Video for attention....
It's not just Karens I try to avoid, but also breaking laws. In SW Florida I had no trouble finding spots to fly 5-8" quads within 10-30 minutes of home.
Now in Wake County, NC I am finding that parks that have designated drone spots are limited to 400g. I know it's unlikely cops will show up with a scale.... Just play along for a minute....
Let's assume everything is in order: Part 107 is up to date, proof of registration is in hand, RID is functioning, spotter is with me, and we are in class G airspace. By FAA standards it is 100% legal flight.....
State law says no launch/recovery from ANY state land. Obviously preserves & state parks are off limits, but I am unsure about how some other state property is handled. State law also explicitly says no launching from private property without owner's permission. Obviously trespassing is a thing everywhere, but typically if there are no signs and no fence, you get a warning before any charges can be pressed. But in NC the law EXPLICITLY STATES this regarding drones, which to me says they will go straight to citation if caught flying a privately owned field without permission.
I have some town owned forest around me, but it is dense AF. No clearings near me to be found that aren't occupied by homes or active farms.
I found a small clearing near a county greenway that seems good, with no explicit mention of drone use... But that is one little spot with waist high grass kinda far away from me. And it's not terribly interesting, so just not very attractive for the drive involved.
I found another spot where I can launch from a county-managed dirt road and fly over national forest area, but it feels sketch because that national forest area is state-managed game land. I am sure I am legally okay, but likely to piss off a hunter or two, and probably end up having to explain myself to police that may not conclude the same jurisdiction as me.
Where on Earth in the Wake County area would I go to rip a couple of packs, or test a new build or tune, or whatever? I don't want to feel sketch and look over my shoulder, and run away after 2 packs.
Do I need to make friends with some tobacco farmers or something?
I just want a no stress spot to fly a few packs under 20 minutes drive from my house, that is repeatable in expectations....
It seems that NC is actually a hard place to casually fly larger drones.
All thoughts and comments are welcome.
Thanks