A few months ago I read that the forest rangers wanted to use drones to search for lost hikers but were having problems with getting clearance from the FAA.
Haven’t read anything since, but it seems clearance at those low altitudes would be a no-brainer.
#18: When dealing with the federal government, re “ it would be a no-brainer”, you forget that many government bureaucrats have no “brains”, “common sense”, or foresight.
Those of us who have brains, common sense and foresight are actually harassed and persecuted for trying to bring some order and intelligence to a stultified system.
The unofficial govt view by the upper bureaucrats is, “If it makes sense and works, we’re not interested”.
It is an issue of flying in restricted airspace.
Some National Parks are protected and prohibit over-flight. . .but in the case of immediate SAR, the FAA does not issue a clearance.
If the flight is a pre-planned for grid search, then obtaining approval is suggested to ensure deconfliction.
UAVs operate below 400’ and remain line-of-sight, no FAA clearance required, unless it is a matter of airspace restrictions.
Think police helicopters engaged in SAR. Same restrictions.