UK New drone bill announced today...

[NickU]

New powers for police to address illegal and unsafe use of drones - GOV.UK

So looks like they're going to speed up the introduction of the drone bill. I guess that's why the fees are going up again next year to pay for it all...

Reading the twaddle on there, I sincerely hope they're not intending everyone to have to prelog their flying area in that silly altitude angel-nats app. Not everyone has access to phone signals when flying, and not everyone flies at a static single site (so logging a flying 'spot' +500m radius would be dangerous misinformation to anyone expecting you to only be in that area). As an example, one area I often fly in covers around 9sq miles of upland area and phone signal is non-existent to patchy at best - I sometimes can cover a flight line of a mile or two while off-road either walking or with a 4x4 or quad bike (aircraft stays within VLOS at all times). I'd like to see how the app can cope with that . Area of flight can also change on the fly depending on what the weather is up to or what other users of the land are doing when I get there. If there's no signal to use app, how the hell are you supposed to update things on it?

 

[The Editor]

All a load off complete twaddle as you say.
We already know plod are totally overstretched as it is. They have even downgraded burglary to a non attending offence! So for the expectation that the constabulary (assuming there is a car within 2 hours away) will come out to a reported 'dangerous drone flying' incident is just laughable.
By the time anyone has reported it, plod has responded and assuming a car attends, Johnny Drone Flyer will have used his couple of batteries up, packed up and gone home.
Totally rediculous.

Don't even get me started on reporting companies/individuals blatantly advertising aerial work with no PfCO.
I have reported one company direct to the CAA who although not responsible now for enforcing the 'dangerous flying bit' are still supposedly the body charged with going after companies not holding PfCO.
I have sent them details together with website addresses and individuals contact details to make it really easy for them. That over a period of 18 months and still nothing has happened. The website is still up and the person is still trading.
My last email to the CAA basically said I am not going to bother renewing my PfCO when due or my insurance as clearly they take no action whatsoever against breaches of their own regulations.
That email has been met with stoney silence........
The whole regulation of the industry now is just become too cumbersome and inefficient.
EASA are bloody clueless as to what day of the week it is so they only muddy the waters with their poking their nose in!

 

[NickU]

Oh please, don't get me started on EASA... just go back to a couple of guys walking in front of your drone waving a warning flag... and don't forget if you go over 5mph, then you might die of oxygen starvation too...

 

[tweaker]

Reporting unregulated cowboys to CAA is a waste of time. I had this problem. Your area will have a police liasion officer specifically for reporting to. The guy I dealt with was knowledgeable and on side. The CAA respond PDQ with Sgt X gets in touch.
Only prob is you must teport it to police liasion officer as other police dont really know law/care/too busy.
HTH

 

[tweaker]

Teport =report

 

[giumick]

Im hoping all these new regs only affect hobby drone users.

We have enough to do already. And i also hope EASA dont try and push unrealistic rules on existing RC flyers of helis, fixed wing etc. Sod off am i putting return to home on my foamies lol

 

[Iceboxvideo]

Just to add fuel to the fire, I was having a chat with someone I know who is not PfCO who is a former police officer and now a sports cameraman in his 70's told me that he did a paid drone job for an estate agent "it was a bit naughty of me but
I was paid £300"
It was if he felt he wanted to let me know that he was breaking the law but didn't care much. If the law was enforceable would he have told me that ? Would a person tell me that he/she is driving a car without insurance ?

It will take a lot more ranting and injury statistics to get higher before legislation and policing is stepped up a gear. Possibly somebody high profile such as an MP needs to get injured or killed by a non-PfCO drone operator first before things move on?