Good evening everyone;
I have tried getting some definitive answers from the National Trust about the use of UAVs / Drones on National Trust properties here in the UK. I'm not talking about flying these into a stately home or Buckingham Palace but using them for aerial photography (of a non-commercial nature) at some of the beautiful sites that are managed by the NT.
The short answer is 'No'. The longer answer, from Graham Clowes, the 'Head of Operational Risk' at their Swindon office, is as follows:
Why we don’t allow drones to fly at NT sites · The use of drones is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority and it is a developing area which is coming under greater scrutiny. Few non-commercial users have the correct training or permission to operate drones, which creates a serious risk to our staff, volunteers, visitors, property and wildlife. We have therefore adopted a strict blanket policy banning the use of drones at our sites. · The use of aerial vehicles is also prohibited by the Trust “byelaws”. The byelaws reflect the charitable core purposes of the Trust to enable us to preserve special places for the nation. · Should a drone cause damage or harm, pilots generally do not have the correct insurances to compensate the Trust for remedial actions. · Drones should not be flown over people; as much of our land is open access we cannot guarantee an area, even if remote, is completely empty. · Drones should not flown near property; the special nature of our properties makes the risk of damage more severe. · Some sites may have wildlife or agricultural animals which could be effected by the presence of drones. · Many drones have cameras attached and these could infringe data protection laws (filming people without permission) and potentially could contravene NT rules on photography and filming. · The presence of drones can be detrimental to the enjoyment of our sites by other visitors. We therefore do not allow drone flying from or over NT land. The only exception being contractors or staff who satisfy stringent CAA criteria, have specific insurances and have been commissioned or authorised by the Trust for a specific purpose – and in these cases the activity is strictly controlled. The regulatory environment regarding drones is rapidly developing. We will continue to monitor this development and keep our position under constant review.
I suppose with all the bad publicity surrounding Drones, plus the almost comical misconceptions about what we are all trying to do, the banning of Drones such as the Phantom is going to become more common. There are laws that protect us but even these are woefully known by those in 'authority' or the Police themselves, who basically see UAVs / Drones as a threat. The fact that we have HD cameras means they can often quote 'data protection' laws which are ludicrous - why not ban everyone having a camera in the UK (World?) who may inadvertantly capture a passer by?
Thoughts and comments would be most welcome - I enjoy flying my Phantom 2 Vision + all over the place and obviously obey the 'law' on where / when to fly and the rules governing 'safe flight'. I am also a member of the BMFA and therefore have 3rd party insurance however I fear we could be heading towards much tighter regulation or even an outright ban.
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