Flying in Shetland

[Aerophile]

Dumb questions about flying my drone in the UK, specifically in Shetland...

Shetland looks like a spectacular place to fly. I'm hoping to visit there in July 2025.

I'm from the USA, have my 107 at home, and am already registered for EU countries with EASA (passed the online training and did registration through Ireland). I've already got my EASA Operator ID and registration (Open Subcategory A1/A3). Yes, of course I know about Brexit, but...

As I understand it, I believe UK still follows - and recognizes? - EASA drone regulations and registration, so as a visitor I'm hoping my existing EASA credentials will simply be recognized. Is that correct? If so, is there anything else beyond the EASA requirements that I need to get/do to fly legally in Shetland? If there's more I need...where do I go to get/do what I need? I assume that aside from being "special" in other ways, the regs for flying in Shetland are simply the UK regs, nothing different.

Looking over the "Dronesafe" UAS Restriction Zones map provided by NATS (NATS UK | UAS Restriction Zones), all I see for restrictions in Shetland are the (entirely expected) aerodromes at Tingwall and Sumburgh (2 nm radius with extensions for approach/departure corridors, surface to 2000' MSL), and nothing elsewhere (dare I believe that? seems too good to be true...). I can certainly live happily if those are the only restrictions, but I must be missing others, no?

I'll be bringing my Mini 3 Pro, so will be staying under 250 grams (assuming the wind isn't blowing a gale...I worry it may be too windy almost all the time I'm there, next July).

I'll have the drone labeled, and will do my best not to annoy anyone - I do try to behave and act like a responsible and respectful guest. Do I need liability insurance? Anything else I need?

Thanks for any guidance you can offer.

 

[js47]

Unfortunately, last I checked, the UK does not recognize any EASA certifications whatsoever and you need to do them for the UK through the CAA separately. You do benefit from the least restrictions with a <250g drone though so there is that at least. You'll need an Operator ID (£11). You don't need a Flyer ID, but I'd get one anyway since it is free of charge and quite easy.

Insurance is generally not required in the UK. Both screenshots below are from the CAA website.


Register for Operator ID here: Register as a drone operator | UK Civil Aviation Authority | UK Civil Aviation Authority

Shetland Drone Map (this is the map used by the MOD): Drone Safety Map | Altitude Angel

 

[Felix le Chat]

Concur. You need to register in the UK with the CAA.

 

[Aerophile]

OK I'll happily register with the CAA for my UK flights.

And thank you for all the above, that's very helpful (though in some cases disappointing). It raises some questions...

First, an observation: the linked Drone Safety Map seems like a good tool (in some ways, VERY good - I appreciate having the details available, and it appears quite thorough and comprehensive - I assume this is the "authoritative source" that many of us want, no?).

But I note one major shortcoming: whilst it shows "red zones" for aerodromes readily enough, all other (yellow) "zones" only appear after one zooms way, way in - so while at first it appears Shetland is almost completely free of restrictions, if you zoom in far enough (far enough to be able to identify individual sheep in a pasture...) then suddenly all the other restrictions appear (yellow zones), and there are a lot of them - probably hundreds, nearly everywhere. Well that's disappointing, it's also a terrible way to implement a map IMHO (effectively hiding critical safety and regulatory information unless one displays the map in a very specific way - zoomed in to sheep level). Just an observation, of course nobody here made that map, I would have made it differently but I'm not king of the world. OK, having got that off my chest, the questions...

While the red zones depicted are well-described and easily understood, the yellow zones seem much less so. Some very ambiguous terms are used. For example, click on a yellow zone and you get this: "Yellow zones indicate regions where operation of your drone may raise security, privacy or safety concerns." Doesn't say drone operations are prohibited, and the unhelpful word "may" is used. OK, so there's a link to find out more info about this zone. I follow it, and find (among other things) that this is an "SSSI" (Site of Special Scientific Interest); there are links to more details abut this zone, which is good. I note what looks like the important bit (for drone operators), Operations Requiring Consent (here's an example of one for the St Ninian's Tombolo SSSI - click the "Operations Requiring Consent" document). Well, that doesn't look too restrictive, it's generally basic stuff about not extracting things, changing the landscape, killing birds, etc., and there's no mention of drones at all (although this bit might be stretched to include drones? "Use of vehicles off existing tracks above mean high water mark."...I don't think so).

I've looked over many of these SSSI's Operations Requiring Consent documents - each seems to be unique, which seems appropriate - and so far I've seen no reference to drones (or drone restrictions) whatsoever. I haven't looked at every one of them (there are a LOT) but in the dozen or so I've drilled down to, I've seen nothing explicit about drones, which is somewhat encouraging - unless there's some other, more restrictive language banning all drones in all SSSIs that's buried in another regulation or document which supersedes the specific Operations Requiring Consent for that SSSI. Is there such a blanket ban (no drones over all SSSIs always) buried elsewhere?

I also see no altitude limits (no mention of altitude at all), no effective hours for any yellow zone. So I would assume that in SSSIs and other designated yellow zones, either flying drones is entirely banned at all times and at all altitudes (being cynical, that seems more probable), or else drone ops in yellow zones are not banned at all, and yellow zones are just polite reminders to behave reasonably and be courteous (seems unlikely, c'mon, it's an opportunity for regulation...).

The following language appears for many yellow zones (for example, when you click a yellow zone over a Junior High School, a graveyard, and a vast Marine Protected Area that extends for hundreds of kilometers over the sea surrounding Shetland): Yellow zones indicate regions where operation of your drone may raise security, privacy or safety concerns.

Well of course I understand such concerns - I'm not going to photograph school children, disturb the dead, or harass marine life or military vessels - but does that yellow zone mean I can't fly over that schoolyard on a July morning when nobody is around, I can't get an aerial shot of the graveyard if there are no live people nearby, and thousands of kilometers of the sea are completely off limits to drones? I appreciate the advisory to fly smart and fly friendly over these places, taking onto account the specific local conditions at the time.

It boils down to this: Are yellow zones just advisory, or are they outright prohibitions? From what I see on the Drone Safety Map, I do not see any language to indicate that drone operations are prohibited (or even restricted) in yellow zones...just don't go there are dig peat or build a haggis cafe, and otherwise follow regulations and common sense.

If the yellow zones are advisory, and I don't see any prohibitions on drone operations in the associated "Operations Requiring Consent" document for that place (or if there is no such document, for a churchyard or graveyard), am I OK to fly my drone there as long as I follow the other general requirements that are in effcet everywhere? That would be great and it would appear to be the case as I read the provided info.

But I could easily be missing something.

Please help me understand the yellow zones...and thanks!

 

[js47]

Red = never ok to fly. Yellow = sometimes ok to fly.

In the case of these SSSIs, flying drones is not permitted during the birds’ breeding season. Lots of birds get understandably aggressively territorial during that time and will attack the drone thinking it is a predator, which can lead to injury for the bird. Plus it can distract them from real dangers or prevent them from fishing so that they can feed their young.

There are often also yellow zones around small airports where it can be ok to fly after requesting and receiving permission.

 

[Aerophile]

Red = never ok to fly. Yellow = sometimes ok to fly.

Fair enough - I did see one TFR depicted up in the north end of Shetland - for rocket testing (!). Definitely want to know about such things to steer clear.

In the case of these SSSIs, flying drones is not permitted during the birds’ breeding season...

So how exactly does one know about the breeding dates? I don't see anything alluding to that in any of the SSSI's I examined (I found no date information at all, except for the rocket testing TFR). One of these SSSI's appeared to cover half of the North Sea. Others appeared to be associated with all sorts of what they label as "ground hazards" (minor power lines, churchyards, schools, to name a few that I came across). I'm guessing there are no puffins that have a graveyard or schoolyard fetish (then again, I'm just a dumb foreigner, maybe those little birds have some kinks...).

I sincerely do not want to harass or disturb our feathered friends when they are having some sexy time, but also don't want to be scared off and skip flying just because of an airspace depiction that may not actually be in effect at the time.

There are often also yellow zones around small airports where it can be ok to fly after requesting and receiving permission.

I am very familiar with small airports (I'm a private pilot and airplane owner). I also can guess (from what these little airstrips look like) that some probably do not get much aircraft activity (that may be an understatement - I know of local airstrips near me that are charted and officially "active" but have not had an airplane movement in 20 years and whose runways have been repurposed as parking lots for junk vehicles...). I will keep it in mind to seek approval in those airstrip zones. In the US, I can get auto approval/denial in moments (well, when I have a cellular signal). Is approval (or denial) for flights in yellow zones around tiny airstrips typically provided quickly, or is it something that moves slowly? Just looking to set expectations.

Many thanks again for the help and clarifications. I do want to "do the right thing" but also don't want to just assume that all the "sometimes-you-can-fly, sometimes-you-can't" yellow zones are always closed.

 

[Felix le Chat]

OK I'll happily register with the CAA for my UK flights.

And thank you for all the above, that's very helpful (though in some cases disappointing). It raises some questions...

First, an observation: the linked Drone Safety Map seems like a good tool (in some ways, VERY good - I appreciate having the details available, and it appears quite thorough and comprehensive - I assume this is the "authoritative source" that many of us want, no?).

But I note one major shortcoming: whilst it shows "red zones" for aerodromes readily enough, all other (yellow) "zones" only appear after one zooms way, way in - so while at first it appears Shetland is almost completely free of restrictions, if you zoom in far enough (far enough to be able to identify individual sheep in a pasture...) then suddenly all the other restrictions appear (yellow zones), and there are a lot of them - probably hundreds, nearly everywhere. Well that's disappointing, it's also a terrible way to implement a map IMHO (effectively hiding critical safety and regulatory information unless one displays the map in a very specific way - zoomed in to sheep level). Just an observation, of course nobody here made that map, I would have made it differently but I'm not king of the world. OK, having got that off my chest, the questions...

While the red zones depicted are well-described and easily understood, the yellow zones seem much less so. Some very ambiguous terms are used. For example, click on a yellow zone and you get this: "Yellow zones indicate regions where operation of your drone may raise security, privacy or safety concerns." Doesn't say drone operations are prohibited, and the unhelpful word "may" is used. OK, so there's a link to find out more info about this zone. I follow it, and find (among other things) that this is an "SSSI" (Site of Special Scientific Interest); there are links to more details abut this zone, which is good. I note what looks like the important bit (for drone operators), Operations Requiring Consent (here's an example of one for the St Ninian's Tombolo SSSI - click the "Operations Requiring Consent" document). Well, that doesn't look too restrictive, it's generally basic stuff about not extracting things, changing the landscape, killing birds, etc., and there's no mention of drones at all (although this bit might be stretched to include drones? "Use of vehicles off existing tracks above mean high water mark."...I don't think so).

I've looked over many of these SSSI's Operations Requiring Consent documents - each seems to be unique, which seems appropriate - and so far I've seen no reference to drones (or drone restrictions) whatsoever. I haven't looked at every one of them (there are a LOT) but in the dozen or so I've drilled down to, I've seen nothing explicit about drones, which is somewhat encouraging - unless there's some other, more restrictive language banning all drones in all SSSIs that's buried in another regulation or document which supersedes the specific Operations Requiring Consent for that SSSI. Is there such a blanket ban (no drones over all SSSIs always) buried elsewhere?

I also see no altitude limits (no mention of altitude at all), no effective hours for any yellow zone. So I would assume that in SSSIs and other designated yellow zones, either flying drones is entirely banned at all times and at all altitudes (being cynical, that seems more probable), or else drone ops in yellow zones are not banned at all, and yellow zones are just polite reminders to behave reasonably and be courteous (seems unlikely, c'mon, it's an opportunity for regulation...).

The following language appears for many yellow zones (for example, when you click a yellow zone over a Junior High School, a graveyard, and a vast Marine Protected Area that extends for hundreds of kilometers over the sea surrounding Shetland): Yellow zones indicate regions where operation of your drone may raise security, privacy or safety concerns.

Well of course I understand such concerns - I'm not going to photograph school children, disturb the dead, or harass marine life or military vessels - but does that yellow zone mean I can't fly over that schoolyard on a July morning when nobody is around, I can't get an aerial shot of the graveyard if there are no live people nearby, and thousands of kilometers of the sea are completely off limits to drones? I appreciate the advisory to fly smart and fly friendly over these places, taking onto account the specific local conditions at the time.

It boils down to this: Are yellow zones just advisory, or are they outright prohibitions? From what I see on the Drone Safety Map, I do not see any language to indicate that drone operations are prohibited (or even restricted) in yellow zones...just don't go there are dig peat or build a haggis cafe, and otherwise follow regulations and common sense.

If the yellow zones are advisory, and I don't see any prohibitions on drone operations in the associated "Operations Requiring Consent" document for that place (or if there is no such document, for a churchyard or graveyard), am I OK to fly my drone there as long as I follow the other general requirements that are in effcet everywhere? That would be great and it would appear to be the case as I read the provided info.

But I could easily be missing something.

Please help me understand the yellow zones...and thanks!

If the map you're using is linked to the Altitude Angel Guardian UTM: beware of clicking on the "apply for consent" button. This is a clever little scam they've worked out with landowners whereby AA sets up a geo-cage around a specific area of land so that the landowner (and Altitude Angel) can profit from charging you a fee to fly WITHIN that geo-caged area. But you are still at liberty to fly through and within this airspace under the same "exercise caution" caveat you might have gotten used to with the DJI geozones.

All of the yellow zones and quite a number of the blue zones are ADVISORIES - not actual restrictions. If you click on the area and select the listing from the pop-up tab, it will tell you explicitly whether it is a genuine restriction to flight or just an advisory. Genuine restrictions will have a specific NOTAM text attached.

If it's a bird sanctuary or breeding colony site: fair enough, respect it, it's doing you a favour too because it means your drone won't get mobbed by extremely pissed off birds. Any other type of SSSI will not be affected in the slightest by a drone flying overhead (I photographically survey and monitor a wide range of SSSI's).

 

[mjrovner]

Dumb questions about flying my drone in the UK, specifically in Shetland...

Shetland looks like a spectacular place to fly. I'm hoping to visit there in July 2025.

I'm from the USA, have my 107 at home, and am already registered for EU countries with EASA (passed the online training and did registration through Ireland). I've already got my EASA Operator ID and registration (Open Subcategory A1/A3). Yes, of course I know about Brexit, but...

As I understand it, I believe UK still follows - and recognizes? - EASA drone regulations and registration, so as a visitor I'm hoping my existing EASA credentials will simply be recognized. Is that correct? If so, is there anything else beyond the EASA requirements that I need to get/do to fly legally in Shetland? If there's more I need...where do I go to get/do what I need? I assume that aside from being "special" in other ways, the regs for flying in Shetland are simply the UK regs, nothing different.

Looking over the "Dronesafe" UAS Restriction Zones map provided by NATS (NATS UK | UAS Restriction Zones), all I see for restrictions in Shetland are the (entirely expected) aerodromes at Tingwall and Sumburgh (2 nm radius with extensions for approach/departure corridors, surface to 2000' MSL), and nothing elsewhere (dare I believe that? seems too good to be true...). I can certainly live happily if those are the only restrictions, but I must be missing others, no?

I'll be bringing my Mini 3 Pro, so will be staying under 250 grams (assuming the wind isn't blowing a gale...I worry it may be too windy almost all the time I'm there, next July).

I'll have the drone labeled, and will do my best not to annoy anyone - I do try to behave and act like a responsible and respectful guest. Do I need liability insurance? Anything else I need?

Thanks for any guidance you can offer.

You are so lucky! I was just there this past summer and would have LOVED to have brought the drone. It is spectacular. One word of caution: birds. If you go to Noss or Herman Ess or other places with thousands of nesting birds, you'll be tempting fate. Most of the coastal places I visited are pretty birdy. You don't want to be the one who accidentally knocks off a Puffin! St. Ninians (the tombolo) is not super birdy and you're bound to get some spectacular shots. Last thing, I was there for a week and most days it was windy...so bring a regular camera for shots of Puffins, Gannets, etc. By the way the Arctic Skuas will attack anything that gets near their nests...