Flying in London - help me understand the zones

[nathankw]

Can i still fly in richmond park if i have a mavic pro or do a A2CofC license?

There are no airspace restrictions to worry about and there's explicit permission given to fly in the flying field area. See:

Richmond Park Flying Field - Added to Forests and Trees in London

In case anyone else is interested, Sheen Gate Car Park is the nearest and best place to go. Really nice place to practice. Get there early and you can grab some stunning views! 51.456648, -0.269393

greyarro.ws

So you just need to obey the flying field rules (eg no flying after 1pm on weekends) and obviously the drone code.

 

[artix03]

There are no airspace restrictions to worry about and there's explicit permission given to fly in the flying field area. See:

Richmond Park Flying Field - Added to Forests and Trees in London

In case anyone else is interested, Sheen Gate Car Park is the nearest and best place to go. Really nice place to practice. Get there early and you can grab some stunning views! 51.456648, -0.269393

greyarro.ws

So you just need to obey the flying field rules (eg no flying after 1pm on weekends) and obviously the drone code.

Thanks for the response just one more question can i fly above New Forest National Park?

 

[tuomaskivioja]

Thank you for investigating this. So it would seem that, for example, flying a Mavic Mini east of Tower Bridge is allowed as it is outside the City of London restricted zone?

 

[Tomfromlondon]

Im a bit new to this, have my A2 cofc and have mavic pro and mini 2 so what I think....
Pro is pretty much out in London as there will always be people (even when not crowds)
R157 & R158 are both no gos even for the Mini 2
Other parts of London Id be fine with the mini as long as not over the crowds

The thing thats rubbish about Nats is it gives you the same warnings for areas such as r157 which is all banned for any drones of any size without specific permission as it does for areas you actually can fly in, they are all just shown as restricted, at least with the no fly drones you can click on an area to get the specifics

 

[nathankw]

Im a bit new to this, have my A2 cofc and have mavic pro and mini 2 so what I think....
Pro is pretty much out in London as there will always be people (even when not crowds)
R157 & R158 are both no gos even for the Mini 2
Other parts of London Id be fine with the mini as long as not over the crowds

The thing thats rubbish about Nats is it gives you the same warnings for areas such as r157 which is all banned for any drones of any size without specific permission as it does for areas you actually can fly in, they are all just shown as restricted, at least with the no fly drones you can click on an area to get the specifics

Yup - anything over 250g is out in all of london (except perhaps dedicated flying fields like Richmond Park).
Under 250g you have to avoid the restricted zones you mentioned plus the airport zones.

However there's also the matter of take off/landing point. All the discussion above relates to airspace restrictions.
But there are also restrictions on where you can operate from. For instance, all Royal Parks (except for the specific Richmond Flying Field) ban flying, as do some London Boroughs. eg Brent has a PSPO that prohibits any drone use without prior permission in any of their parks or open spaces.

Sadly there's no single source of info so you have to research each location. Bit of a minefield but I have found places to fly in London, so far without any problems.

 

[Tomfromlondon]

Yup - anything over 250g is out in all of london (except perhaps dedicated flying fields like Richmond Park).
Under 250g you have to avoid the restricted zones you mentioned plus the airport zones.

However there's also the matter of take off/landing point. All the discussion above relates to airspace restrictions.
But there are also restrictions on where you can operate from. For instance, all Royal Parks (except for the specific Richmond Flying Field) ban flying, as do some London Boroughs. eg Brent has a PSPO that prohibits any drone use without prior permission in any of their parks or open spaces.

Sadly there's no single source of info so you have to research each location. Bit of a minefield but I have found places to fly in London, so far without any problems.

As an example and not a place I want to fly but I could probably take off from Russel square, or maybe even take off on empty streets as long as out of those zones right? without having to worry about being in a park etc

 

[nathankw]

As an example and not a place I want to fly but I could probably take off from Russel square, or maybe even take off on empty streets as long as out of those zones right? without having to worry about being in a park etc

Funnily enough I flew from Russell Square just this week!

Flight report here:

Understanding Flight Zones in London

So having suggested Russel Sq I thought I’d try it out myself. Gorgeous day for it! When I arrived, there was already someone else flying a drone there - a new Mini 1 owner. I had a great flight with my Mini 2 - got some lovely shots of the British Museum and the London skyline. Apart from...

greyarro.ws

 

[baloobb]

Hi All,

It seems clear that we can’t fly in R157, R158 and R159 without authorization but we can fly according to the drone code in the R160. In the picture attached I draw a green circle can we fly in that area? It seems outside R159 and R160 but still the Isle of Dog. One more thing what about the Heli Path 4, can we fly over the Thames in the R160 zone? I would like to fly there with a Mini 2.

 

[mavic53]

Can i still fly in richmond park if i have a mavic pro or do a A2CofC license?

Apparently from a long ago thread you can fly in the flying field at Richmond. It is designated so. But you cannot switch the camera on to record! I have done so a couple of times and as it is mostly trees I found it rather boring.

 

[Lfctsve]

Hello guys,

I am sorry if i will sound dumb but i am completely new to the drone flights and was wondering where i can use it in central London? is it just outside Hyde park and City of London or? Thank you

 

[archoptical]

Hello guys,

I am sorry if i will sound dumb but i am completely new to the drone flights and was wondering where i can use it in central London? is it just outside Hyde park and City of London or? Thank you

It's not just Hyde Park, but the zone with that name, which stretches from Regents Park down to Vauxhall, covering most of Westminster too. There are plenty of areas you can fly, but also lots where you can't.

Look at: Drone Safety Map | Altitude Angel

Ignore the really big zone covering all of London, as that's aimed at manned aviation (planes).

 

[demetrisv]

I would like to jump in on this thread as I am here on holiday for a month and want to capture drone footage of London.

R160 is an error and this to do with helicopters not drones so you are ok there.
The restricted zones R157, R158, R159 you need to submit a NSF applciation which is straight forward and you can get provisional approval. Just give them your intentions like your altitude, area of operation, weather window of 2 weeks is sufficient as weather here in London is unpredictable. Putting this into a word document with map drawings of your flight radius helps. I got provisional approval no problem.

I got provisional approval for Tower Bridge, Durand's Wharf, Aldgate Square, Festival Gardens (St Pauls Cathedral) Now none of these are official locations but NATS gave me approval to fly here pending a phone call prior to take off.

The hardest part to all this is finding a suitable location to take off from. Most places have no drone zone so you cant take off and land there.

I also recommend drone insurance. Im sure if you have a plan, got your CAA Flyer ID, Labelled drone, insurance you should be good.

My research so far:
Hyde Park is part of Royal parks wasn't £1000+VAT application fee. Some councils want applications submitted which take 1-2 weeks and £150-300+VAT fees for an hour of filming whether recreational or not. Bit ridiculous if you as me.

I also don't understand how some people have flown so high and in the restricted zones

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If you want to see drone footage of what I captured in Toronto

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9M1p8wLnkmduXaeWfIbtNOm4lnkRcRDp

I plan on making a YouTube video on this so if anyone has had any success with flights and where to take off from id appreciate the feedback.

 

[nathankw]

I would like to jump in on this thread as I am here on holiday for a month and want to capture drone footage of London.

R160 is an error and this to do with helicopters not drones so you are ok there.
The restricted zones R157, R158, R159 you need to submit a NSF applciation which is straight forward and you can get provisional approval. Just give them your intentions like your altitude, area of operation, weather window of 2 weeks is sufficient as weather here in London is unpredictable. Putting this into a word document with map drawings of your flight radius helps. I got provisional approval no problem.

I got provisional approval for Tower Bridge, Durand's Wharf, Aldgate Square, Festival Gardens (St Pauls Cathedral) Now none of these are official locations but NATS gave me approval to fly here pending a phone call prior to take off.

The hardest part to all this is finding a suitable location to take off from. Most places have no drone zone so you cant take off and land there.

I also recommend drone insurance. Im sure if you have a plan, got your CAA Flyer ID, Labelled drone, insurance you should be good.

My research so far:
Hyde Park is part of Royal parks wasn't £1000+VAT application fee. Some councils want applications submitted which take 1-2 weeks and £150-300+VAT fees for an hour of filming whether recreational or not. Bit ridiculous if you as me.

I also don't understand how some people have flown so high and in the restricted zones

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

If you want to see drone footage of what I captured in Toronto

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9M1p8wLnkmduXaeWfIbtNOm4lnkRcRDp

I plan on making a YouTube video on this so if anyone has had any success with flights and where to take off from id appreciate the feedback.

That's interesting.

So there was no fee for the NSF? And you did you just put recreation / capturing video for personal uses in the application?
Would be wonderful to fly around St Pauls or Tower of London.

Look forward to seeing your results.

 

[demetrisv]

That's interesting.

So there was no fee for the NSF? And you did you just put recreation / capturing video for personal uses in the application?
Would be wonderful to fly around St Pauls or Tower of London.

Look forward to seeing your results.

Yeah there’s no fee for NSF application. The guy a spoken was actually very helpful. You don’t need a PFCO if it’s recreational. Your Flyer ID is fine.

The hardest part is taking off and landing. From the research I’ve gathered letting police know your flying in the area is better and showing them your info before hand like your flyer id, insurance etc will put you on their good side. And if anyone does call the police mentioning a drone then they can communicate that they know who’s flying and it’s a valid flight.

Remember we need stick together as a community and help one another.

 

[majomuc]

Hi to you all !

I am a longtime drone user from Germany and have a European A2 licence (and the UK A1/3 + registration).

Thanks for your great info about No Fly Zones in London.
My main drone is the Air 2s, but that is out of the question in London (as far as I see, even when I would get the A2 UK).

I plan to get the Mini 3 in order to use it in London.

As far as I found out Russel Square Gardens would be a legit place where I don't need any special permissions ?
(A1/A3, drone registration, insurance, below 250gr).

Are there any other good spots any of you could recommend for in the inner areas ?

The infos about the R160 was very helpful.

Thanks for your help in advance! Josef

 

[demetrisv]

Here’s a video I made on how to fly drone in London. Geared mainly towards sub 250g

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I’d say use your best judgement, pick quiet spots at local parks and times of day that are less busy. Stay within VLOS. Check signage. Have a pre flight checklist and your flight plan to show your intentions.

Have your documents at hand in cases your get asked why you are flying a drone.

 

[majomuc]

Here’s a video I made on how to fly drone in London. Geared mainly towards sub 250g

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I’d say use your best judgement, pick quiet spots at local parks and times of day that are less busy. Stay within VLOS. Check signage. Have a pre flight checklist and your flight plan to show your intentions.

Have your documents at hand in cases your get asked why you are flying a drone.

Thanks, mate !

That's what I do in the rest of Europe - unfortunately my A2 isn't valid in the UK anymore. But I consider taking the A2 UK later this year.

 

[demetrisv]

Thanks, mate !

That's what I do in the rest of Europe - unfortunately my A2 isn't valid in the UK anymore. But I consider taking the A2 UK later this year.

That’s on top of having a drone that doesn’t have a C label. When the new rules come into effect. If you’re in cine mode you can take off with a reduced distance to people until you are far enough away to switch to normal mode.

 

[majomuc]

Thanks again ! Gonna watch your vid as soon as possible.

 

[mavic53]

Hi to you all !

I am a longtime drone user from Germany and have a European A2 licence (and the UK A1/3 + registration).

Thanks for your great info about No Fly Zones in London.
My main drone is the Air 2s, but that is out of the question in London (as far as I see, even when I would get the A2 UK).

I plan to get the Mini 3 in order to use it in London.

As far as I found out Russel Square Gardens would be a legit place where I don't need any special permissions ?
(A1/A3, drone registration, insurance, below 250gr).

Are there any other good spots any of you could recommend for in the inner areas ?

The infos about the R160 was very helpful.

Thanks for your help in advance! Josef

Lots of people to tell, you you cannot fly here in London so just Don,t stay in one place too long.