so this is something that happened a few weeks ago and its still kind of bugging me. was flying at a state park, did my homework beforehand, checked the FAA maps, the park doesnt have any specific drone prohibition posted that i could find on their website, airspace was fine. some guy comes up to me, says hes a volunteer trail monitor or something like that, and tells me i have to land immediately because drones arent allowed. i landed because i didnt want a confrontation but afterwards i looked it up more and i still cant find any official rule saying drones are banned there. state parks in my state apparently have different rules depending on the park and this one didnt seem to have anything on the books. has this happened to anyone else and what do you actually do in that situation, do you just comply or is there a way to politely push back without it becoming a thing

this happens more than people think. a volunteer with no enforcement authority telling you to land is just a person asking you to land, legally speaking. that said the practical reality is that even if you're 100% in the right, pushing back on the spot rarely ends well ? you either get law enforcement called who may or may not know the rules themselves, or you just ruin your day. what i usually do before flying anywhere that might be ambiguous is get something in writing first, like an email from the park administration confirming drones are allowed. takes 5 minutes and then you have actual documentation if someone approaches you. also worth knowing that FAA airspace authorization and ground-level land use rules are completely separate things ? just because the airspace is clear doesnt mean the landowner or managing agency hasnt made their own rules about it

ugh yeah this is the worst kind of situation. i had something similar at a beach, person had no idea what authority they did or didn't have but was very confident about it. i think you did the right thing honestly, landing and then figuring it out later. not worth the stress in the moment. though i will say for future trips it might be worth just calling the park office ahead of time, not to ask permission exactly but just so you know who to reference if someone stops you