Hi all
Drone under 250g, I read information saying you probably can take off on a public beach but some have bylaws, how do I find out where I can or cannot take off from?
Some mention bylaws. Where does one find this out in whatever area you are with your drone?
Permissions required?
I am confused
I read e.g that you cannot take iff from National Trust land BUT you can fly over it as they have jurisdiction over air space
Thanks for any advice
The legislation is vague on purpose on this. For sub 250g it talks about large groups of people and the ability of people to get out of the way. I think it is left vague like this on purpose so that we, as pilots, can determine the risk for each situation. In your case any day in December in the UK I wager that you are good to go on any beach that does not have a flight restriction. In the summer when the number of knotted hankies per mile is off the charts not so much. Ask yourself the question if my child were on the beach and the drone were to fall on them could they get out of the way, would it hurt them? if either is yes you have your answer. It is up to us to do a real time assessment of the prevailing conditions.
i went to my council’s records office to read through all bye-laws relating to use of public spaces in the area. Every few years i call the council legal department to simply ask if they have publihsed any new bye-laws since I last checked.
Thankyou all for responding. Yeah i am very confused and the drone is still in the box, dont want to break any laws and hate to open it and find I am locked in not knowing where I can go.
The fact that you are being cautious shows me that you entirely the type of person any restrictions are not for. I think that by asking the question you are already showing good decision making skills. Enjoy the hobby and do what you consider to be legal.
Brill, thanks Gusisin for your commentsđź‘Ť
Judt trying to get my head around things
I’m also pretty new to the drone scene, but sites like this and YouTube will give you the confidence of where it’s safe and reasonable to fly, and where you should exercise more caution. I’d recommend taking your A2 C of C, as that will help you to understand legally where you can fly, and also help you to resolve any conflicts if you are challenged. If you can show a qualification, insurance and (if logged in something like Altitude Angel) a flight plan, this can quickly defuse a situation. As others have said, the very fact that you are taking this approach (as I did) will mean that when you do take off you’ll have done your due diligence and risk assessment beforehand.
So far, I have only encountered positive curiosity or perhaps the odd strange look of a passer by, but then again I do try to keep my distance.
Hi Martin
Thanks for your reply and comments
Yes we are the considerate folk doing this and hoping to toe the line.
Im just more confused the more I tead
I have had a teply back from my local council as I was asking about a liocal beach
This is the reply (with it being council land, do I need to seek permission? As someone mentioned somewhere that it would mean asking permission from anyone rd the land before you could do anything?
This was the reply ,appreciate your thoughts/comments
There aren’t places that are “public” as they are usually owned or managed by someone. If you take Llansteffan beach as an example, the beach up until the tide is managed by us and thereafter by the Crown. You would have to seek permission from us to use a drone from our land. You could seek permission to take off and fly from private land such as the castle of course.
The Crown Estate foreshore (defined as all of the land between mean high water and mean low water) does allow drones to be flown. So you can fly there. Metal detecting & drone flying | The Crown Estate
This thread should also be helpful:Takeoff, landing & operating permissions, what is the letter of the law? To summarise it, the laws which are concerned with the permission of landowners is trespass law. Basically, if you enter somewhere without permission, and you are asked to leave and you don’t, you are trespassing. This is a civil matter, not criminal.
So one might argue that, so long as you leave if and when you are asked to do so (and you’re not breaking any other laws, e.g. bylaws or PSPOs or the drone regulations), then you can fly wherever it is safe to do so.
[Caveat; I am not a lawyer, and therefore I am not qualified to give you legal advice. Please do not take anything I say as as such]
Thankyou Simon
I have taken s look at the link thanks
Interesting but still confused
Hi @PaulPaulUK
You’re overthinking it.
Use Drone Assist to make sure you’re not in restricted airspace. Make sure you’re flying safely and lawfully (i.e. not too close to people not under your control) and get on with it.
The worst that could possibly happen is someone might ask you to move.
You mentioned “getting locked up”. There is no chance of that. Trespass is a civil matter, not criminal. And it would only come into play if you did not leave when asked to do so.
[I’m not a lawyer. This is not legal advice]
Thanks Simon
Yeah I probably am
Hate making a mistake
It’s also not knowing if should walk away if a member of the public asks me to leave quoting this and that but from what you say, I guess if its an official asking, then just leave.
Mind you, if I knew I was 100% correct and not do e anything wrong, then I would stand my ground ( most of the time)
Cheers Steve
I hear you. If you’re on the Crown Estate foreshore (i.e the part of the beach between mean high water, and mean low water) then you definitely have permission to fly there.
In the FPV UK store we sell high viz armbands which you can put your FPV UK membership card in. They look very official and members tell us they have stopped, or quickly closed down, interactions with Karen’s in quite a few cases. (One member said a Karen approached him saying “That’s illegal”, he pointed at his arm and the person went away saying “Thanks for doing everything properly”.)
You might like one?
Thanks Steve
Ha thats good with the Karen people.
Think best see how we go and defo keep in mind if we get too much Karen hassle lol
Excellent…That is really help full. Will be going down to our Council office to do the same.
Thank You
I’m lucky our Council replied to the FOR that was done saying they have 0 bylaws in place. I fly from the Garden now I have the A2 anyway - and there is nothing around here on Drone Assist apart from lots of power warning symbols but these are all solar panels on the roofs so no danger
Hi Peter,
I live on the North Yorkshire Coast,lot of nice scenery but lots of Wind most days. I tend to fly in my back garden as all my drones are below the 250 weight and I have really good Neighbors.Looking forward to a bit of nice Weather so can get out and about.Got one of those Tiny Drones the size of a wrist watch but I don’t attempt to fly it as its so fast and EVIL it stays in its box.
Rob Wakefield.