Hi all, this is my first post on here as I am new to flying my drone although I bought my Mavic Pro 2 before the first lockdown. I have hardly used it since I bought it other than in my local woodland but I am travelling to Devon on our first trip away in ages and my concerns are regarding the use of drones in recreational areas such as parks or beaches, now I fully understand the rules on safety involving crowds of people but I bought my drone as a landscape photographer, and as a landscape photographer I spend a lot of time shooting seascapes at sunrise, so am I still banned frome using my drone on empty beach at 4am? Or if i flew it after assessing the risk to others at 4am would common sense prevail? Or is just one of those stupid rules that allows zero flexibility for the benefit of no one.
Beaches
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The problem with "assessing the risk" or "common sense" ... are that those methods rarely are constant, if 100 pilots were allowed to mod the regulations in that way, it would be 100 different interpretations.
The rules & regulations are what they are ... if they don't explicitly say that it's OK at 4 am, it's not OK.
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Welcome to the forum.
Some of the UK members can better advise re the flight info.
From what I see, we are about the same here in Oz, as the UK.
Some councils will ban TOAL from their land (you can overfly) . . . beaches are usually ok, but again operating from council parklands at the foreshore may be off limits.
Mostly, if you are going at those times, and no one is around, I'd think taking off from down near the beach should be fine, hover up and over the beach to shoot, watching for people who may come along too near your flight zone.
Some of the UK members here might recommend a CAA app that tells you if it's ok to fly in a place.
Ours here will say not ok to fly if it's past twilight, or in any sort of no fly zone.
Our apps here in Oz don't tell you about council bylaws, so use care there.
Most of our councils around Oz don't put up no drones signage, and bylaws are buried in their websites, so it's hard sometimes to get info.
If a ranger happened along, apologise profusely, and say you'll land immediately and leave the area.
I guess you are all registered, licenced, and drone labelled, know the rules etc.
Some of the UK members can better advise re the flight info.
From what I see, we are about the same here in Oz, as the UK.
Some councils will ban TOAL from their land (you can overfly) . . . beaches are usually ok, but again operating from council parklands at the foreshore may be off limits.
Mostly, if you are going at those times, and no one is around, I'd think taking off from down near the beach should be fine, hover up and over the beach to shoot, watching for people who may come along too near your flight zone.
Some of the UK members here might recommend a CAA app that tells you if it's ok to fly in a place.
Ours here will say not ok to fly if it's past twilight, or in any sort of no fly zone.
Our apps here in Oz don't tell you about council bylaws, so use care there.
Most of our councils around Oz don't put up no drones signage, and bylaws are buried in their websites, so it's hard sometimes to get info.
If a ranger happened along, apologise profusely, and say you'll land immediately and leave the area.
I guess you are all registered, licenced, and drone labelled, know the rules etc.
Most beaches in the UK have an area between low and high tide marks that is owned by the Crown Estate and drone flying is permitted as long as you follow CAA regulations.
Some Councils have local restrictions on Crown Estate. More details below:
www.thecrownestate.co.uk
Some Councils have local restrictions on Crown Estate. More details below:
Metal detecting & drone flying
The Crown Estate seeks to encourage responsible use of the foreshore and estuaries that we own. Find information and terms and conditions for metal detecting and drone flying on Crown Estate foreshore.
www.thecrownestate.co.uk
All replies to your message are from overseas members. As someone UK based I would suggest if you wish to fly in Devon at 4am - go for it! Who is going to stop you at that hour?
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Understand that, but the OP asked . . .
Rules from CAA and other authority (land use) are generally 24/7 I imagine, common sense / flexibility does not usually apply.
It'd be nice if common sense could be applied, but that would no doubt lead to many differing viewpoints and possible conflicts.
Motorways at 4am might be light / nil traffic, doesn't mean it's ok to do the ton, and most wouldn't.
It often boils down to the individuals risk adversity to authority.
My council bans model aircraft from their parks, it's a huge council area.
The rule is not enforced, no signage in any park, it's buried in their bylaws and takes a lot of specific searching to find it.
There are parks so isolated, mid week, work hours, it's very safe to go in there and do a couple of quick test flights for 1/2 hour, without anyone coming by or risk.
????Now if someone with their particular common sense thought it does no harm to go and fly there on a Saturday / Sunday morning, just follow the drone code / rules. often dogs owners, people exercising, taking a walk and passing through, complaints made, councils policy might be brought to bear a little more stringently . . . signage put in, rangers patrolling / enforcing, warnings / fines issued.
Slippery slope.
I'd certainly fly in the OPs case, as long as airway clear to go, TOAL well away from any homes / parks, landing pad on the beach firm sand, out of earshot of anyone else on the beach (other photographers etc).
OP is wise to take things slowly, only a new pilot with a very pricey drone, probably just looking to take it up, get some nice elevated photos / video, keep it pretty quick and safe.
Happy and safe flights.
May be overseas right now but 44-years as an English citizen, CAA registered and fully familiar with the UAV regulations would suggest being ‘overseas’ has little relevance in my case.
I’ve seen more cases of the CAA drone regulations being blatantly ignored in England than I’ve seen anywhere else. Mostly in National Parks where signage clearly states No Drones, but also flying through city centres, directly over trains and motorways.
I take on board all comments made regarding CAA regulations etc. However the OP raised the question as to whether he could or could not take his drone to a beach in Devon at 4am. He did not refer to flying in parks, city centres, crossing motorways and railway lines.
The newer rules are risk based. If you're concerned I'd go above and beyond; do a risk assessment for flying in that area at that time, including alternate landing sites etc. Print it and have it with you when flying.
There is a HUGE difference between someone flying wreckless over a crowded beach in summer, and someone flying at 4am who has explicitly gone there because the beach will be empty and reasonable precautions have been made.
I am, however, not a lawyer, and happy to be corrected!
There is a HUGE difference between someone flying wreckless over a crowded beach in summer, and someone flying at 4am who has explicitly gone there because the beach will be empty and reasonable precautions have been made.
I am, however, not a lawyer, and happy to be corrected!
The rule are pretty the same in all Europe nowadays ... & nowhere is it stated that you can overrule regulations or flight zones by simply doing an own risk assessment, doesn't matter how little risk it is to fly over an empty beach at 4am, if the location you are gone fly in is a NFZ with no explicit exceptions you risk getting caught & take the consequences.
The only correct answer to the OP's questions is ... common sense or self made risk assessments aren't actions you can use to legally mod regulations.
The question, in my view, was not about NFZs/air restrictions but about the 'flying near people' aspect of regulations.
If a blanket NFZ is in place over an area of course I would never fly there. If, however, the only restriction is your ability to fly near people then I stand by my point.
Take a look at flying under article 16 rules with the BMFA. They allow a reasonable amount of freedom and the beach need not be “empty”. It costs around £38 annually and includes a significant amount of 3rd party insurance cover.
Hi guys, thanks very much for all your replies, I am now away on holiday in Devon for a week, I have a bag full of camera gear with me ready for a few sunrise and sunset seascape shoots, and the Mavic is in there!
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