Flying in London - help me understand the zones

[Missj0jo]

Looks like the 'London NFZ' has vanished.

I contacted DJI last night and got the to extend the unlock licence for the polygons I'd drawn last year.

But never had to use them and when I rechecked the map, the wider zone had gone.

Also looks like they've narrowed the City Airport exclusion zone, which was wider than the real one and extended into the Thames. So should be able to take off from the Thames Path by Greenwich Peninsula and get a shot of Canary Wharf without faffing with unnecessary licences.

Hooray!

Thank you! What about lambeth council? Does anyone know if its allow to fly in the parks? Its literally to do some practice for when i go abroas
Thanks

 

[archoptical]

Thank you! What about lambeth council? Does anyone know if its allow to fly in the parks? Its literally to do some practice for when i go abroas
Thanks

Nope. I looked at the by-laws and no model aircraft powered by electric motors. You could stand outside the park and take off or land on the pavement, and control the drone from their, as long as the park was quiet.

Otherwise, there are areas where you can fly in parks, but only because the local council hasn't updated old byelaws which only prohibit model aircraft powered by petrol etc... But it's more a loop hole than permission imo.

 

[archoptical]

Personally, I'd find a nice quiet retail park with plenty of empty car park on an early Sunday morning or evening. Worst that can happen is that you could be asked to leave if anyone was even there. By-laws have fines attached.

Also... Croydon's park by-laws look very old (1979) and don't even mention model aircraft. Just model boats!

Park byelaws

Byelaws for users of Croydon's parks, including rules around noise, animals and vehicles.

www.croydon.gov.uk

 

[mavic53]

They are still there but just do not show on the map I tried and it got rejected.

 

[archoptical]

They are still there but just do not show on the map I tried and it got rejected.

Have you updated flysafe?

 

[mavic53]

I am referring to the map in dji system where you build the custom zone. This map beforhand had all the zones overlayed . Now london is shown without the zones and restrictions shown. Perhaps they will update it.

 

[archoptical]

Yeah. That is a bit weird. The other map shows the zones.

What I meant was, if you update the flysafe maps in the app / drone, you should be able to fly anywhere that isn't legally restricted. Near airports etc...

I had to do an update on the drone and controller when trying to install the permissions. Then it wanted to update the maps. After this, I don't think you'll need permission from DJI unless in an actual no fly zone.

 

[archoptical]

I don't think you need to do unlock requests now. The no fly zones are marked as:

"Enhanced Warning Zones: In these zones, you will be prompted by GEO at the time of flight to unlock the zone using the same steps as in an Authorization Zone, but you do not require a verified account or an internet connection at the time of your flight"

DJI FlySafe

fly-safe.dji.com

So it sounds like it's up to you to assume responsibility and get the appropriate permission. You'll should be notified that you're in a NFZ and given the opportunity to unlock.

You'd need permission from Air Traffic Control to do that.

 

[mavic53]

using the new areas as indicated by the latest dji fly app I submitted a new unlock request specifically to go a bit further west i.e. over waterloo road bridge. I got this reply almost immediately
DJI doesn't limit the drone in this area, the drone should take off normally. Please kindly fly your aircraft carefully while complying with the local laws and regulations. If the drone cannot take off, please kindly update the precise Fly Safe database to the latest version 01.00.01.33/01.00.01.31.

 

[mavic53]

To add one further I tried another request incorporating the city zone at Blackfriars. I got the same answer so a closer study of what zones are just advisory and which are mandatory. Otherwise the map app is excellent. The Gatwick zone has shrunk considerably.

 

[archoptical]

You can see them here: Drone Safety Map | Altitude Angel

Ignore the really big zones covering London. They are for manned aircraft.

EGLL LONDON CTR​

EGLC LONDON/CITY CTR​

EGR160 THE SPECIFIED AREA​

The no drone zones are around the airports, Canary Wharf, City of London, Hyde Park (most of Westminster) and a zone around the Heliport at Battersea.

 

[mavic53]

You can see them here: Drone Safety Map | Altitude Angel

Ignore the really big zones covering London. They are for manned aircraft.

EGLL LONDON CTR​

EGLC LONDON/CITY CTR​

EGR160 THE SPECIFIED AREA​

The no drone zones are around the airports, Canary Wharf, City of London, Hyde Park (most of Westminster) and a zone around the Heliport at Battersea.

As you say pretty well everywhere in london is now opened up. I will see what happens when I try with the drone in places where before it would not even start up.

 

[mavic53]

really weird under the new zoning by DJI Hampton Court Palace is a restricted zone but Buckingham Palace is only an enhanced warning zone. Flying over either one I would not advise.

 

[archoptical]

Buckingham Palace is in the Hyde Park Restricted Area. Definite no-go area. Covers Knightsbridge right up to part of Primrose Hill.

 

[mavic53]

Yes your altitude angel is the thing to go by the positive control i.e. it prevented the motors from starting has been turned off by DJI

 

[mavic53]

DJI no longer applies positive control of its drone. Beforehand if you were in a control zone the drone would not start . Now I got a tick box to say did I accept responsibility for the flight. So its check the local CAA zone maps and use common sense.