River Thames MM OK?

[Growing_hermit]

Hey guys,

I'm relatively new to flying (3 months) and consider myself to be responsible and vigilant whenever I do flights locally.
I'm looking to expand my video + Photo for recreational purposes and wondered if anyone is familiar with the rules for flying a MM that is below 250g with a strobe over a small section of the Thames?

As the DJI app shows two airport flight paths that run along sections of the Thames and only includes height restrictions, so I'm wondering if there is anything else beyond this I should be aware of before I consider a early morning or late night flight, where there is little to no pedestrians. Thanks

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Welcome to the Forum and Mini 2 Family

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain / Snow and Land on Water.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Hopefully some of the guys who can use the NATs thing will be along soon and answer your questions.
I have it but haven't used it as yet and do not fully understand it but I have just has a look at Thames-side central London and, when I compare it to where I live, the entire Thames in London, from Erith in the east, inland, looks like a no fly zone.
That's probably not correct but I would not fly in it until you have that confirmed by someone who knows their stuff, better safe and bored than excited and in deep doo doo.

 

[Growing_hermit]

Hopefully some of the guys who can use the NATs thing will be along soon and answer your questions.
I have it but haven't used it as yet and do not fully understand it but I have just has a look at Thames-side central London and, when I compare it to where I live, the entire Thames in London, from Erith in the east, inland, looks like a no fly zone.
That's probably not correct but I would not fly in it until you have that confirmed by someone who knows their stuff, better safe and bored thanexcited and in deep doo doo.

? No I definitely agree and that was my thinking, was just scouting for some info on this topic.
Thanks for the input

 

[nathankw]

So I'm no expert, just a london-based MM2 owner also trying to understand the rules.
The thing with London (as you'd expect for any major city) is there are a whole load of different overlapping zones.

Check out this thread which I started precisely to try to understand the zones in London:

Flying in London - help me understand the zones

I'm a new DJI mini 2 owner in London - looking forward to the freedom that 1st Jan should give us! But, of course, we'll still have to fly safe and comply with all the restricted zones so I'm trying to understand them. Specifically I'm trying to work out if I can fly in my garden (with...

mavicpilots.com

The conclusion seems to be there whilst there are some No Fly Zones - there are areas where you can fly - including parts of the Thames.

For instance, I've taken off from Dukes Meadow in Chiswick and flown over the Thames:

Duke's Meadows

This location has been recommended to fly your drone in the Parks and Recreation category in the London region.

dronescene.co.uk

The thames is used as an air corridor for helicopter but my understanding is that doesn't make it a no fly zone - you just need to be extra careful and make sure you're always in Line of sight.

Did you have any specific spots in mind?

 

[old man mavic]

@Growing_hermit ,while it is true that under the new rules recently adopted,the MM and Mini 2 are the least restricted ,when it comes to places they can fly ,this does not mean that you can just go and fly anywhere you feel like ,another thing to be mindful of is where you intend to launch and land from, you must think about the impact your flight may have on others ,and knowing what airspace you are flying in is just one small part of the process ,its good that you came on the forum and are asking questions about flying in a safe manner ,i applaud you for that
depending on where you are intending to fly,do some checks as some parts of London, irrespective of airspace are no flying areas due to local bylaws, and even though you may be able to fly there ,as far as the CAA are concerned, you could be liable for prosecution if you tried to take off /land there ,

 

[Growing_hermit]

@Growing_hermit ,while it is true that under the new rules recently adopted,the MM and Mini 2 are the least restricted ,when it comes to places they can fly ,this does not mean that you can just go and fly anywhere you feel like ,another thing to be mindful of is where you intend to launch and land from, you must think about the impact your flight may have on others ,and knowing what airspace you are flying in is just one small part of the process ,its good that you came on the forum and are asking questions about flying in a safe manner ,i applaud you for that
depending on where you are intending to fly,do some checks as some parts of London, irrespective of airspace are no flying areas due to local bylaws, and even though you may be able to fly there ,as far as the CAA are concerned, you could be liable for prosecution if you tried to take off /land there ,

Thanks for the input, yeah I have no intention of going against the rules that are in place for flying a drone, especially in London (gives us drone owners a bad name).

So far I only take off and land from parks, which seem to be the most practical spot for keeping away from other people.
Thanks for the info on the local Byelaws, I've seen a few and know not to go near those areas.

 

[Growing_hermit]

So I'm no expert, just a london-based MM2 owner also trying to understand the rules.
The thing with London (as you'd expect for any major city) is there are a whole load of different overlapping zones.

Check out this thread which I started precisely to try to understand the zones in London:

Flying in London - help me understand the zones

I'm a new DJI mini 2 owner in London - looking forward to the freedom that 1st Jan should give us! But, of course, we'll still have to fly safe and comply with all the restricted zones so I'm trying to understand them. Specifically I'm trying to work out if I can fly in my garden (with...

mavicpilots.com

The conclusion seems to be there whilst there are some No Fly Zones - there are areas where you can fly - including parts of the Thames.

For instance, I've taken off from Dukes Meadow in Chiswick and flown over the Thames:

Duke's Meadows

This location has been recommended to fly your drone in the Parks and Recreation category in the London region.

dronescene.co.uk

The thames is used as an air corridor for helicopter but my understanding is that doesn't make it a no fly zone - you just need to be extra careful and make sure you're always in Line of sight.

Did you have any specific spots in mind?

Hey Nathan,

Thanks for the block of info, definitely looks like a good source for any future concerns I may have.
The closest part of the Thames from where I live is Tower bridge/London bridge so I had somewhere around there in mind.

I got the Mini 2 with a strobe on it to help with VLOS and to show that I'm not trying to hide the fact that I'm flying within the area.

 

[nathankw]

That's definitely a challenging area. You're right on the edge of the City of London no fly zone (which is an absolute no-no) then to the east you have the City Airport FRZ.

Additionally you have the question of where to actually fly from. As Old Man Mavic says there are ground based restrictions so you need to check local authority rules etc

One area I've wondered about is the foreshore right in front of the Old Royal Naval College Greenwich. At low tide you can go into the river bed which is Crown Estate owned and they're usually OK with drone. You're just outside the London City Airport Zone.

It would be an awesome place to fly but quite ballsy.
So don't blame me if you get in trouble...!

 

[JayV8]

That's definitely a challenging area. You're right on the edge of the City of London no fly zone (which is an absolute no-no) then to the east you have the City Airport FRZ.

Additionally you have the question of where to actually fly from. As Old Man Mavic says there are ground based restrictions so you need to check local authority rules etc

One area I've wondered about is the foreshore right in front of the Old Royal Naval College Greenwich. At low tide you can go into the river bed which is Crown Estate owned and they're usually OK with drone. You're just outside the London City Airport Zone.

It would be an awesome place to fly but quite ballsy.
So don't blame me if you get in trouble...!

I've posted over on Grey Arrows about this but just to flag here as well - the City Airport FRZ is actually quite a way East isn't it? If you're in the area just to the east of Tower Bridge I would have thought that was ok in terms of clear no-fly zones. The only thing causing me pause at the moment is the H4 heli-route - I have been digging but cannot find a completely clear answer on whether it constitutes a restriction or is just somewhere to be cautious (given helicopters would have to fly higher than a drone could legally fly).