Regulations for Spain

[Tinners]

sorry I meant the guardia national - the ones in green who strut and swagger!!!

I think they still call them the Guardia Civil and yes they strut around but in Marbella they wear sun glasses - but you don't mess with them!

 

[Shammyh]

In my experience... which is largely limited to Barcelona/Figures/Girona... and not really Spain, but Catalonia...

Lots of speed cameras in town! A few on the major roads, but little to no traffic enforcement on the AP 7 that I often drive from Barcelona to France.

I'll often cruise at around 90-100 MPH on the empty stretches and still find cars (usually German) passing me.

 

[Tinners]

In my experience... which is largely limited to Barcelona/Figures/Girona... and not really Spain, but Catalonia...

Lots of speed cameras in town! A few on the major roads, but little to no traffic enforcement on the AP 7 that I often drive from Barcelona to France.

I'll often cruise at around 90-100 MPH on the empty stretches and still find cars (usually German) passing me.

Any experience of regulations for flying your drone?

 

[Shammyh]

Any experience of regulations for flying your drone?

Generally speaking, these rules apply: Quelle place pour les drones dans le ciel français ? - Ministère du Développement durable
Or at least that's my understanding.

I can't find it at the moment, but I remember also consulting an aeronautical chart of some variety for my specific area, noting the altitude restrictions and nearby POI.

Personally, I've flown maybe... 20-30 flights in France but only over the course of 6 weeks. All from private residence.
So no experience in public whatsoever or dealing with enforcement.

The French in my understanding are more interested in privacy and general safety of crowds/people more than anything else.
I doubt they would be concerned unless I was surveying people or flying over bad things to fly over (nuclear power plants, city centers, etc).

Trick is really not to do stupid things. Or crashing.

~~

I tend towards a policy of "ask forgiveness" over "ask permission".
I also pay serious and close attention to the safety of my drone and my fellow humans. Usually not in that order. ;-)

Not for every location I admit, but for most new locations, I check:
- Aeronautical charts
- Google Maps Hybrid View
- Google Earth

Day of, I usually check Flightradar and/or my tablet-attached ADS-B radio. (USB SDR + Tablet + Antenna = mobile cheap ADS receiver!)
This is not a perfect system of course, but I do try to be aware of what's around me in the sky and on the ground.

Kept me out of trouble so far. *knock on digital wood*

 

[Tomas]

Hi guys! I need to go to Barcelona at the end of the ear and shoot some footage of the Port of Barcelona. I have been reading a lot of 'problems with drones in Spain'. Obviously i would be really careful and maintain a high altitude I need basically one fly over over the building, do you think I will encounter any issues? Cheers

 

[Tinners]

Hi guys! I need to go to Barcelona at the end of the ear and shoot some footage of the Port of Barcelona. I have been reading a lot of 'problems with drones in Spain'. Obviously i would be really careful and maintain a high altitude I need basically one fly over over the building, do you think I will encounter any issues? Cheers

Forget it! Drones are banned in Spain (Amateur or commercial) with the exception of some small recreational parks but these are few and far between.

 

[Tomas]

Forget it! Drones are banned in Spain (Amateur or commercial) with the exception of some small recreational parks but these are few and far between.

Thanks, I though so.. What about camera with shoulder rig, no tripod on the street?

 

[Tinners]

Thanks, I though so.. What about camera with shoulder rig, no tripod on the street?

That's OK even a Gopro on your head is acceptable! They just hate drones. Barcelona is a great city - enjoy.

 

[AngryBird]

Hi guys,
I`m planning a vacation to Spain in June with my wife and of course my P3 standard
Any updates for regulations in this country? In general is it worth taking my drone with me? I`ll drive from Barcelona to Gibraltar by south coast and try to visit some POI`s.

 

[robinb]

Yes, normal rules apply

 

[Keelbyfish]

I'm on my 5th Droning trip to Lanzarote and never had any hassle. It's a Droners heaven with all the volcanos and craters. I've been advised by a local I'm not allowed to fly in the National Park however

 

[Keelbyfish]

Apparently it is technically illegal to fly drones outdoors unless you use a designated area, which in Lanzarote is a disused airstrip. However the law is never enforced unless you really don't use common sense or abide by CAA/ FAA guidelines such as flying over crowds. Now if something was to go wrong and someone did get injured....... That's why I stick to volcanoes and larva fields

 

[Harabergsmannen]

Hi guys, just read the thread about flying in Spain and would like to hear if there´s any updates on the issue since last year? I´m planning a shoot in the general area of art photography in Spain. I´ve been looking into what applies for commercial droning, and it seems just very hard to get, with all kinds of paperwork that needs to be sent to different places. Anyone have any input on that? The place I want to shoot is not in a populated area, even though there might be people working on weekdays. Maybe just go there on a sunday morning and do the thing?

 

[robinb]

To get a commercial license you need to pass a test at designated centre etc etc.

The hobby side has been firmed up and clarified a lot more so though still having ongoing changes.
Airports (technically also includes ctr zones as well) ( Ie the geo warning area)
Height 120m
Line of sight
No night flying
Not over urbanisations
Not over larger groups of people, Ie parades, beaches, parks, stadiums etc
And basically they say you are liable for any damage.

That's the official line though there is a lot of open spaces and not many people are clued up on this.

 

[Harabergsmannen]

To get a commercial license you need to pass a test at designated centre etc etc.

The hobby side has been firmed up and clarified a lot more so though still having ongoing changes.
Airports (technically also includes ctr zones as well) ( Ie the geo warning area)
Height 120m
Line of sight
No night flying
Not over urbanisations
Not over larger groups of people, Ie parades, beaches, parks, stadiums etc
And basically they say you are liable for any damage.

That's the official line though there is a lot of open spaces and not many people are clued up on this.

In other words, if you´re not flying an commercial assignment but for artistic purposes, your clear to go? Is this to be found in printing anywhere?

 

[robinb]

Yes though the small print (about ctr zones) is not here but on official website.

 

[Harabergsmannen]

I think that´s the same paperwork I got from authorities a while ago. Pilot licence?? Well, I have a commercial drone licence in Sweden, does that apply? And what about airport security/customs, will they cause trouble u think?

 

[Javier Ruiz O]

I earned my drone "pilot wings" last May in Spain, which includes: Official Medical Certificate (same standard than paraglider or ultralight pilots), Theoretical course and exam, Practical flying exam and certification for flying one determinated model (Phantom in my case). With all this I can be contracted by a registrated Drone Operator Company if I want to fly commercially, that is receiving money. Ther is only other possibility for flying commercially, that is to become an independent professional (even for fiscal purposes) This is what I am now preparing: a lot a paperworl to present (and wait to get approved!) to the Spanish organism which controls all civil flights: AESA (Spanish Agency for Aerial Security).

OK: until that approval, I am in the very same situation that anybody in Spain: we need to follow the few things that apply to "recreational flights". And this is specifically what Robinb has linked two posts above this one: these recommendations, published by AESA, say specifically the following: I will try now to translate the very important issues mentioned:
It starts saying that
"RECREATIONAL FLIGHTS, NON COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS (it seems that this is what Harabergsmannen wants to do), DO NOT NEED AESA AGENCY AUTHORISATION"

Aesa recommends the following(ticks in green):
- "Always fly LOS and at less than 120m (400 ft) above ground level"
- "There is NO NEED to be a pilot, BUT to know how to fly safely"
- "You can only fly in adequate areas. For example: Radio Control model flight clubs, UNPOPULATED AREAS, etc."
- "Damages caused are responsibility of the pilot"

Now the Dont's (red crosses):
- "Not in urban areas"
- "Not over crowds: recreational parks, beaches, open air concerts, weddinds, demonstrations..."
- "Not at night"
- "Not in paragliding, parachuting, ultralight, aero clubs... areas"
- " Do not put others in danger"

And that is. This linked page is official and the most modern written advise regarding drones flown recreationally.
Only to tell you that a drone assurance for a less than 20 kg drone in recreational flights costs 160 euros per year. I got mine in less than one day, by phone and filling a form sent via email. This covers up to 300,000 euros damages inflicted to others (people or property) not yourself or your drone.



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[Javier Ruiz O]

You can find a non official (but used by sailplane pilots in Spain) map of restricted flght zones. It is in KMZ format, to be used by Google Earth as a layer. It is 3D, and clicking over the red or yellow lines gives you the ceiling of each zone as well as the bottom. It worjs great on PC or Mac, but I have not been able to make it run properly on iPhone or iPad. Yiu can visualise the zones, but not the info when clicking.
In order to simplify a little the mess of zones over the terrain, you can tick off the layer labeled "aerovias" because they are all very high and not at all applicable ti fly below 120m AGS.

http://www.vueloavela.org/index.php...=405&act=dd&nombre=SUASpain201604.3D&tipo=kmz


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[Javier Ruiz O]

Please, I have only copied above a portion of the link . The correct one is:

http://www.vueloavela.org/index.php...=405&act=dd&nombre=SUASpain201604.3D&tipo=kmz



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