Operator Responsibilities
Anyone can buy a UAV and start to fly it, with many buyers not being aware of their responsibilities under aviation and privacy legislation. Ignorance (or lack of knowledge) of the law has led to a photographer being arrested; a near miss at Heathrow and a CAA prosecution near a submarine base at Barrow-in-Furness, North of England.
Flying Rules
The CAA’s rules and regulations relevant to UAV’s are published in document CAP 722. Specific rules depend on the weight of the UAV; whether use is commercial; whether photography is involved as well as airspace classification.
The rules define maximum height at which the UAV can fly; pilot qualifications; visibility stipulations; operating procedure requirements; process for applying to fly; minimum separation distances between aircraft and people and many other minimum distances.
The wide availability of UAVs means that in practice most people are flying without insurance and in breach of the rules. To avoid risk of prosecution commercial UAV operators need to be aware of the rules and they need to comply with them. We are experienced aviation consultants who can help you stay within the rules.
The Boom of UAVs / Drones
The dramatic rise in the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles UAVs (or drones) has led to arrests and fines for misuse. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has regulations that apply to UAVs and their pilots.
UAV operations are expanding massively being used for photography, mapping, inspection, recreation and transport.
This unprecedented boom is driven by technological advances in batteries, sensors and computing accompanied by mass market UAV production for recreation and photography. A fully operational UAV with camera can now be bought for less than fifty pounds (British Sterling).
Pager Power – Can We Help You?
Pager Power was established in 1997 and has been providing practical advice and support on aviation issues in the vicinity of airports and radar since 2002. We are a team of seven, with excellent custom built software for aviation assessments. The company is based in East Anglia with easy access to London.
We would love to use this knowledge to help you launch your successful commercial UAV operation so please call Mike Watson on 01787 315138 to discuss your issue or concern.
Image/ video accreditations: “Drone and Moon” by Don McCullough via Flickr / CC BY 2.0 / Image cropped and resized from original.
“Houston Art Car Parade lineup aerial video” by Ed Schipul via Flickr / CC BY 2.0
