Saying that drone flying at Waveny is growing more popular and intense, parks officials are considering further restrictions on just where and when people can use of the remote controlled devices there.
Drone operators set up gates for races and acrobatics at Waveny as passive users of the park pass by. Contributed photo
Last summer, the town adopted a recommendation from the Parks & Recreation Commission to permit drones at Waveny Park only, and to require that users join the venerable New Canaan Radio Controlled Society or ‘NCRCS.’ Under that group’s rules, drone flying is relegated to an approximately 50-by-90-yard area near where Lapham Road comes to the main road through Waveny, and hours vary by season.
Yet since requiring that drone operators join the NCRCS, 25 people have signed up—all but five of them nonresidents—and they’re now racing and flying the propeller-powered aircraft through gates staked in the grass, commissioners said at their most recent meeting.
Chairman Sally Campbell said she and commissioner Kit Devereaux have spent the past few months trying to answer this question: “Is there a site in town that we could designate just for drone-specific activity?”
“I feel very strongly that part of the park we have always felt it was the passive part of the park,” Campbell said at the April 19 meeting, held at Lapham Community Center. “The active part of the park is on one side, where the fields are and the playground and whatever, and that side has always been passive and we never allow games there, we do not have tournaments. It’s for people to have passive enjoyment o the park. So my feeling is that they not be in that part of the park. The number of users is only going to grow and it would be nice to have a designated area where they are not going to be an annoyance, in a contained area.”
One candidate for designated drone-flying is the mulch lay-down area off of Lapham Road, commissioners said.
John Howe, superintendent of parks in the Department of Public Works, said the rules would need to specify that no motor vehicles are allowed in the area and that drone flying could only happen on weekends.
According to Campbell, another candidate is the Waveny Pool parking lot when the facility is out-of-season.
The commissioners agreed to consider the matter, and return to their May meeting for a formal recommendation.
“In the next month we will try to fine-tune the drone policy a little more,” Campbell said. “I would like to explore with John the ability to use that [mulch area] because that would be the ideal place—it is away from where people are enjoying the park. It’s separate.”
New Canaan resident George McEvoy described himself as a regular Waveny user and said he’s concerned about safety as well as liability for the town.
“The bottom line is that where they are now is an accident waiting to happen,” McEvoy told the commission. “And going hand-in-hand with an accident waiting to happen, it’s liability and a lawsuit waiting to happen.”
Campbell said that the NCRCS provides the town with an insurance policy that covers its members.
Devereaux said that the municipal officials are in active talks with the town’s insurer, the Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency or ‘CIRMA,’ regarding drone use at Waveny.
Drone operators also have rights to airspace under FAA regulations.
Commissioners said that while New Canaan cannot stop people from flying drones in Waveny, it can legally keep them from taking off and landing in the park.
“We don’t really have the capacity to control them,” Devereaux said. “Even if we ban them from launching from the park, they can stand on border of park and fly over the park.”
Campbell said that while the drone operators can stand in the street and fly the devices over the park, the drones can “only go a certain distance away and then come back,” effectively limiting their location.
If someone from the New Canaan Radio Controlled Society or ‘NCRCS.’ (who i think very highly of) had been on their toes about drones, and especially with the new society members … then why are people flying drones in Waveny well after 2:00 weekdays, and as late as 3:00 or 4:00pm on saturdays and especially sundays … especially when “civilians” are out looking for a peaceful walk with their families?
This is right from their NCRCS rules for drone type items:
“weekdays 10am-2pm, Saturdays and Sundays 8:30am-12pm”
“Yet since requiring that drone operators join the NCRCS, 25 people have signed up—all but five of them nonresidents—and they’re now racing and flying the propeller-powered aircraft through gates staked in the grass”
If this is about only allowing residents of New Canaan to enjoy Waveny, a public park, why not ban anyone that is not from New Canaan from joining NCRCS?
“The active part of the park is on one side, where the fields are and the playground and whatever, and that side has always been passive and we never allow games there, we do not have tournaments. It’s for people to have passive enjoyment of the park.”
This is not true. NC track and field uses the field for tournaments. I have been there on weekdays with my dog and have witnessed this.
If the drone users are to be banned, why not ban the golfers. A ball flying 75 MPH in the air – accident waiting to happen. Walking across the field, someone slips and falls… you guessed it! Accident waiting to happen. Dog gets loose from its owner and bites someone; accident waiting to happen.
I have seen the drone flyers on a few weekends and recently went up to see what they’re up to with my wife. They were very courteous and let me view the whole thing from goggles. It was actually pretty cool. They explained that they have someone watching at all times to make sure they are within bounds and not going near people walking around Waveny. I say give them a chance. I think people are making a mountain out of a mohill about this.
Bottom line is that some members of NCRCS simply don’t care given that New Canaan cannot prevent drones from flying over Waveny Park. Drone operators have rights to air space under FAA regulations.
See remarks from prior NewCanaanite articles on this topic.
————————————————————————-
On August 7, 2016 New Canaanite wrote:
Steven Benko, recreation director, said the NCRCS, which currently has about 30 members, would handle enforcement.
“They are excellent at self-policing,” he said.
—————————————————————————–
There are non-drone pilots flying well after hours as well. On many, MANY occasions those peaceful walkers love to come up to us and get educated about drones and FPV (which we love to accommodate and educate as well). Out of my countless interactions w/ peaceful people, only one has been a tool.
As a member of the NCRCS, and a “drone” flyer, I think a big point that’s being missed. Drones are here to stay, and people who own/fly them is rising exponentially. New Canaan, and NCRCS, was being proactive, and very smart IMO, to get in front of this fact.
What we have now is a place the fosters a fun, controlled environment for people to fly. The fact that so many new members have joined tells you which way the wind is blowing. Myself, and every other person in the club, has helped new pilots, as well as shared and educated what we’re doing with the general public. The reaction to it is 99% positive, so I believe the naysayers points are overblown. Every new situation has, and always will have, it’s detractors.
Flying is going to happen at Waveny. There are too many new drone owners out there to not have that happen. It’s far better for it to be under the control of an established and respected organization like the NCRCS, with rules that benefit the park, the town, and the pilots. If you make it too restrictive, people are more likely to not join the club, and fly whenever and however they want. No one wants that.
If more and more people are going to fly drones, then now is the time to establish regulations about their limited use in Waveny Park. They are not allowed in Mead Park and not allowed in Irwin Park. If they want to fly these “missiles” in Waveny Park then they should be nowhere near people walking and trying to enjoy the park without fear of being hit. For those who enjoy the outdoors and nature, the presence of the ugly colored gates and the low flying missiles is a real downer.
Dogs are now under control thanks to Animal Control… race runners come thru on an occasional weekday afternoon (with no history of knocking someone over), and golfers are few and far between, and stop shooting while people pass thru.
The comment above “Flying is going to happen at Waveny. There are too many new drone owners out there to not have that happen” …is based on a mistaken wish, and is all the more reason to NOT let this happen in this beautiful park. If NO FLYING regulations are in place, all it takes is a call to NCPD to deal with the situation.