uk registration labeling the craft

[old man mavic]

i have just been on the phone to the CAA with regards to this topic ,because there is some uncertainty as to where you should actually put the id number on your drone here is the reply to the question i asked about this from the drone and model aircraft registration scheme
they have no issue with anyone putting their operator no in the battery compartment as a back up in case the external one came off
but they say that to comply with the regs, it should be visible on the outside of the main body of the aircraft ,the reason being that if it was found then it would be able to be returned to its rightful owner ,and if a police officer wished to check the number against the data base, then he would need to be able to see it on the outside of the aircraft without having to resort to any disassembly of any kind, they said that they had had a lot of questions on this subject, so it looks like the operator id will have to be on the outside at least for now anyway

 

[Lastrexking]

i have just been on the phone to the CAA with regards to this topic ,because there is some uncertainty as to where you should actually put the id number on your drone here is the reply to the question i asked about this from the drone and model aircraft registration scheme
they have no issue with anyone putting their operator no in the battery compartment as a back up in case the external one came off
but they say that to comply with the regs, it should be visible on the outside of the main body of the aircraft ,the reason being that if it was found then it would be able to be returned to its rightful owner ,and if a police officer wished to check the number against the data base, then he would need to be able to see it on the outside of the aircraft without having to resort to any disassembly of any kind, they said that they had had a lot of questions on this subject, so it looks like the operator id will have to be on the outside at least for now anyway

Brilliant! Thank you for making the effort and getting clarification.

 

[Pilot25dmc]

Looks like I am putting my codes on the batteries then as I sure ain’t sticking any labels to the top of my Mavic Air.

 

[Lastrexking]

Looks like I am putting my codes on the batteries then as I sure ain’t sticking any labels to the top of my Mavic Air.

I stuck mine on the top of my Air, doesn't look bad at all. I think if you stick it on the battery it still falls foul of the rules as you can't see it from the ground. That said, the CAA needs to be clearer on where they expect people to put the labels.

 

[Pilot25dmc]

Dont you mean ‘on the ground’ rather than ‘from the ground’?

If my label is on the bottom then ‘from the ground’ you can see it, if my label is on the top then ‘from the ground‘ you cant see it. Not that you would see it anyway if I am 300ft in the air.

If yours is on the top and it crashes upside down then no one can see your label, if mine crashes the right way up then no one can see my label.

I am fairly sure if the worst happens, whoever finds my drone will pick it up to check for a label, wether it is printed on the top or the bottom I cant see it being an issue at all.

 

[AMann]

Another reason to put visible numbers on the drone, preferably on the sides or on top and bottom where you can see it if it lands upside down or right side up, is that UXO guys do not like picking up abandoned packages and unclaimed things to see what they are until after they have disrupted it.

Remember the poor guy who strapped the expensive and unmarked bat detector under the bridge in London?

 

[Jimmybuckrogers]

Reply from CAA...

"Where it is not possible to display your operator number on the outside of your drone or modal aircraft, you may instead attach it on the inside, within a compartment that can easily be accessed by anyone, without the need for any tools or specialist equipment."

Original email...

"I am after clarification on the rules of where to put the Operator ID label on my drone please.
The first rules states “visible without needing a special tool to remove or open part of your aircraft” - so I was considering the battery bay of my DJI Mavic Air as the battery can easily be popped off without tools to reveal the label, but then the last rule states “easy to read when the aircraft is on the ground” which (after reading various forums) has got people a bit confused as it is unclear whether that means you should be able to see the label from a standing position when the aircraft is literally on the ground, or whether “on the ground” is a general term for the aircraft not being in the air and that it would be ok to put the label on the underside or indeed in the battery bay of the drone or aircraft."

 

[Lastrexking]

Reply from CAA...

"Where it is not possible to display your operator number on the outside of your drone or modal aircraft, you may instead attach it on the inside, within a compartment that can easily be accessed by anyone, without the need for any tools or specialist equipment."

Original email...

"I am after clarification on the rules of where to put the Operator ID label on my drone please.
The first rules states “visible without needing a special tool to remove or open part of your aircraft” - so I was considering the battery bay of my DJI Mavic Air as the battery can easily be popped off without tools to reveal the label, but then the last rule states “easy to read when the aircraft is on the ground” which (after reading various forums) has got people a bit confused as it is unclear whether that means you should be able to see the label from a standing position when the aircraft is literally on the ground, or whether “on the ground” is a general term for the aircraft not being in the air and that it would be ok to put the label on the underside or indeed in the battery bay of the drone or aircraft."

That’s totally different to the reply I got. It’s in my work laptop, and I’m on holiday this week.

Key words there are ‘where it is not possible’. The Mavic Air has plenty of space on the body where it ‘is possible’.

 

[Jimmybuckrogers]

Still not crystal clear though, I just wish she could've given a firm yes or no to putting it in the battery bay. I mean, define 'possible' surely it's possible to stick a label anywhere, but you could argue that having it on the outside runs the risk of it peeling up mid flight and getting tangled in the props or sucked into the air vents - especially if you're using sellotape to hold down a strip of paper, and you can't use too strong an adhesive as they say the number may change every year.

 

[old man mavic]

Still not crystal clear though, I just wish she could've given a firm yes or no to putting it in the battery bay. I mean, define 'possible' surely it's possible to stick a label anywhere, but you could argue that having it on the outside runs the risk of it peeling up mid flight and getting tangled in the props or sucked into the air vents - especially if you're using sellotape to hold down a strip of paper, and you can't use too strong an adhesive as they say the number may change every year.

when i contacted the CAA registration service and put the question of label placement to them,i was told that it had to be on the body of the craft and clearly visible to a police officer without having remove any part of the craft i mentioned the fact that the label could come off in flight, and was told i could place a label in the battery compartment in case this happened as a back up, but i still needed to have it visible on the body

 

[Lastrexking]

when i contacted the CAA registration service and put the question of label placement to them,i was told that it had to be on the body of the craft and clearly visible to a police officer without having remove any part of the craft i mentioned the fact that the label could come off in flight, and was told i could place a label in the battery compartment in case this happened as a back up, but i still needed to have it visible on the body

This is pretty much what the email i got said too.

 

[fRog2]

when i contacted the CAA registration service and put the question of label placement to them,i was told that it had to be on the body of the craft and clearly visible to a police officer without having remove any part of the craft i mentioned the fact that the label could come off in flight, and was told i could place a label in the battery compartment in case this happened as a back up, but i still needed to have it visible on the body

That isn't how I read the rules.

To me:
on the main body of the aircraft - means not on a detachable part such as the battery
visible without needing a special tool to remove or open part of your aircraft - means okay inside the battery compartment on something like the Mavic 2 where no tool is needed and it is visible as soon as you remove the battery.

In my instance I have 2 labels on it anyway, one on top and one inside the battery compartment, so no issues there. But I'd argue that the rules mean either one could be removed.

 

[old man mavic]

That isn't how I read the rules.

To me:
on the main body of the aircraft - means not on a detachable part such as the battery
visible without needing a special tool to remove or open part of your aircraft - means okay inside the battery compartment on something like the Mavic 2 where no tool is needed and it is visible as soon as you remove the battery.

In my instance I have 2 labels on it anyway, one on top and one inside the battery compartment, so no issues there. But I'd argue that the rules mean either one could be removed.

i to have put a backup label in my battery compartment ,but i can assure you that the person i spoke to on the phone at the caa was very sure that no disassembly was allowed and that included taking out the battery because if that was the case then every police officer would have to be trained on how to find and remove the battery on the many drones being flown and that was not practical