Morning all. I have a very basic question I'm hoping one of the forum goers with knowledge of the UK regulations might be able to answer. I was at one of the many gorgeous Welsh castles at the weekend enjoying the weather, and was hoping to get some good photos in with the Spark. I noticed a sign showing a drone with a cross through it (although it was difficult to spot), and so kept my flight to outside of the grounds (photos to follow in a few days). Being a responsible fellow, I looked up the drone policy for the custodian organisation when I got home. The organisation (Cadw) has a blanket ban on recreational flying over its sites ('A copy of a full CAA permit and pilot’s licence must be provided to us in advance of your filming (we will not permit amateurs or those undertaking training hours to operate unmanned aerial vehicles over our sites')).


My question is this: can the organisation really ban drone flights over the grounds? If I kept 50m away from the structure, would I be breaking any laws? I am well aware of the arguments against doing this; of being a bad ambassador of the hobby, or behaviour like this increasing the liklihood of more restrictions on the hobby, etc. That's why I stayed outside the Cadw grounds. I know that just because one can do something doesn't mean that one should. It just vexes me when an organisation oversteps its remit.


What's the actual law surrounding these bans in the UK? I know English Heritage and National Trust have similar bans.

Technically - if the ground you take off and land on has not prohibited drones in any by-laws and your drone is more than 50m away from any buildings, people and vehicles that are not in your control and more than 500m from congested areas, flying under 400' above ground level and within your clear visual line of sight not exceeding 500m from your position - then you are within your rights to use the airspace that is regulated by the civil aviation authority with a UAV for recreational purposes without a licence or qualifications providing the flight is not a commercial operation, is deemed to be non-reckless and is not causing a public disturbance.

If the land is marked as out of bounds by what may be a higher authority then it becomes more difficult if the structures are deemed as landmarks - the 50m rule may turn into 500m as classified 'congested' or it may even be a NFZ (that's why flying over Buckingham palace, for example, is illegal - even if 50m away). So I do not believe it to be a criminal act but if you are caught there may be consequences of some description and I suspect the police will be called to address it with you... The question you thus need to ask yourself is if it is worth it or not and I hope you have a good lawyer   

Hmmm, thanks for your detailed reply. Sounds like there are a few grey areas that would need to be established in court. Regulation is a hot topic at the moment, and I feel like there may soon be made some examples of people who transgress. I'd hate to be one of those people and so I think I'll be keeping my distance!

JimFandango Posted at 2018-7-9 04:17
Hmmm, thanks for your detailed reply. Sounds like there are a few grey areas that would need to be established in court. Regulation is a hot topic at the moment, and I feel like there may soon be made some examples of people who transgress. I'd hate to be one of those people and so I think I'll be keeping my distance!

That is spot on - nobody as yet has been convicted for doing that so there is no legal precedent set in any court.

Hide in the shadows at dawn or dusk and you may be OK lol as long as there is nobody around. Sad isn't it - it makes you feel like a criminal. Don't forget to pass the tests and register your drone/s next year too!   I have to be honest Jim but I think my days are coming to an end with this hobby - it's getting increasingly regulated and tough.

A CW Posted at 2018-7-9 04:29
That is spot on - nobody as yet has been convicted for doing that so there is no legal precedent set in any court.

Hide in the shadows at dawn or dusk and you may be OK lol as long as there is nobody around. Sad isn't it - it makes you feel like a criminal. Don't forget to pass the tests and register your drone/s next year too!   I have to be honest Jim but I think my days are coming to an end with this hobby - it's getting increasingly regulated and tough.

It is sad. The kicker is that I can understand the need for regulation.....I have seen some crazy flying around crowds on YouTube. And if one of my children got smacked in the face by a drone I'd be the first out baying for blood. I don't know what the answer is, really. But this banning of all drone flying around castles, monuments, etc. feels like a bit of a knee jerk until things get sorted out in the courts. There doesn't seem to be any need for it beyond what's covered in the Drone Code. I can't believe there's a genuine concern that a consumer drone constitutes a real risk of damage to a fortification!

While people can buy drones in the Apple store or on Amazon and start buzzing people at 50 kmph or flying around airports it feels like everyone's just waiting for a significant incident, and things will change fast.

JimFandango Posted at 2018-7-9 04:41
It is sad. The kicker is that I can understand the need for regulation.....I have seen some crazy flying around crowds on YouTube. And if one of my children got smacked in the face by a drone I'd be the first out baying for blood. I don't know what the answer is, really. But this banning of all drone flying around castles, monuments, etc. feels like a bit of a knee jerk until things get sorted out in the courts. There doesn't seem to be any need for it beyond what's covered in the Drone Code. I can't believe there's a genuine concern that a consumer drone constitutes a real risk of damage to a fortification!

While people can buy drones in the Apple store or on Amazon and start buzzing people at 50 kmph or flying around airports it feels like everyone's just waiting for a significant incident, and things will change fast.

Looks like you missed the latest vid in the Mavic forum of a teenager flying his new Mavic Air to a height of 494m above Shanghai, landed on top of a sky scraper, reset the altitude and flew another 500m up from the top to reach 954m above the city streets... Can you imagine what would have happened if the battery malfunctioned or motors cut...

It's because of people like that that we can't take a photo of a bloody castle without looking over our shoulder... And yes, something very tragic will happen - it's just when and not if.  

A CW Posted at 2018-7-9 05:11
Looks like you missed the latest vid in the Mavic forum of a teenager flying his new Mavic Air to a height of 494m above Shanghai, landed on top of a sky scraper, reset the altitude and flew another 500m up from the top to reach 954m above the city streets... Can you imagine what would have happened if the battery malfunctioned or motors cut...

It's because of people like that that we can't take a photo of a bloody castle without looking over our shoulder... And yes, something very tragic will happen - it's just when and not if.

Wow, I did miss that one. I think I'll take a look purely for the horror factor!

JimFandango Posted at 2018-7-9 05:13
Wow, I did miss that one. I think I'll take a look purely for the horror factor!

It's actually quite awesome to watch lol but don't forget what we're discussing

JimFandango Posted at 2018-7-9 05:13
Wow, I did miss that one. I think I'll take a look purely for the horror factor!

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... p;page=1#pid1452007

Better to be safe than sorry

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news ... rks-is-illegal.html

Ram-UK Posted at 2018-7-9 05:53
Better to be safe than sorry

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11327001/Police-warn-that-flying-drones-near-landmarks-is-illegal.html

The Telegraph hates drones lol

A CW Posted at 2018-7-9 06:01
The Telegraph hates drones lol

Not only Telegraph most of the people hates drones just for the sake of following the trend of the media.

I was reading news on the google App and came across this few days back. wonder if this new change will actually be enforced.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/30/new_uk_drone_laws/

Ram-UK Posted at 2018-7-9 07:36
Not only Telegraph most of the people hates drones just for the sake of following the trend of the media.

That's true     

A CW Posted at 2018-7-9 05:15
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=155991&page=1#pid1452007

Just skipped through some of that footage. Incredible views, but a crazy thing to do.

JimFandango Posted at 2018-7-9 08:26
Just skipped through some of that footage. Incredible views, but a crazy thing to do.

That's what I thought - on both counts

A CW Posted at 2018-7-9 05:15
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=155991&page=1#pid1452007

That's smart and stupidity

Ram-UK Posted at 2018-7-10 02:39
That's smart and stupidity

Agreed! Amazing flying skills but reckless is an understatement

A CW Posted at 2018-7-10 02:41
Agreed! Amazing flying skills but reckless is an understatement

Surprising thing is that he landed on a glass roof did't get any interference/IMU/Compass errors from the cladding. No video loss or weak signal due to close to a big structure.

Ram-UK Posted at 2018-7-10 04:40
Surprising thing is that he landed on a glass roof did't get any interference/IMU/Compass errors from the cladding. No video loss or weak signal due to close to a big structure.

That amongst a thousand other things did cross my mind