I plan to take my Mavic to the USA in September when I’m going to be spending three weeks travelling by motorcycle through Oregon, Utah, Arizona, California and Nevada. These are areas of outstanding natural beauty - even outside the National Parks - and I’m pretty familiar with the landscape, having spent most of 2004 on my bike there, and revisiting regularly…
After discussing the subject with Chris Baker yesterday, it was clear that I’d need to research the subject of registration with the FAA if I wanted to fly there (legally 
).
I went to the FAA Website and, once I had created a membership profile (which was very quick), I registered the Mavic for $5 - all done online. I was then presented with a link to download my certificate, which I need to have with me, in paper or electronic form, if asked by a person in authority when operating the drone.
There is a breakdown by state of how many drones are registered - and from the numbers (less than 500 in Oregon - really?) it would appear that this licensing requirement is being roundly ignored. The site also has some guidance on local regulations (that is, local by state). In California, for example, it is unlawful to photograph any person without their permission. Think about how restrictive that will be if you take off from a pull-in at the side of the highway and land again and there are several people around you.
Like most regulations, these are probably enforced infrequently - and most ares I will be riding in will be miles from anyone - that’s the reason I go there - but it’s always worth being aware of restrictions in another country.
It has been widely publicised, but it is worth mentioning here again, that drone flying is prohibited an all National Parks. So you’ll need to stay on the ground to get pictures like this…
…but there are plenty of deserted areas…
…where the drone is going to add a new perspective…
Mike 
