Use of Drone by college & students

[mediatech1]

Hi, I work as a media technician for a 6th form college here in the UK and we would like to get a drone for our department so our students can use it for filming. We would get them to gain their own 'flyer ID' and I understand the college would have to register as the drone 'operator' but does anyone know what else the college would need to do to make this happen? Would we need a commercial licence? Would we need special insurance? If we own the drone would our students be allowed to operate the drone (obviously would be trained first)? I would welcome any thoughts on this, thanks. Ashley

 

[THE CYBORG]

Hi mediatech1 Welcome to Mavic Pilots.
Yes they could fly the drone especially as you say they will get their own flyer id, can’t see why you would need a commercial licence but insurance is a good idea, I use COVERDRONE

 

[Lastrexking]

Hiya, and welcome to the forum. Everything @THE CYBORG stated is correct. But, a little more info you might find useful. I used to fly drones as part of my job with the UK Government, and we have similar health and safety considerations to education establishments.

You will need insurance, I’m not sure if Coverdrone will suffice - I would ask the college insurance supplier for advice. You’ll also need to write a dynamic risk assessment that will cover each flight, the H&S Executive will expect to see this if there are any accidents. I’m sure you have a Health and Safety member of staff on site that can help.

You’ll need to consider which drone you’ll buy carefully as some can be flown closer to buildings and people than others. This will help UK Drone Laws: An In-depth Guide

The good news - there’s no distinction between commercial and hobby flying anymore, so the students can do what they wish with their footage.