Happy 4th of July!
Freedom of flight may be more extensive in the USA than in any other country. That’s not bias because I live here: I’m always looking for examples of countries that have similar freedoms to compare notes on. As best I can tell, there are none. If you know of one, please contact me. The federal government actually comes to our defense when local jurisdictions or entities try to limit it.
Other countries allow footlaunched flight without a license or equipment registration but they usually have more restrictive airspace. We can fly almost everywhere all the way up to 18,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL).
In more autocratic or closed countries, like Russia, China, Iran, and many others, the airspace is essentially “owned” by the military and you must get permission to fly there. Where here you can fly nearly everywhere unless it’s specifically closed. That’s cool!
Among other really important freedoms, I’m thankful for this one. To celebrate, and because it was a beautiful day, I couldn’t resist a little flight around home.
Below left is a reminder of what violating the law can sometimes lead to. It’s a group of detention and prison facilities serving Polk County, FL.
