AirMap – Now showing No-Fly Zones in Wilderness Areas
I have recently been in contact with AirMap discussing wilderness areas. I shared my concern that they were not showing wilderness areas as No-Fly Zones in the Sedona area. Several days later, I go to AirMap and now see Wilderness areas on the map. Thank you AirMap for listening to Sedona UAS and for helping to make Sedona a safer place to fly.
Wilderness areas on the VFR Sectional Charts, highlighted in pink.
Here is what you need to know about wilderness areas and how they pertain to UAS flights. The following excerpt is from the Wilderness.net web site.
General Wilderness Prohibitions
Motorized equipment and
equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited on all federal
lands designated as wilderness. This includes the use of motor vehicles,
motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage
wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters, unless provided for
in specific legislation.
In a few areas some exceptions allowing the use
of motorized equipment or mechanical transport are described in the special
regulations in effect for a specific area. Contact the Forest Service office or visit the websites listed for more specific information.
These general prohibitions have been implemented
for all national forest wildernesses in order to implement the provisions of
the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Wilderness Act requires management of
human-caused impacts and protection of the area’s wilderness character to
insure that it is “unimpaired for the future use and enjoyment as
wilderness.” Use of the equipment listed as prohibited in wilderness is
inconsistent with the provision in the Wilderness Act which mandates
opportunities for solitude or primitive recreation and that wilderness is a
place that is in contrast with areas where people and their works are dominant.