Jimmykjimmy]

Thanks Dejan, but it's not about whether the Park Ranger was right. I never argued with him. It's about the FAA getting serious about drones, and providing good info in one spot where you can and cannot fly. I felt that once they got "half in" they would not do an adequate job, and it's come true. They worked the public into a frenzy, and provided little regs other than the FAA license which has little enforcement teeth. And because of that commercial jobs are still being done by none FAA certified people. So once again there's my discourse on a bizzaro topic.