So it is finally being made official here. The proposed changes to the drone regualtions and UAV's in aviation law are being rolled out between late July and November 2019 impacting any drone weighing more than 250g used for recreational purposes within UK airspace: -

>Need to register the drone with the UK CAA (fine of £1,000 if caught flying an unregistered drone)
>Need to pass a test to prove your awareness of flight safety (£1,000 fine if flying without passing the test)
>It will be illegal to fly a drone higher than 121.7m / 400' AGL (not just a breach of a drone code guideline but a criminal act written into the air navigation order - which is acutally 1,000' AGL at present)
>Not allowed to fly witihn 1KM of a NFZ boundary of an airport (10KM adjacent to class A airspace) or area where manned aircraft take off/land - this will also be written into law
>Flying in VLOS is already written into law
>Far tougher penalties for breaking aviation law with a drone - including custodial sentences of up to five years in prison and/or UNLIMITED fines


Could of been a lot worse and those who fly safely anyway will not be affected other than the registration piece which will probably take 5 minutes.

I wonder what price the registration and testing will be.

Folkestone Posted at 2018-5-30 03:07
I wonder what price the registration and testing will be.

It's US$5 for three years in America so I hope we match that though in 'rip off Britain' I expect it will be a little more.

I wonder what processes will be put in place for changing the drone registration in the case of a sale. Otherwise, I buy yours, fly like an idiot and you pay all my fines for me.

From what I've read, "flying lessons" in the UK are hugely expensive, currently. I wonder if there will be wholesale profiteering?

It is certainly acceptable compared to the Danish rules that are far more restrictive.

Danish rules - English version:
https://www.trafikstyrelsen.dk/d ... 1AC5335A6B9DFE.ashx

Folkestone Posted at 2018-5-30 03:13
I wonder what processes will be put in place for changing the drone registration in the case of a sale. Otherwise, I buy yours, fly like an idiot and you pay all my fines for me.

I imagine it will be a similar system to buying and selling used cars. The department of transport are ultimately responsible for the registration process - there is also no technology currently in place for a police officer to scan your drone whilst it's in the air and trace your personal details. They will have to physically catch you flying in person - then they'll know it's you and not me. I believe the authorities developing tech for remote ID of drones is next on the list but I hope these new laws will deter the morons out there who get a buzz out of chasing planes around airports or flying above the clouds - they'll go to prison now...

Folkestone Posted at 2018-5-30 03:07
I wonder what price the registration and testing will be.

And what if a tourist visited the UK?

dr. D Posted at 2018-5-30 03:22
And what if a tourist visited the UK?

No idea but I imagine you'll need to apply for registration too and pass the test. If you break the law here you can extend your holiday a bit - at 'her Majesty's pleasure'! ;)

FlyDK Posted at 2018-5-30 03:19
It is certainly acceptable compared to the Danish rules that are far more restrictive.

Danish rules - English version:

Yep - it could have been much worse. The focus seems to be to steer well away from anything in the sky that has a human being in it and I totally appreciate that.

Do these new UK rules not mention anything about liability insurance?

FlyDK Posted at 2018-5-30 03:33
Do these new UK rules not mention anything about liability insurance?

Not at the moment according to the BBC report but I have that anyway as an FPV UK member - £5,000,000 of cover for £19.99 a year. Great peace of mind.

It would seem strange that you can fly within 1km of heathow airport, is this a misprint?

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-5-30 03:56
It would seem strange that you can fly within 1km of heathow airport, is this a misprint?

Not within 1KM - no misprint

dr. D Posted at 2018-5-30 03:22
And what if a tourist visited the UK?

It is always the same  don't matter if we are in UK, USA or where ever we are.
Following lows and rules is always the pilots responeabillity.

Dorset_Horn Posted at 2018-5-30 03:17
From what I've read, "flying lessons" in the UK are hugely expensive, currently. I wonder if there will be wholesale profiteering?

It's an on line test mate - basic stuff which you should already know having read the drone code. 150m from congested areas, maintain VLOS etc etc - you don't need to do a PFCO unless you intend to fly for commercial purposes but that is already the case anyway.

Sounds fair enough, in my opinion it will do sod all for the idiots that don't fly safely. My only concern is i live in a fairly remote area and do you know how the test is to be  applied, being disabled anything other than a online test similar to what DJI did a few months ago may cause me problems getting there if you actually have to go in person .

A CW Posted at 2018-5-30 03:52
Not at the moment according to the BBC report but I have that anyway as an FPV UK member - £5,000,000 of cover for £19.99 a year. Great peace of mind.

I have the same cover

G_Sig Posted at 2018-5-30 04:05
It is always the same  don't matter if we are in UK, USA or where ever we are.
Following lows and rules is always the pilots responeabillity.

Rules are different to laws. I can take my drone out today and fly it 1,000 above the ground here in the UK and as long as I do not interfere with manned aircraft I will not be breaking the law and will therefore not be arrested - despite the drone code advising a max altitude of 400 feet the code is not a legal directive.
These changes include writing the max flight altitude of a drone to be 400' into law so once implemented later this year I could be fined thousands upon thousands of pounds and even go to prison if caught flying higher than 400 feet as I will then be breaking the law.  

A CW Posted at 2018-5-30 04:06
It's an on line test mate - basic stuff which you should already know having read the drone code. 150m from congested areas, maintain VLOS etc etc - you don't need to do a PFCO unless you intend to fly for commercial purposes but that is already the case anyway.

Excellent! Just the info i needed.

Thanks

Car147 Posted at 2018-5-30 04:07
Sounds fair enough, in my opinion it will do sod all for the idiots that don't fly safely. My only concern is i live in a fairly remote area and do you know how the test is to be  applied, being disabled anything other than a online test similar to what DJI did a few months ago may cause me problems getting there if you actually have to go in person .

I believe it will be a basic on line test similar to the DJI one. We won't have to go to a hanger in the middle of nowhere and prove we know how to take off.
I agree that those with little disregard of the law will not change their behaviour because of this but if they are caught then justice will at least be better served. A few hundred quid and a slapped hand at a magistrates will now turn into whatever a judge decides is right - lose your house and job may be...  

Car147 Posted at 2018-5-30 04:08
I have the same cover

It's great that it covers the whole of Europe too eh! That may change with Brexit next March though.

Wow, bureaucracy at its finest

Axeli Posted at 2018-5-30 04:21
Wow, bureaucracy at its finest

[view_image]

Flight safety. What laws and rules do you have in the Czech Republic to deter idiots chasing a plane with your family on it?

A CW Posted at 2018-5-30 04:02
Not within 1KM - no misprint

Most if not all major airports will have a 10km no fly radius without SOP just seems strange that a drone would be allowed so close to heatrow airport.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-5-30 04:24
Most if not all major airports will have a 10km no fly radius without SOP just seems strange that a drone would be allowed so close to heatrow airport.

I thought the same mate - it's the BBC It probably will be 10KM I'm sure. 1KM is way too close. It's 5 miles in the States...

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-5-30 04:24
Most if not all major airports will have a 10km no fly radius without SOP just seems strange that a drone would be allowed so close to heatrow airport.

Looked into this a bit more - It is definitely 1KM from the outer boundary of any airport providing the drone weighs less than 2KG... That's really cool. It also looks like it will be 30 November 2019 and not this year Even better...

A CW Posted at 2018-5-30 04:11
Rules are different to laws. I can take my drone out today and fly it 1,000 above the ground here in the UK and as long as I do not interfere with manned aircraft I will not be breaking the law and will therefore not be arrested - despite the drone code advising a max altitude of 400 feet the code is not a legal directive.
These changes include writing the max flight altitude of a drone to be 400' into law so once implemented later this year I could be fined thousands upon thousands of pounds and even go to prison if caught flying higher than 400 feet as I will then be breaking the law.

This is almost the same as was put on here in Iceland in December last year.
Drones in Iceland.
We are not required to take any test which I think would bee better to do.

G_Sig Posted at 2018-5-30 04:41
This is almost the same as was put on here in Iceland in December last year.
Drones in Iceland.
We are not required to take any test which I think would bee better to do.

I don't mind a little test to keep my knowledge refreshed and up-to-date. As long as it is just an on line thing and not a full day event etc.

A CW Posted at 2018-5-30 04:24
Flight safety. What laws and rules do you have in the Czech Republic to deter idiots chasing a plane with your family on it?

Haha yeah, there are quite benevolent. If it's for recreation purposes only, you don't need any registration, permit or anything else. If it's UAV under 0,91Kg (Spark, MA, MP) then you can fly up to 1500m horizontal and 300m vertical, but always in VLOS

Axeli Posted at 2018-5-30 04:58
Haha  yeah, there are quite benevolent. If it's for recreation purposes only, you don't need any registration, permit or anything else. If it's UAV under 0,91Kg (Spark, MA, MP) then you can fly up to 1500m horizontal and 300m vertical, but always in VLOS

Bureaucracy at it's finest too ;)
There has to be some form of rules and laws with anything that can fly in any country I guess.

i'm not a fan of so much control.    i'm a fan of common sense, while i know common sense isn't common amongst everyone and needs to be spelled out, these tightening down things are really getting on my nerves.

testing proves nothing, specially online testing where cheating and answer sharing is availble.  the testing will also either be really really basic and pointless waste of time and money or way to complicated and pointless for drone use and a total waste ..

registration is mostly a cash grab, the rate of incidents is nearly non existent.. but i kind of get it, better to have something in place before chaos can occur, but still, it feels like more and more of my private hobbies are eroding and less and less private...


edit: i know i live in the US, and i travel.  but usually once one country creates solid foundation of laws other countries copy it.  and the US doesnt really have any drone laws currently.. more of drone policies... nothing enforced universally, so more of a policy than anything..and im sure the US will be looking into this as a possible method.. and at which point, may end my drone hobby entirely, ill just return to blowing things up and shooting

Seems about right - but if 'the powers that be' decide to tweak said laws then we would need to set up a flyer's pressure group to keep said legislation in check too.  The trouble is, one can have as many laws as you like but the loons will still do as they please in the moment. And the rest of us are having to fork out for yet more bureaucracy. It maybe that real-time tracking will be mandatory in not too many years ahead - so 'Command Central' could just press the kill switch and your drone will be forced to land at some nearby designated 'capture zone'.

Lamplighter55 Posted at 2018-5-30 06:54
Seems about right - but if 'the powers that be' decide to tweak said laws then we would need to set up a flyer's pressure group to keep said legislation in check too.  The trouble is, one can have as many laws as you like but the loons will still do as they please in the moment. And the rest of us are having to fork out for yet more bureaucracy. It maybe that real-time tracking will be mandatory in not too many years ahead - so 'Command Central' could just press the kill switch and your drone will be forced to land at some nearby designated 'capture zone'.

Have a look at the CAA website - their research is awesome. They have proved that a drone weighing 2KG or less can not down an airliner which is why we can fly a drone 1KM away from an airport I guess. There are far tougher laws in other countries. If there has to be more rules and laws enforced in our hobby in this country then I am pleased this is it, for now anyway. It will be 18 months before we have to register anything and who knows - perhaps the MP2 or MA2 will be 249.9g ;)

A CW Posted at 2018-5-30 04:40
Looked into this a bit more - It is definitely 1KM from the outer boundary of any airport providing the drone weighs less than 2KG... That's really cool. It also looks like it will be 30 November 2019 and not this year  Even better...

Currently the 'Drone Assist' App' as provided on the Drone Code site, for example, states that in class D airspace (typically five mile radius, but not always a circular area):-

"We recommend you do not operate your drone here. If you do , please exercise extreme caution and abide by the CAA drone code".

I would say that the new U.K laws, hopefully, will give clarification to existing guidelines. Hopefully there should be no grey areas, and that legitimate flyers should not need to justify their presence.

Aardvark Posted at 2018-5-30 07:10
Currently the 'Drone Assist' App' as provided on the Drone Code site, for example, states that in class D airspace (typically five mile radius, but not always a circular area):-

"We recommend you do not operate your drone here. If you do , please exercise extreme caution and abide by the CAA drone code".

Yep, the code are safety guidelines. Legally, there is no defined radius as to how close you can fly a drone in the UK next to an airport. The code simply states 'no where near an airport'. I forgot to ask them how long a piece of string is ;).

Legally, you must not place manned aircraft at risk. Again, no defined measures and very grey. At least these new laws will create clearer definitions and boundaries. How you and I are legally able to fly a drone 1000' above our head today and not place manned aircraft at risk is baffling. It's obvious the current rules and laws were created without drones in mind!

These changes needed to happen.

Good day. Thank you for the information. It is very informative.

DJI Stephen Posted at 2018-5-30 12:44
Good day. Thank you for the information. It is very informative.

Pleasure. Doesn't look too bad on the hobby. In fact, our government is very keen to expand the use of drones here and not hinder the development of the technology but work with it - they just want to make it safer which is fair enough. The British army are making a drone that will will able to remain airborne for one-year... your engineers may want to get in touch with them

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2018-5-30 06:52
i'm not a fan of so much control.    i'm a fan of common sense, while i know common sense isn't common amongst everyone and needs to be spelled out, these tightening down things are really getting on my nerves.

testing proves nothing, specially online testing where cheating and answer sharing is availble.  the testing will also either be really really basic and pointless waste of time and money or way to complicated and pointless for drone use and a total waste ..

“it feels like more and more of my private hobbies are eroding and less and less private... “

I’m not sure I read this right surely when you take your drone outside the parameters of your own home /land, you are now entering public/private owned property, why do you presume this to be only effecting your privacy?

A CW Posted at 2018-5-30 04:40
Looked into this a bit more - It is definitely 1KM from the outer boundary of any airport providing the drone weighs less than 2KG... That's really cool. It also looks like it will be 30 November 2019 and not this year  Even better...

I checked this out , it’s 1km outside normal NFZ set down by CAA for all airports, class A 10km NFZ from 0 to 2500 ft and your drone further 1km, except with specific operation permit and permission from ATC. so it’s basically the same as dji’s NFZ that’s already in place, Rules in general seem fair and not a whole lot of change for those who fly within present rules.

One thing will be interesting will CAA expect dji to cap all drones at 120 metres or leave Aircraft open to fly to 500 metres as it is now.