Travelling to Cali + BC Canada as a visitor

[pegasusone]

Hey Guys,

Long time reader first time poster. Been a P3P owner since it first came out and have been a happy flyer ever since. I have been trying to soak up on all the rules and regulations you guys have here in North America, and now that I am actually planning to visit LA / San Fran and Canada, I have a few questions in mind:

1) Registering the aircraft - I see that the FAA requires hobbyist owners to register their UAVs online through this website Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Registration , however, looking at the requirements I see one item that does not apply to me:

• Your Aircraft weighs more than 55 lbs
• You intend to operate your aircraft outside of the United States
• Your aircraft is owned by a trustee
• The aircraft owner uses a voting trust to meet U.S. Citizenship requirements

If you're a visitor to the United States, does that mean you do not need to register your drone? If thats the case does that mean we are not allowed to fly in the states? I hope this is not the case.

2) As I see alot of national parks / popular sightseeing spots being banned from droning, are there any good places you guys would recommend flying where you can get a neat view of San Francisco or LA? I'm saddened by the fact that we can't fly around the Golden Gate Bridge (from a safe distance of course) and even the Half Moon Bay (beaches should be perfectly safe no?)

3) For Canadians - any particular rules/regulations I should be aware of when I travel to BC? Would predominantly be walking around Vancouver / victoria and even Banff.

Thanks guys

 

[Phantom-Four]

1. Recently saw a post (not sure if it was here, at another forum or on fb) by somebody who mailed the FAA that question. Answer was that you need to register. I'll see if I can find that post but if you want to be sure, send them an email just in case.

 

[GundoLarry]

Not entirely sure about rules for visa / visitors.

As far as where to fly..
Check out the Central Coast of CA !!

 

[pegasusone]

thanks guys!

 

[pegasusone]

Ok so I've emailed FAA and they got back to me almost instantly:

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You will need to register as soon as you arrive in the United States. The system will accept your foreign address and credit card information. The website that you will need to register on is https://[email protected].


Please note: In order to use the online registration platform, you must be LOCATED within the U.S. or its territories or possessions.
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hope this helps for those who are travelling to the states as visitors.

 

[Britserker]

You are not able to fly in Banff as it is a National Park which are off limits in Canada. Sorry, rules suck big time. You will find in Alberta you are not supposed to fly in provincial parks either, hopefully these rules get amended.

 

[kookboy]

Here's what you need to know for Transport Canada :

Flying a drone recreationally - Transport Canada

Here is an interactive airspace viewer so you can check which area you would like to fly in and whether or not it's legal :

Canadian Airspace Viewer

Here is a .pdf for canadian airspace regulations to familiarize yourself with terminology so you can use the viewer accurately :

https://www.navcanada.ca/EN/products-and-services/Documents/DAH_Current_EN.pdf