All the information on this post is from https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/uk-drone-laws-2019-3146402
I have added this information because its the most clear to understand that i have found
UK Drone Laws: The latest news and events in 2019
The government ran a
public consultation on
a batch of new proposals from July 6 2018 to September 17 2018, which
attracted 5061 responses. It revealed the outcome of consultation on
January 7 2019, and there are some significant UK drone law updates to
be aware of if you wish to avoid fines and potential prison sentences.
Considering the disruption caused by drones at Gatwick and Heathrow
airports over recent weeks, it’s no surprise that the government has
decided to extend the area around airports and runways in which drones
are banned from being flown.
It will be illegal to fly a drone within 5km of an airport, up from 1km.
Furthermore, the government says: “The new restriction zone will
include rectangular extensions from the end of runways measuring 5km
long by 1km wide to better protect take-off and landing paths.”
From November 30 2019, drone operators will have to register their
device with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and take an online safety
test. Anyone who fails to register or sit the competency tests could
face fines of up to £1000.
Police are also going to be given extra powers. Officers will be able
to “enter and/or search premises, with a warrant, where there is
reasonable suspicion that there is a drone and/or its associated
components which the police reasonably suspects of having been involved
in the commission of an offence”.
They’ll also be able to issue fixed penalty notices (FPN) up to £100
for minor drone-related offences, “as a way to immediately and
effectively enforce as a deterrent to offenders and to reduce pressure
on Magistrates’ Courts”.
A drone user could be slapped with an FPN for committing any of the following offences:
- Not producing registration documentation, and/or proof of
registration for drones between 250g and up to and including 20kg in
mass, at the request of a police constable
- Not producing evidence of any other relevant permissions required by
legislation, for example if you are a commercial drone operator or have
an exemption from the CAA from an ANO 2016 article
- Not complying with a police officer when instructed to land a drone
- Flying a drone without a valid acknowledgement of competency, or
failure to provide evidence of meeting this competency requirement when
requested
We’ve also known for some time that the government is pushing for
work on geofencing technology to be brought forward. The tech is built
into the drones themselves and uses GPS coordinates to stop the devices
from entering specific zones, such as prison or airport airspace.
“The Home Office will also begin to test and evaluate the safe use of
a range of counter-drone technology in the UK,” is the government’s
official line at present.
“This crucial technology will detect drones from flying around
sensitive sites, including airports and prisons, and develop a range of
options to respond to drones, helping to prevent a repeat of incidents
such as that recently experienced at Gatwick.”
UK Drone Laws: What’s coming next?
As mentioned above, UK drone laws have been subject to regular
changes and, though it isn’t yet clear when the new legislation will
come into force, plenty more changes could be made in the near future.
It was only as recently as 30 July 2018, that the government made it
illegal to fly a drone above 400ft or within 1km of airport boundaries.
While the former remains in place, the latter has already been deemed
insufficient.
Anyone who flouts that 400ft rule could be charged with “recklessly
or negligently acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft or any
person in an aircraft”, and face a fine of up to £2500 or up to five
years in prison.
So what steps might the government take next?
It says it still “supports a minimum operator age [of 18], but will
defer a decision until there is clarification and confirmation from EASA
regarding future legislation at the European level with regards minimum
ages for drone operators and remote pilots.”
It’s also possible that drone users will one day be required to use a
FINS − which would likely take the form of an app − to notify
authorities and other drone users that they’re going to fly a UAV at a
particular location at a given time ahead of time. Users may also have
to pay for FINS access.
“The aim of this proposed policy is to increase drone user
accountability, to ensure a flight can be made safely, without
compromising the security or privacy of others. The real-time data and
records made by a FINS could also be useful for enforcement,” last
year’s public consultation explained.
The DfT says that drone operators will also eventually have to use
apps that ensure they always have access to safety guidance, though it
isn’t yet clear how it plans to enforce this rule.
Where can and can’t I fly my drone in the UK right now?
You need to register with the CAA if you’re planning to
use your drone for “commercial purposes” – this may sound like it
doesn’t apply to you, but it extends to things like monetising your
YouTube channel or personal blog, however meagerly.
According to the DfT, the number of active commercial licences
increased from 2500 to 3800 in 2017, a year on year growth of 52%. In
other words, flying your new drone isn’t quite as straightforward as you
might think, especially if you live in an urban area or near an
airport.
You can learn more over on the CAA-backed
Drone Safe website,
