Mxsmanic wrote:

If a restricted area is inactive, do I still need a clearance into it?


If it were me (restricted areas are easy to avoid) I would treat it as
if it were restricted. Treat a gun like it's loaded, treat restricted
airspace as if the FBI were watching you.

The "get an instructor and do the thing for a while" idea is teh bomb,
though. You've got alot of interest in this stuff, why don't you get
out and do a little. It is expensive, but you don't have to do it all
at once.