CAA Drone Registration

[KobeFlight1981]

Nah, flyer ID is free. Anyone can fly a drone for nothing, but the owner (operator) has to register and cough up.

That's right.. It did say that. Thanks for the reminder

 

[Owen Manderfield]

This is all about public perception. We all know that those who want to fly irresponsibly will continue to do so regardless of guidelines, regulations or geo fencing.

If a member of the public sees a casual flyer who has taken the trouble to register, take a test and display these details on their equipment, that will give some level of comfort that the flyer is competent, responsible and accountable for their actions.

We all know in practise is hardly means a thing but it's how we appear to the general public that counts- there is enough anti-drone feeling as it is so anythin we can do to reduce this is good for the whole community.

It's a start, a good one too. I will print a photo ID card with my details to show anybody who is uncomfortable with what I'm doing. It will have my details on with links so I can offer to show any photos/videos I have taken if required. Showing this level of openness will hopefully sooth some of the anti-privacy worries.

 

[zocalo]

This is all about public perception.

It *should* be about public perception (and raising awareness of the legal and safety responsibilities pilots have), but for that to be the case the public would need to be aware of it. I very much doubt that is the case however because the CAA/government's public awareness campaign has, so far at least, been almost completely non-existant.

*We* know about it, because we frequent forums such as this which have a subset of people who care about such things and may even be involved in the political process, and then post about it, or are members of clubs like the BMFA with newsletters. I guess some people may have also seen some coverage like that the BBC posted, but when you have pilots here saying their local police have absolutely no clue about it, then what hope does the casual drone flier/member of the public have of knowing that the scheme exists.

I'm cutting the CAA a little slack for now, because maybe they wanted to let more informed pilots from forums, clubs, etc. register first to help test their new site. The main push could then come with publicity of the new requirements starting next week, or at a pinch the week after. If that doesn't happen though, then the only way I am going to be viewing this come December will be as a political box ticking exercise that is ultimately going to do absolutely nothing to address public concerns over drones, or (more importantly) coerce some of the more irresponsible pilots out there to fly safely and legally.

 

[smifff]

I was thinking it would be ok since the battery doesn't need a special tool to remove it:



But then it would fall foul of the last point I guess? The rules seem a bit contradictory because if it's to be visible from the ground then surely it can't be under any compartment regardless of whether it needs a tool or not but then putting it under the battery would satisfy the third requirement better.

I'm perhaps overthinking this and should just whack a label on the side, I'm just concerned about the label coming loosed and being pulled into the props since it will be exposed to varying warm and cold conditions.

Here in the US the FAA (in their infinite wisdom) now have official labels you can order for this purpose. Quite nice, small, different colors and they can have no complaints about compliance once you stick it on the outside of your drone. Also unnecessary but I got some anyway.

 

[Lastrexking]

This is all about public perception. We all know that those who want to fly irresponsibly will continue to do so regardless of guidelines, regulations or geo fencing.

If a member of the public sees a casual flyer who has taken the trouble to register, take a test and display these details on their equipment, that will give some level of comfort that the flyer is competent, responsible and accountable for their actions.

We all know in practise is hardly means a thing but it's how we appear to the general public that counts- there is enough anti-drone feeling as it is so anythin we can do to reduce this is good for the whole community.

It's a start, a good one too. I will print a photo ID card with my details to show anybody who is uncomfortable with what I'm doing. It will have my details on with links so I can offer to show any photos/videos I have taken if required. Showing this level of openness will hopefully sooth some of the anti-privacy worries.

And, that's why I didn't mind it. I've never had any grief from anyone, but now if I don't have a load of paperwork to help they them off my case b

 

[4wd]

a political box ticking exercise that is ultimately going to do absolutely nothing to address public concerns over drones, or (more importantly) coerce some of the more irresponsible pilots out there to fly safely and legally.

That's all it is, if the intention is to somehow stop incidents like Gatwick last Christmas how absurd is that.
You can bet if the register was in place at the time, the owners who had dutifully paid their £9 and answered the goofy questions would be first in line for questioning.

 

[FoxhallGH]

The CAA requirement for "visible without needing a special tool to remove or open part of your aircraft " - comes from BMFA lobbying after scale RC modelers objected to putting a decidedly non-scale OP label on the fuselage of their meticulously painted e.g. WW1 Fokker Triplane. The BMFA pushed for having the number under the battery compartment hatch to cover this need to keep scale models - scale ... I think you are being too literal if you combine all the statements into a solid requirement, as it could very easily be argued that an OP label affixed to the floor of the battery compartment in a Mavic; Can be got at to view using nothing more than fingers squeezing a pair of latches (no special tool), and when the battery is removed, then the label can be seen when the Mavic is on the ground (note that there is NO requirement for the Drone to be sitting on the ground, with propellors and battery attached). In addition, in that location, the label would be on the main body of the aircraft (as opposed to being on the battery), and being in the battery compartment, that's pretty much the one place where it won't be scratched in a crash - and therefore you are also satisfying point 3 - "secure and safe from damage" ... That leaves only the requirement to use a font taller than 3mm ...

 

[FoxhallGH]

It *should* be about public perception (and raising awareness of the legal and safety responsibilities pilots have), but for that to be the case the public would need to be aware of it. I very much doubt that is the case however because the CAA/government's public awareness campaign has, so far at least, been almost completely non-existant.

*We* know about it, because we frequent forums such as this which have a subset of people who care about such things and may even be involved in the political process, and then post about it, or are members of clubs like the BMFA with newsletters. I guess some people may have also seen some coverage like that the BBC posted, but when you have pilots here saying their local police have absolutely no clue about it, then what hope does the casual drone flier/member of the public have of knowing that the scheme exists.

I'm cutting the CAA a little slack for now, because maybe they wanted to let more informed pilots from forums, clubs, etc. register first to help test their new site. The main push could then come with publicity of the new requirements starting next week, or at a pinch the week after. If that doesn't happen though, then the only way I am going to be viewing this come December will be as a political box ticking exercise that is ultimately going to do absolutely nothing to address public concerns over drones, or (more importantly) coerce some of the more irresponsible pilots out there to fly safely and legally.

I think that after the recent Government Scientific committee review, we will find that the UK Drone Reg' scheme is the tip of a new series of regulations designed to make sure that the emerging tech' and emerging applications for drones evolve along a line that is predictable, sensible and without an ensuing chaos caused by everyone making up their own rules as they go along. I think this is to prevent the situations that existed when cars first got on the roads and started scaring the horses. Maybe the Drone reg' scheme seems a bit over the top at the moment, but as the recreational and commercial use of drones increases, it will become the foundation for building sensible use of airspace rules and reg's.

 

[KobeFlight1981]

The CAA requirement for "visible without needing a special tool to remove or open part of your aircraft " - comes from BMFA lobbying after scale RC modelers objected to putting a decidedly non-scale OP label on the fuselage of their meticulously painted e.g. WW1 Fokker Triplane. The BMFA pushed for having the number under the battery compartment hatch to cover this need to keep scale models - scale ... I think you are being too literal if you combine all the statements into a solid requirement, as it could very easily be argued that an OP label affixed to the floor of the battery compartment in a Mavic; Can be got at to view using nothing more than fingers squeezing a pair of latches (no special tool), and when the battery is removed, then the label can be seen when the Mavic is on the ground (note that there is NO requirement for the Drone to be sitting on the ground, with propellors and battery attached). In addition, in that location, the label would be on the main body of the aircraft (as opposed to being on the battery), and being in the battery compartment, that's pretty much the one place where it won't be scratched in a crash - and therefore you are also satisfying point 3 - "secure and safe from damage" ... That leaves only the requirement to use a font taller than 3mm ...

I just stuck my label on the rear strut underneath. It's in sight. it's simple, it's not going anywhere. Keep it simple, unless you decked out your drone with a new paint job lol

 

[DrRobin]

Hi,

Just completed the test, got 1 answer wrong

Question 18:

You’re out flying a drone in an area you know well.
You start to get worried that you might lose sight of your drone in the glare of the low winter sun.
What should you do?
You answered:

Land immediately as soon as your drone goes out of sight.
Correct answer:

Steadily fly your drone back towards you until you’re sure you can see it. Then re-assess before deciding whether to carry on.

I nearly answered with steadily fly back, but this means you are flying and cannot see your drone. Anyway 19 out of 20 passes the test for me.

 

[FoxhallGH]

To be clear, the full list of labelling requirements is as follows:

1. Visible without needing a special tool to remove or open part of your aircraft
2. Clear and in block capitals taller than 3mm
3. Secure and safe from damage
4. On the main body of the aircraft
5. Easy to read when the aircraft is on the ground

With the riders that:

1. You should use a removable label as your operator ID.
2. You’ll need to remove your label if you’re no longer responsible for the drone or model aircraft.
3. Always use your operator ID, not your flyer ID.

The bit about "a special tool" seems to imply that inside the battery compartment would actually be OK, but I don't think that's entirely compatible with being easy to read when on the ground. It is somewhat open to interpretation though, since once the battery is removed (which does not need a special tool) it *would* be easy to read on the ground... Like some of the questions in the test, it appears that this could have benefitted from a little more proof-reading for clarity as well...

I'm thinking the side might be best as if the label does come loose in flight then it seems more likely that it would just be pushed down and away by the wash, rather than fouling a motor or propeller.

There have been several people posting e-mail replies from the CAA regarding putting the OP label inside the battery compartment of their Mavic. Points 1 and 5 are not actually clashing as a lot of people think. According to the CAA, if you can remove the battery without special tools (which you can with Mk.1 fingers), then see the label when the drone is on the ground - you have covered all the bases. In fact - you also cover point 3 - as the label is secure and safe from damage! I also like it because it stops some passing MoP taking down your OP number to stick on their kid's drone ... Apparently, the CAA has been deluged with e-mail's asking about this 'under the battery' question ...

 

[zocalo]

Hi,

Just completed the test, got 1 answer wrong

Question 18:

You’re out flying a drone in an area you know well.
You start to get worried that you might lose sight of your drone in the glare of the low winter sun.
What should you do?
You answered:

Land immediately as soon as your drone goes out of sight.
Correct answer:

Steadily fly your drone back towards you until you’re sure you can see it. Then re-assess before deciding whether to carry on.

I nearly answered with steadily fly back, but this means you are flying and cannot see your drone. Anyway 19 out of 20 passes the test for me.

I rationalised that as follows:

"Land immediately" doesn't make much sense as recovery might be difficult or impossible (VLOS does not preclude flying over water or some other obstacle); possible, but there's probably a better option. However, since the question says "might lose sight", that implies it's still just barely visible, so flying it back *should* be perfectly possible while maintaing VLOS and therefore this must be the correct answer.

For completeness, I suppose you might also consider flying an angled path that moves it away from the sun as well as towards you, then coming straight in once you're clear of the glare, but the most important bit they are trying to get across seems to be flying slowly to make maintaining VLOS easier. Plus, giving that extra info in the answer would make it much more obvious, and they're probably hoping rthat by considering the question and answers more you might benefit more.

 

[zocalo]

There have been several people posting e-mail replies from the CAA regarding putting the OP label inside the battery compartment of their Mavic. Points 1 and 5 are not actually clashing as a lot of people think. According to the CAA, if you can remove the battery without special tools (which you can with Mk.1 fingers), then see the label when the drone is on the ground - you have covered all the bases. In fact - you also cover point 3 - as the label is secure and safe from damage! I also like it because it stops some passing MoP taking down your OP number to stick on their kid's drone ... Apparently, the CAA has been deluged with e-mail's asking about this 'under the battery' question ...

Good to have that clarified; given the emails I expect the wording will be clarified on the poster and site fairly soon. I've got a fairly decent label printer, so outside on the side is fine for me as I'm confident that the label is highly unlikely to come off all in one go during a single flight. I've put a second one in the battery compartment as well though, just in case.

As an aide, I've also made some credit card sized laminated cards that have my registration details and expiry dates on, one per camera bag and one for my wallet, which is a bit neater than a folded-A4 email printout. Stuck the CAA logo on there as well to make it look more professional - and hopefully easier to convince Joe Public to GTFO in the unlikely event I ever get challenged.

 

[FoxhallGH]

As an aide, I've also made some credit card sized laminated cards that have my registration details and expiry dates on, one per camera bag and one for my wallet, which is a bit neater than a folded-A4 email printout. Stuck the CAA logo on there as well to make it look more professional - and hopefully easier to convince Joe Public to GTFO in the unlikely event I ever get challenged.

It would be nice if there was an 'official' card that the CAA provided along with the registration pass, as I've seen a lot of people advertising UAV reg' cards on eBay. If there is not a standard, or a CAA approved card, then sometime in the future, the challenging public, may also challenge you regarding the authenticity of the card ["I saw someone flying a drone last week, and their card was blue. Why is yours white?"].

 

[zocalo]

It would be nice if there was an 'official' card that the CAA provided along with the registration pass, as I've seen a lot of people advertising UAV reg' cards on eBay. If there is not a standard, or a CAA approved card, then sometime in the future, the challenging public, may also challenge you regarding the authenticity of the card ["I saw someone flying a drone last week, and their card was blue. Why is yours white?"].

Flippant response: "Different grade, mate. White means I've got more training and qualifications. Now... GTFO!". ?

Proper response: Exactly. This is why I'm somewhat surprised that the CAA *isn't* providing standardised cards. A proper plastic one would be best, but card, or even an auto-generated PDF or webpage that we could do with as we will would be better than nothing at all. Maybe that's what the extra £7.50 was going to pay for?

Of course, legally, all we are required to do is have our Operator ID on the drone and be able to provide our Flyer ID if challenged. The law says nothing about how the latter is to be done, nor does the CAA seem to be providing a mechanism for Joe Public to confirm a Flyer ID is valid; AFAICT only the police and probably a few other bodies will be told what number to call, although I dare say the CAA switchboard would be able to put you through, e.g. in the event of a citizen's arrest.

Still, the scheme is new (and still in Beta). I expect we can expect several things like this and the wording issues that have been discussed previously to be addressed over the next few months. Another couple of issues I noticed yesterday evening while out with my niece (who is quite capable of flying my M2P with a little supervision and has several hours of flight time "logged" despite being only four); how is a young child supposed to get a Flyer ID? She was able to fly yesterday because the scheme doesn't fully kick in until the end of the month, but I'm going to need to figure this out before December...

Related; prior to this I was quite happy to let sufficiently interested passers-by take the stick if we got talking and they struck me as sensible enough (and once I'd "got the shot", naturally). I don't think I'll be able to do that any more either as I'm supposed to ensure they have a valid Flyer ID first, unless I missed some provision for flights without a Flyer ID if under the direct supervision of the Operator buried in the supporting text?

 

[FoxhallGH]

Another couple of issues I noticed yesterday evening while out with my niece (who is quite capable of flying my M2P with a little supervision and has several hours of flight time "logged" despite being only four); how is a young child supposed to get a Flyer ID? She was able to fly yesterday because the scheme doesn't fully kick in until the end of the month, but I'm going to need to figure this out before December...

As long as you have the OP reg' for the drone, and can supervise her through the Flyer reg' test, the CAA website seems to say that's OK ...

Flyer ID
Anyone who wants to fly must pass an online theory test on flying safely and legally.
The test has 20 multiple choice questions and the pass mark is 16. You can take the test as many times as you need.
All of the knowledge needed to pass the test is in a new Drone and Model Aircraft Code.
When you pass the test, you’ll get a flyer ID, which acts as your acknowledgement of competency as a remote pilot from the CAA.
Minimum age: None, but children under 13 can only register with a parent or guardian present
Registration period: 3 years
Fee: Free

 

[zocalo]

As long as you have the OP reg' for the drone, and can supervise her through the Flyer reg' test, the CAA website seems to say that's OK ...

Flyer ID
Anyone who wants to fly must pass an online theory test on flying safely and legally.
The test has 20 multiple choice questions and the pass mark is 16. You can take the test as many times as you need.
All of the knowledge needed to pass the test is in a new Drone and Model Aircraft Code.
When you pass the test, you’ll get a flyer ID, which acts as your acknowledgement of competency as a remote pilot from the CAA.
Minimum age: None, but children under 13 can only register with a parent or guardian present
Registration period: 3 years
Fee: Free

Yes, I noticed the supervision requirement (that's more for data protection/informed consent though for which 13 is the significant age in the UK). Given the "less than obvious" nature of some of the questions though, I doubt very much that she would - for instance - understand what was being asked in the "snow" or "VLOS/glare" questions, so it would be less "supervision" and more "handholding". I'm fine with that, because she won't be flying without supervision anytime soon so questionable situations could hopefully avoided in the first place and I'd be able to take over within seconds if not, but I'm not sure that the CAA would agree or where would you draw the line?

I'm going to try her on the test this weekend, mostly just for grins, but I suspect it'll be another request for clarification email to the CAA.

 

[Dave Phantom]

An ID Card should be sent at that price - but no - so made my own!