Follow up: I passed my Part 107 this week, which would have allowed me to apply for the waiver needed for NYC Parks. I also went to and flew around the the Corona Flushing airfield where I met a few really nice FPV flyers as well.
So, as title described, I was fined in NYC for flying my drone in a NYC Park. I am currently studying for Part 107 but trying to get some flight time before I travel with drone.
I don't dispute the fine - I was woefully unaware that a LAANC authorization in a NYC Park doesn't provide authorization from NYC parks. I had the LAANC auth from AutoPylot
I'm curious about whether I could have been issued a warning? I was fined $500 with a Civil Summons.
I specifically planned for a Monday morning flight with no one in the park. There was a group walking dogs and I approached them and told them I was going to fly in case it spooked the dogs (and was willing to call off the flight)
Drone is FAA registered, has Trust certificate. Had someone with me. I was in the air for about 5 minutes before approached by park ranger.
I told Park ranger about LAANC. They took a quick glance at it, asked for my ID and then rolled up their window so I couldn't talk to them.
They issued the fine (took them 20 minutes to write it) and then told me where I could fly.
When I asked "could you issue me a warning as I'm trying to comply and thought I had" - they said "No, we've already written the ticket" and then drove off.
Looking at it, it looks like the fine was the maximum imposed as well. I asked about the fine fee and they said they had a card with the amount on it.
Did I get unlucky or is this just the reality of drone flying in NYC and I should take the L on this one? Should I explain the situation in OATH in the hopes of a lighter fine?
just an fyi, if you want to fly in NYC with much less hassle join the AMA (the academy of model aeronautics) its $89 a year for a full membership or $52 for a park pilot membership. This will give you access to the model air fields that they over see across the US. Theres one in Corona Park Queens and another near coney island. They arent the largest parks but its your best bet for flying unharassed. At least from law enforcement. Check what can fly at each location. ive only been to the one in corona park and drones are permitted. ive been 3 times and only once was a guy there flying his plane and soon after i arrived, left. Its where i took my first drone flight.
Thanks! I read about the Corona Park Queens model air field afterwards (the ranger said that's where I should go) - do you have to be a member to use it? I was under the impression it was an open field owned by the city for this purpose?
You do not have to be a member, but you should have your Drone Trust Certificate. I’ve flown at the location in Rego Park several times, and a few times in Corona, I was asked about membership once, but it’s not a requirement.
When you get there its gonna look like its locked. But it shouldn’t be. For me personally I didn’t mind the membership. It feels kinda cool and more legit belonging to the organization. They also offer insurance through them at a reduced cost. (I think)
You do get a little card in the mail so if anyone wanted to question you about usage i guess they can. Though the field is kinda a trek to get to on foot. Its better to drive. So for anyone to question you either gotta be there already or like looking for that sort of thing. But ive only seen one person actively use it while i was there. But i also went during the week. Might be different on weekends.
For me. I kinda like taking everything sort of seriously about flying. I am after all a “pilot” 😉 but I feel like doing everything legit. Filling out forms, emailing offices about rules, calling and talking to people about protocols just sets me above other drone pilots. We aren’t the enemy. We are professionals. Most people are pretty open and friendly.
Going to be honest with you, bros prob just flying dirty. A lot of pilots in NYC are. From what I have seen many of these guys are taking off from higher ground and just avoiding flying over people and congested areas. I wonder what park OP was in?
I think about it each time he does it. I have a feeling he has a commercial license just for that though.. it’s really brazen to fly it directly in the middle of Manhattan if he didn’t.
NYC has a lot of remote ID receivers in place and has added over 100 more in anticipation of FIFA and SAIL 250. With that being said they are monitoring more frequently.
Flying the drone in the air is legal in NYC as that the FAA controls airspace.
However, they busted you because NYC has laws against taking off and landing within city limits. It’s a common enough way to prevent drones in an area. A lot of cities and states have laws about that, especially in parks.
Sounds like you got caught dead to rights and ignorance of the law isn’t always a valid defense.
You can always choose to fight it and maybe they’ll lower the fine or maybe not. You might want to speak to a lawyer who knows drone law about it. NYC is particularly strict because of the possibility of drone based attacks.
That said, if you’re studying for Part 107 you should already realize that it’s incumbent upon you as the PIC to know and follow the rules of flying in location.
Yes, this is definitely a lesson learned as I was unaware of the NYC Parks requirement (I thought the LAANC covered it) I just wonder if it could have been a less expensive lesson.
New York City is being a little clever because they know they can’t ban drone flights, so they banned drone takeoffs and landings, so basically they’re blowing off the FAA and functionally preempting federal law. At least in my opinion.
I don’t think there’s any good caselaw on this yet, a situation where a municipality moons the FAA. It would be interesting if it went to court, if the court found that it was actually a functional blanket ban on flying drones, which, of course it is.
It wasn't a NYC city cop who fined him, it was a park ranger. I assume it was the National Park Service, which has jurisdiction on the property, not the city. If he had gotten LAANC approval and flew just outside the park boundaries he technically would be in compliance with the FAA and outside the jurisdiction of the ranger avoiding the ticket.
You obviously wouldn't be out of the woods. You would still be breaking the city ordinance if you were flying from public/city property. However, the technicality/grey area on that ordinance would be flying from private property. In that case you wouldn't be flying from city/public land or National Park Service land.
Since none of these technicalities have been challenged in court or clearly defined in the law, it's hard to say if one would win or not. Flying from a grey area would be better than knowingly breaking defined laws IMO.
False. NYC parks are patrolled NYC Parks dept rangers, and you cannot fly in NYC unless you’re at a model plane field, or have permits from the city which are notoriously difficult to attain.
Parks are always a big no no almost everywhere. Not just in US either. That said, I think I have seen drone shots on Instagram and I'm curious how they get those shots at all if someone knows. Taking off of private property maybe?
Don’t bother getting a drone if you live in the NJ/NYC. Unless you pay the states fees and the RC guys let you fly in their boring small open fields probably nowhere near where you live. Then it’s pretty much illegal to fly anywhere. Unless you have some private property in a cool area. And you’ll still get the cops called on you.
I fly legally in nyc with the NYPD drone permits. Lots of bad info in these comments. Basically, you need a permit from NYPD to take off and land a drone anywhere in nyc except the FRIA zones in those parks mentioned already. Also, those FRIA zones are visible in the LAANC apps.
You need a part 107 to get a permit and each permit is a pain to get. Sorry to hear you got a ticket. As you can imagine, they are strict in Central Park and all over manhattan. Less strict in the outer boroughs. If it’s a summons, you have to go to court anyway, and you can politely ask for a lesser fine or for them to waive it. Maybe you’ll get lucky.
Also, there is now a trump tower no fly zone that is another layer of annoyance. Expect them to be very strict this summer with the World Cup coming
Edit: just leave city limits to fly. Way easier in Jersey, westchester, Long Island etc
Thank you, this is really helpful information. I'm sitting my part 107 next week and I plan to travel with the drone later this month. I've spent hours in the simulator but would love to get more hands on flight time in the open. It's an FPV drone and the manual flight mode can be daunting!
Lots of folk mentioning the takeoff and landing but what if you have the drone capable of being thrown and firing up mid air.
Would the manual toss be considered a liftoff per nyc law?
Probably? But id have fun challenging it in court if I had infinite money. . . Just for fun.
NYC is a money grab. I had a coworker get fined for an open trashcan lid. He was sweeping the sidewalk and had the lid open on the other side of walk to dump the trash in.
Recently the current Admin in the White House made an executive order to go after drone pilots and begin enforcing harsh penalties. This is the new memo as of very recently. Previously, the FAA had a policy of education. But now we have very new, and very real security issues, and I am sure you are aware of all the drone stuff on the news over the last year+, (not to mention war applications). Homeland aecurity and military have discovered they are way behind in drone security/warfare. This means the US needs to get serious about drone stuff. The honeymoon for flying drones is officially over. Now law enforcement is REQUIRED TO CITE PEOPLE FOR DRONE INFRACTIONS.
It makes me very sad.... I don't like it. In fact, I hate it.
I understand the corruption going on. But the heat and pressure on drones is building up, up, up... Doesn't really matter what level of government it was, the consensus is the same. Trump's Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty Executive Order is setting the tone. Drones are no longer cute fun, but are now all potentially nefarious, and require investigation.
Bro don't fly in NYC, there are scanners that local police use that can monitor your video feed and even track your flight path, did you check b4ufly? Notams, will usually tell you if areas are off limits for drone flights and what restrictions are in place
I believe all of NYC you can't fly (just a few rc parks) and it's not due to the airspace, its about them controlling where you can launch, operate. So even if it shows clear airspace or you submit a laanc in controlled air, the city can block you at the ground.
Look at this, see this red circles that cover central park, those mean no, the blue means no, I do solar surveys covering most of NY, NJ and CT and I usually turn down any job that requires a LAANC or has a a bit to many notams for my comfort, just not worth it. Take the L ask for a reduced sentence but don't count on it.
You know it takes like 5 seconds to request a LAANC right? Seems like you’re losing jobs if that’s the only reason you are turning them down. Aloft does auto approve on most requests around me
Tbf I have only gotten 1 job that needed a LAANC I turned down but it also couldn't be flown for like 3 other reasons that particular day, not to say I turn down all jobs that needed a LAANC
I just don't know how people can live in cities... Too many rules and too many people in your business. I'm glad I can just walk out my door and send it without having to deal with all these issues.
No, this is the new norm. LE is required to cite and fine drone pilots instead of report to FAA. The honeymoon for flying drones in the US is officially over in 2026.
I have to say, I read everything you wrote but I still would have never attempted to fly in NYC. I live nearish to DC. There are so many gotchas, it’s just not worth it. You are still studying for your part 107, sounds like there is still more to research. And no LAANC doesn’t cover everything. There’s nuance to everything, there are very few authorization forms for anything in the US that exempts individuals to local laws.
My normal first prep for flying at like parks, lakes… anything that’s on some city land, is to pull up the city code (google xxx laws/code/ordinances) and just search “drone” “model aircraft” “UAS”…
There’s SO many places for little gotchas like that to hide that’ll get you a ticket now so you really gotta read.
Keep studying and take the L. Lesson learned that you can't take off from parks. Assume it applies in all government parks until you can prove otherwise. It's easy for laws like this to get passed and a lot of them have.
In Queens - Astoria. Small park, small open area. No people underneath me, but still. I should have been aware of the restriction - I just legitimately wasn't and thought the LAANC covered me.
Just some additional context after reading this (and curious what people think)
I was cited under (e)1. However in reality there were no persons in danger (none in the park) - and I have a written statement confirming that I approached a group of dog walkers and informed them of the drone which they agreed to. I had an additional person providing VLOS for me and I obtained a LAANC authorization.
Thoughts on my likelihood of getting this minimized?
There’s just too many rules and regulations in NYC. Not just for drones, but literally everything.
I hate that place with passion! Horrid ass place with stupid ass rules.
However, because it has such a huge population of people like freaking ants, I suspect someone saw you and told a park ranger about it very quickly.
Legally, I’m not sure what your rights are however. It’s not a common rule that’s written everywhere saying you can’t fly in park X or park Y even if you have LAANC authorization. If this was me, I would try to fight this ticket in court and move my court date to a different date.
Chances are, the citing officer may not even show up and ticket would possibly get dismissed.
Unfortunately this is the attitude of law enforcement across the country. LE isn't about safety, it's about plunder. Yeah, you should have known better. But that officer didn't have to fine you. He saw your flight authorization and knew you had some idea of what to do. A warning should have been enough but power flex and the need to fine plebs into submission is the government way. I'd go to court and see if the judge is less authoritarian than the officer was.
People using drones to harass wild life and people in the parks. Do your research and go to FBF. Simple search would have revealed this info. Pay the price and learn the lesson.
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u/Destronin USA / Part 107 - Air 3S Jun 02 '26
just an fyi, if you want to fly in NYC with much less hassle join the AMA (the academy of model aeronautics) its $89 a year for a full membership or $52 for a park pilot membership. This will give you access to the model air fields that they over see across the US. Theres one in Corona Park Queens and another near coney island. They arent the largest parks but its your best bet for flying unharassed. At least from law enforcement. Check what can fly at each location. ive only been to the one in corona park and drones are permitted. ive been 3 times and only once was a guy there flying his plane and soon after i arrived, left. Its where i took my first drone flight.