Regulations
A common question we often get asked is whether we have a license to fly our machine? The short answer is "No, not as such, but as of the end of 2019 to fly a drone or other model aircraft you need a certificate of competency plus an operator's ID and the ID number needs to be displayed on the aircraft".
The CAA regulations for small (<7 Kg) unmanned aircraft equipped with a camera stipulate ...
- You must not fly higher than 120 metres above the ground.
- You must not fly within 150 metres of buildings or structures.
- You must not fly within 50 metres of people or vehicles.
- You must not fly within 150 metres of groups of 1,000+ people.
- You must not fly in the vicinity of airports. (See Below)
- If you intend to make money doing this - you do indeed need the permission of the CAA.
But subject to the above - you can fly over farmland, parkland and other areas in the same way that passenger aircraft do! Just make sure you are not "spying" on anyone or endangering anyone!
Our approach is simple - we only fly where we are invited. So we can fly close to your church, or house, or combine harvester, or indeed youself, if you ask us to do so and you agree to follow any safety instructions we provide.
Where we will draw the line is if you ask us to film your house but it is close to a public road or other houses - in which case we're sorry but we have to say no unless we can speak to the owners of the nearby houses and gain their permission too.
Restricted Areas
For obvious and easily understood reasons there are well defined restricted areas in the vicinity of airports - the equipment used is pre-programmed with these areas and will not allow flights within them. See Map & Video
Legal Disclaimer - The "rules" listed above are a simplifed version of the regulations as we understand them - you should ascertain for yourself the detailed situation.
