No Drone Zone at Caesars Head

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I rode up to Caesars Head a few weeks ago.

Caesars Head is a South Carolina State Park, 26 miles from home, and it is fairly easy to get to.  The twisty road that goes up the Blue Ridge Escarpment to the park is only about eight miles long, and is in fairly good condition in most places.  The twisty part of the road is not nearly as long as on the nearby US-178, but there are several tight turns along the way. 

Caesars Head

Twisty part of US-178

The reason I went to Caesars Head was that it was an easy addition to a route that I rode called A Two Hour Afternoon's Jaunt that had appeared in an issue of the old and gone Motorcycle Lifestyle Magazine. 

Anyway, the overlook at Caesars Head (that is correct; there is not an apostrophe in Caesars) is usually a good place to see the mountainous countryside from a birds-eye vantage point.  That photograph at the top of the post gives you an idea. 

Pretty country, yes?  Here is a slightly different angle:

You can see the back side of Table Rock Mountain, with Table Rock Reservoir this side of it.  This overlook is really the only place you can see into the distance from Caesars Head Park, and the overlook is very close to where you can park your bike.

As I was parking that day, I noticed something new.  

Did you spot it?  Here is a closer view:

Now do you see?

It says I can't fly my drone here any more.  (Not that I have one.)  It is mounted on a very substantial post. 

That's unfortunate, because I like to see videos of places like this taken from a drone.  Some of the drone pilots are quite good at getting the right views and motion, and their editing can be very effective in enhancing their work.

Like these: 

• This one is nice and simple, by Russel Stieb from January of 2015.  Look at the sheer dropoff from the observation area.  
• This one, by Matt Motter Aero Vision, published in August of 2016 has particularly good music, and includes Symmes Chapel or Pretty Place, an open-air chapel north of the park at YMCA Camp Greenville. 
• Maybe this one as well, a short by Greenville Drone also from August of 2016. 

There are some large houses adjacent to the park, and I suppose some of those residents could have been buzzed by some irresponsible pilot.  If that is the case, there are probably civil actions that could be taken against the pilot, instead of banning drones entirely. 

I did a little research and found that drones are outlawed in all national parks.  Citing safety and noise issues, drones are banned until the National Park Service comes up with a long-term policy.  [I wonder how long that could take.]  The ban covers not only the 59 full-fledged national parks but about 350 national monuments, seashores and other sites run by the NPS, about 84 million acres in all.

That is a lot of territory now off limits. 

Seems like our freedom is again under attack here.

Oh, by the way, the ban carries a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and six months in jail!

Try this website called Know Before You Fly to learn some of the rules.   


For recreational use, you can fly under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft:

• Fly for hobby or recreation ONLY
• Register your model aircraft
• Fly within visual line-of-sight
• Follow community-based safety guidelines and fly within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization
• Fly a drone under 55 lbs. unless certified by a community-based organization
• Never fly near other aircraft
• Notify the airport and air traffic control tower prior to flying within 5 miles of an airport*
• Never fly near emergency response efforts

Or, you can get a Remote Pilot Certification (14 CFR part 107).  For that, you must:

• Be at least 16 years old
• Pass an aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center
• Undergo Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) security screening
• Register your aircraft with the FAA

Part 107 Operating Rules:

• Unmanned aircraft must weigh less than 55 pounds, including payload, at takeoff
• Fly in Class G airspace
• Keep the unmanned aircraft within visual line-of-sight
• Fly at or below 400 feet
• Fly during daylight or civil twilight
• Fly at or under 100 mph
• Yield right of way to manned aircraft
• Do not fly directly over people
• Do not fly from a moving vehicle, unless in a sparsely populated area

If you fly for commercial purposes, then the rules are different.


Whew.  That is a lot of hoops to jump through just to fly a little airplane.  I think that the regulations include all of the model planes that many of us flew when we were kids (and now, sometimes as adults, too, like I saw back in 2014).  

As I said, I think our freedoms are being encroached upon. 

For state regulations, you can look here or here, but know that these websites may not be completely up to date.

Local municipalities may also have rules and regulations, so you will have to contact them to find out what they require.


Anyhow, our freedom to do almost anything is getting cut more and more these days.  So, fly 'em while ya' can.  (But not at Caesars Head.) 

Fortunately, the park is still a nice place to go to look at God's creation. 
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