Sensible new laws in the UK

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New laws relating to drone use near airports in the UK have just been announced, after the December disruption at Gatwick.

Drones will be forbidden to fly within 3 miles of an airport, as different from the current 0.6miles (1km) no-fly zone.

Furthermore, the police will be given new stop and search powers against anyone suspected of flying a drone maliciously.

These two changes will be incorporated into the new Drones Bill which was already planned/scheduled for later this year.

Contrary to a few wild claims or speculation on this forum in late December and early January, I personally think these two changes/additions are very reasonable.

The no-fly zones for drones near airports here in South Africa are much wider than the planned new regulations for the UK (10km or 6.2 miles), more than double the distance.
 
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Drones will be forbidden to fly within 3 miles of an airport, as different from the current 0.6miles (1km) no-fly zone.

Yes absolutely. totally acceptable and reasonable and sensible, moderate in fact.

Furthermore, the police will be given new stop and search powers against anyone suspected of flying a drone maliciously.

No absolutely not. Far too vague, nothing like qualified or quantified. Simply further creep of power and what does"suspected of operating a drone maliciously" actually mean anyway?

Does it mean perhaps that it will be like in the Gatwick fiasco where being one of the 61 pfco registered operators in that area meant that you were one of the only 61 persons of interest and the two people finally harassed within an inch of their life had committed the unforgivable crime of once owning an RPA and an R/C Helicopter? It's true, and we still have no one apprehended.

Well then, anytime some wacko with an R.P.A. has a brain fart all you pfco's out there can now expect to be detained and searched as you own an R.P.A. and can be "reasonably suspected" as you have the means where as the unregistered, unqualified offender will most likely quietly slip away. Do yourself a favour and send your politicians the message, No search without judicial oversight!

Police use the "reasonable suspicion" excuse be it relating to drugs, firearms or any premise to detain and search the person, vehicles and homes and otherwise harass myriads of innocent people each day around the western world and have legislative coverage for thuggery in the process. Sadly the police cannot be relied upon to excercise discretion as they rarely have any.

I'm a commercial RPA pilot, someone beaks the law with an R.P.A. in an area near where I am operating, on the way home from work one is seen my car during an unrelated traffic stop ... "bingo ...reasonable suspicion". "You're coming with us lad and we'll take those aircraft until we sort this out" Well, "no you're not and you can think again plod., that's the food on my family's table".

Yes, I'll answer some reasonable questions as to why I have an R.P.A. on me and why I'm in the area, yes I'll show you my credentials. Allow you to trash through my vehicle and tens of thousands of dollars of delicate equipment with the usual gentility and care shown in a police search (being that of a bull elephant) however? Not without a court order and not by anyone not trained to handle the equipment in the appropraite manner you don't, and when you're done I expect to be on my way with my tools of trade, not have to get a lawyer to fight for a month to get them back.

Policing is not easy, it was never MEANT to be easy and it should NOT be easy. Where policing is made to be easy and routine there liberty is trampled. Why can there always be an argument made for "one more law or restriction" when none is ever accepted for preserving "one last liberty?"

The U.K. has always (like Australia) been an outrageous "nanny state" and the people there (Like Australia) subscribe blindly to the ridiculous notion that the government can protect us from all the evils of the world if we just give them enough legislative authority and surrender enough of our natural rights .... what a future we are leaving for our children.

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. "
"Edward Abbey"

Rights are existent on their own. Everyone is born in possession of them and they are not "bestowed or granted" by a government or a piece of legislation nor can they be taken away by same. Any law that enables this is a false law and has no moral authority. You can choose to abdicate your rights if you so wish. I do not so choose because I learn from history.

"When the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate
and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights
of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by
patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly
so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."
[Julius Caesar]

Regards
Ari
 
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Drones will be forbidden to fly within 3 miles of an airport, as different from the current 0.6miles (1km) no-fly zone.

I fully support this for airports, however can anyone point me to the definition of an "Airport" in this respect?
I live near a small aerodrome and need to know if I should change my favourite practice flight area.

Edit- here's the list of "protected Aerodromes"
NATS | AIS - Home
and here's the new laws.
http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1763 New UAS guidance.pdf
 
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Here is the Glasgow Airport NFZ with the latest CAA limits applied. I have just snuck in beyond the cut off point for the southern limit. My place (red dot) is just under 1km from my flying park. Phew!

I use the park when it is quiet with just a few dog walkers around. Anyone I have come across usually shows interest in the technology rather than any concern. I'm happy to show how hopeless the spying capability of the Phantom is. Folk are delighted when I show them on the iPad filmed from 3 or 4 metres to demonstrate how safe their privacy is. :)
New FRZ Glasgow.jpg
New FRZ Glasgow.jpg
 
Cheers for the link. Mine's not on the list or the map so Just I'll keep a reasonable distance from the runway ends and I'll be fine. :)
I'll give you a wave next time I fly out of GLA Auld yin. ;-)
 
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Well I totally agree with the need for more specific legislation, and I don’t disagree with expanding the no-fly zone area around airports, there is already a little enough space in the UK to fly. After living in Australia for 14 years, and then returning to the UK, I was somewhat alarmed by how much of the airspace in the U.K. is shown as either a no-fly zone,restricted, or at various levels of risk, according to DroneAssist or AirMap. I have also noticed differences in the information portrayed by these two apps.
I would rather that, instead of blanketing most of the built up parts of the U.K. in various degrees of risk or restricted zones, more effort was made to have a clear understanding as to what the terms ‘High Risk’ vs ‘Area of Increased Risk’ vs ‘Flight Restriction Zone’ actually mean in practical, down to earth flying terms. I do not disagree with any sensible restrictions, or warnings.

I sincerely hope that the education that must surely be organised and delivered before we all undertake the ‘online test’ as part of drone registration, to come later this year in the U.K. (November it is slated for) will be clear about the different meanings of the different zones, in layman’s terms. Yes, I realise that I could try and look them up, and hopefully also understand what they mean, however in reality what I end up doing is either not flying, or travelling quite a distance to somewhere I can fly without fear of making a mistake on my understanding of the area I am in. I am very fortunate to live 100yds from the beach. There will be many who do not, and the closer you get to a city will mean there are less and less areas (of any interest anyway) left to fly in.
 
Yes absolutely. totally acceptable and reasonable and sensible, moderate in fact.



No absolutely not. Far too vague, nothing like qualified or quantified. Simply further creep of power and what does"suspected of operating a drone maliciously" actually mean anyway?

Does it mean perhaps that it will be like in the Gatwick fiasco where being one of the 61 pfco registered operators in that area meant that you were one of the only 61 persons of interest and the two people finally harassed within an inch of their life had committed the unforgivable crime of once owning an RPA and an R/C Helicopter? It's true, and we still have no one apprehended.

Well then, anytime some wacko with an R.P.A. has a brain fart all you pfco's out there can now expect to be detained and searched as you own an R.P.A. and can be "reasonably suspected" as you have the means where as the unregistered, unqualified offender will most likely quietly slip away. Do yourself a favour and send your politicians the message, No search without judicial oversight!

Police use the "reasonable suspicion" excuse be it relating to drugs, firearms or any premise to detain and search the person, vehicles and homes and otherwise harass myriads of innocent people each day around the western world and have legislative coverage for thuggery in the process. Sadly the police cannot be relied upon to excercise discretion as they rarely have any.

I'm a commercial RPA pilot, someone beaks the law with an R.P.A. in an area near where I am operating, on the way home from work one is seen my car during an unrelated traffic stop ... "bingo ...reasonable suspicion". "You're coming with us lad and we'll take those aircraft until we sort this out" Well, "no you're not and you can think again plod., that's the food on my family's table".

Yes, I'll answer some reasonable questions as to why I have an R.P.A. on me and why I'm in the area, yes I'll show you my credentials. Allow you to trash through my vehicle and tens of thousands of dollars of delicate equipment with the usual gentility and care shown in a police search (being that of a bull elephant) however? Not without a court order and not by anyone not trained to handle the equipment in the appropraite manner you don't, and when you're done I expect to be on my way with my tools of trade, not have to get a lawyer to fight for a month to get them back.

Policing is not easy, it was never MEANT to be easy and it should NOT be easy. Where policing is made to be easy and routine there liberty is trampled. Why can there always be an argument made for "one more law or restriction" when none is ever accepted for preserving "one last liberty?"

The U.K. has always (like Australia) been an outrageous "nanny state" and the people there (Like Australia) subscribe blindly to the ridiculous notion that the government can protect us from all the evils of the world if we just give them enough legislative authority and surrender enough of our natural rights .... what a future we are leaving for our children.

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. "
"Edward Abbey"

Rights are existent on their own. Everyone is born in possession of them and they are not "bestowed or granted" by a government or a piece of legislation nor can they be taken away by same. Any law that enables this is a false law and has no moral authority. You can choose to abdicate your rights if you so wish. I do not so choose because I learn from history.

"When the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate
and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights
of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by
patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly
so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."
[Julius Caesar]

Regards
Ari

BRAVO
 
I'll give you a wave next time I fly out of GLA Auld yin. ;-)

Hiya Boab. You can see right into my kitchen on take-off from GLA. Stop by for a “fly” coffee if you have time to waste.

I once had the Red Arrows rattling the window panes. Stopping by at GLA to top up the motion-lotion on their way to the Tall (Sail) Ships display.
Boy were they low, in and out. Wheeech! Wheeech! ;)
 
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Going back to the 1950's, when I was a little boy, I remember that the Vulcans from RAF Finningley (Now Robin Hood airport) could fly low on certain days of the week. I have strong recollections of seeing them so low that I could see the rivets on the fuselage and wings. Something that always fascinated me!!

I'm pretty sure that any drone flown at a maximum height from my back yard would have soon been gobbled up!
 
Going back to the 1950's, when I was a little boy, I remember that the Vulcans from RAF Finningley (Now Robin Hood airport) could fly low on certain days of the week. I have strong recollections of seeing them so low that I could see the rivets on the fuselage and wings. Something that always fascinated me!!

I'm pretty sure that any drone flown at a maximum height from my back yard would have soon been gobbled up!

I remember seeing a Vulcan on approach to Coventry air show from Coombe Abbey as a kid probably 40 years ago.
It went dark it was so low! I remember seeing nuts and bolts etc then came the noise !!!!!!

Is it Independence Day where a spacecraft does the same thing?

Anyway it made an impression :)
 
I can only be thoroughly disappointed by the draconian restrictions the UK government has decided to impose.
My local park is only just within 3 miles of Manchester International Airport (4.5km away), and I have never flown my UAV even within 2.5miles of the airport. With these new laws, I'd be a criminal taking off and flying, even in Beginner mode; i.e no more than 30m high and within the same confined area.
Even Tatton Park, which *had* an area for UAV operation is now to be a NFZ.
I'm yet to see any evidence that any UAV, other than the reported police UAV, was flying anywhere near Gatwick.
Still, we are all to be victims of this punitive, knee jerk reaction and accept collective responsibility.
I certainly do not have to be happy about this though.
 

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