so anyway i was out last weekend and there was this really nice ridge overlooking a state park in virginia and i launched from the road pulloff outside the park boundary, not inside the park itself. got some great footage but now im reading that some states have rules about flying over state parks even if you take off from outside? i genuinely had no idea this was a thing. i wasnt being reckless or anything, stayed under 400ft, no people around. but now im second guessing everything. is there actually a rule about this or am i overthinking it

virginia state parks specifically require a permit for drone use and technically the airspace over the park is still the park even if your feet are on the road. that said nobody is going to come find you for one flight where you werent being an idiot about it. the bigger issue is if you make a habit of it or post the footage somewhere that makes it obvious where you were flying. DCR (virginia dept of conservation) does monitor social media occasionally, heard of people getting contacted about posted footage before. probably fine but worth knowing for next time

honestly the state park drone laws in general are a mess across the country. some parks its totally fine, some you need a permit, some its a flat no. theres no consistent rule and the FAA doesnt really cover this stuff since its more about land management than airspace. i use the Aloft app now before i go anywhere new, its not perfect but it at least flags a lot of restricted areas. wouldnt stress too much about the one flight though