It is one of the most requested gadgets: it puts in our hands the possibility of raising a camera in the sky and taking breathtaking aerial images.
But, as Spiderman said, with great power comes great responsibility. Owning and piloting one of the machines is not a simple matter of taking it out of the box and flying away.
And if you don’t register your device – or ignore the rules – you risk an immediate fine from the police or, in extreme cases, time behind bars.
“Drones have incredible potential,” explains Jonathan Nicholson, deputy director and campaign manager at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
“They’re amazingly fun, we want people to use them, but we want people to use them safely.”
To that end, CAA, the UK’s aviation regulator, is tasked with making sure those who splash are aware of what you can – and can’t do – with powered flying machines. .
This is a big problem – and it’s the weight of your drone that will determine where you can fly and how many hoops you need to get through before you can fly it.
So let’s try to keep it simple.
First, if the drone you bought weighs less than 250g, is classified as a toy, and doesn’t have a camera, then you don’t need anything other than common sense to fly one. .
If it weighs less than 250g – and most of the top selling models are – but it comes with a camera and isn’t categorized as a toy, then you’ll need to register to get this is called an operator identifier before using it. . To do this, go to the CAA website. This will basically mean that you have to register to say that you are in charge of the drone.
“If your drone weighs less than 250g, it’s more about the damage you could cause to a person rather than anything else,” says Jonathan Nicholson of CAA.
“It’s unlikely that it will cause too much trouble for another plane or property if you fly it over the side of a house, for example. But their blades are the same – you could still seriously injure someone. This is the biggest risk.
“There have been incidents where people have suffered life-changing injuries from being hit by a drone. Although,” he reassuringly adds, “they are very, very rare.”
Once you get your ID, you can also launch your drone into your backyard, if you want, and get those aerial shots you’ve always wanted to see. But be careful, once you take off you must follow strict instructions, especially if you are in built-up areas. The key to all of this is to do nothing to endanger life or invade the privacy of others. If your goal is just to yell over the wall in your neighbor’s backyard, you’ll have some explanation for it.
“You can still get a high performance drone under 250g that can do some really amazing things,” says the CAA, “but it’s so much smaller – we’re talking about being able to fit in your hand.
“But you can talk about £ 400 to £ 1,000 for one of them. And the camera level on these is really good.”
Which, many will say, is reason enough to make sure you play by the rules and take no chances. Nobody wants to see a drone worth £ 500 crashing into the sea or that tree you didn’t judge well, after all.
You should also make sure that your drone does not exceed the height limit of 120 meters (400 feet) from the ground, lest you end up face to face with an airplane. And it’s worth remembering if you’re flying your drone over the cliffs.
What you absolutely cannot do, no matter how small your drone is, is fly over crowds. So if you spot one flying over the heads of festival-goers, for example, or a soccer game, then you might be in hot water. The theory being that if it suddenly falls from the sky, the crowds have no way of avoiding it.
If you see a prison, don’t try to spot the inmates either. Prisons are an area strictly closed to drones, unless you have permission from the authorities.
Few will forget the chaos wrought at Gatwick Airport in December 2018 when drones were spotted around the airport complex. It sparked a huge alert, the grounding of flights and howls of frustration from those planning to escape for Christmas.
No one has ever been identified as the culprit.
But it has increased awareness of the issues – meaning police will likely have a zero tolerance approach if you decide to follow in their footsteps. Also, if you endanger an airplane by your actions, you could end up in jail for five years.
“Police are number one in law enforcement,” the CAA says. “We have recently worked with the police and their skills and knowledge have grown exponentially over the past two years to combat the misuse of drones.
“Obviously their number one target is criminal use. They are getting more and more power. In the coming months, legislation will be implemented to allow police to impose fines on the spot for misuse. drones, which they couldn’t before. And it could even be for something like not being registered. It could be a fine and they will take your drone away from you.
“People will see a lot more law enforcement apps in the months and years to come on drone activity.”
Kent Police declined to comment when asked for this article. The force, along with other emergency services, have adopted the capabilities of drones – using them to track crooks or monitor accident or fire scenes. Kent County Council also used them to check for potholes.
If you decide to buy a drone over 250g, you will not only need an operator ID, but also a flyer ID which will involve taking a theory test.
The restrictions are also much stricter. You are not allowed to fly near built-up areas – whether residential or commercial – and you must keep a distance of 50 meters between yourself and anyone at a minimum.
Since the launch of drone registrations in 2019, more than 300,000 people have registered.
And as the specifications of these remarkable cameras in their flying machines increase, the numbers will inevitably increase.
Concludes Jonathan Nicholson: “Are there people with drones that they should be registered for? Probably yes, there is. But it is an ongoing campaign to make people understand that they need it.
“It’s just a matter of making sure they know the safety rules.”
To stay up to date with the latest drone rules and regulations, click here on the Civil Aviation Authority’s drone code.
To learn more about our detailed features, click here.
