Does anyone know the legal distances to keep between drone and a British aircraft carrier and importantly where it is written. Im looking at the Prince of Wales visit to Liverpool next week. The drone photos from other hobbyists Ive seen online from the past would suggest around 500m. Doing measurements from the deep channel to the border of the soon to be NFZs on the Mersey suggest 800m-1km. Although there are quotes about nuisance drones entering protected aerospace there is no rule that I can find telling you how big this airspace is.
There are places to fly from outside the NFZs during the ships approach (north of the NFZ in the second screenshot) but without this information I reckon Im asking for problems. No response from the navy themselves or the drone exemptions contacts at the police that are supposedly managing them.
Hi @UAVShipSpotter
Saw some video on YouTube of one of the carriers entering Portsmouth harbour, it looked to be about 200m distance. It was posted on this site too
Yes I could or there abouts, I have a lot of spots up and down the coasts I fly from But what Im really trying to find out is what does the Navy feel is a safe distance that doesnt cause issues. And really I was hoping it was in a regulation somewhere in black and white. In Hamburg with its sister ship the police attempted to use counter drone technology because something got close so there must be a boundry before that is brought into play.
Hi John @UAVShipSpotter I regularly fly around Portsmouth Naval Base and along Southsea seafront. Or should I say, I fly around its physical boundaries at least. The Spinnaker Tower is an extremely popular landmark that many drone pilots have filmedā¦and with some spectacular results too! However, the Tower is situated very close to the berth where both the Carrierās moor up. When flying around that area Iām always conscious of not straying too close to either of the Carrierās as āMod Plodā have very little time for anyone or thing that they consider a potential threat and/or danger.
I have seen several drones flying around quite close to the Carrierās when they are entering or leaving the harbour entrance but have never flown that close myself. I was present when a fellow drone pilot flew his Mavick Pro from Southsea seafront and performed a complete circumnavigation of one of the Carrierās which made me nervous at the timeā¦but he was completely confident about doing it and, subsequently, he did indeed get some great footage.
I have never found anything in writing which stipulates the distance you must keep from a Naval shipā¦other than No Fly Zones set up on purposeā¦for example, when we had the recent D Day celebrations the whole of Southsea seafront was subject to a No Fly Restriction.
If you use your own common sense, and observe any NFZās you should be okayā¦just donāt try landing on the flight deck āfor a laughā!
Thatās the limit of my flying inside Portsmouth Harbour, Iāll not go further than that. Itās common sense flying and at the end of the day, I want to return home with my drone in its case.
I could tell it would be a bit early as it departed very early for the distance it had to travel from Scotland. Sure enough it was made known yesterday it would arrive this morning instead of Monday morning possibly due to weather.
The no fly zones were not updated to reflect the early arrival so technically I could have flown anywhere on the Mersey today. But I decided as I got my camera out and set up that Id stick to that plan for a change. Minimal drone kit by my standards was also in my bag for a tour around Birkenhead docks afterwards, Air3s and controller with no spare battery and no spare SD cards.
Camera started giving me some grief, I basically didnt touch it for 2 years and forgot how to use a lot of it, all but one battery has gone bad in storage, one I realised swelled and got stuck, I had to pry it out. All the time I know the drone is in the bag. I could almost hear it like a little devil on my shoulder āUnfold the drone and fucking send itā. But I stayed strong and managed to get the camera sort of doing what I wanted.
General musings about aircraft carries; when they are flying off or landing a/c they are airports/air bases, so would presumably have an FRZ around them. Theoretically, if they were close enough inshore, I suppose the same rules apply, you would apply online and ring the tower when youāre ready to fly? Perhaps not.
If a carrier were flying off or landing, it would mean that they are either at war and in action, or on a military exercise, in which case there would be a NOTAM in effect. But when itās a ship, which is most of the time and certainly when it is entering/leaving a port, the situation in which it might reasonably be expected to be the subject of hobby drone attention, it is presumably to be treated like any other naval vessel; fly/film as much as you want but DBAD (Donāt Be A Dick). 150m standoff, treat is as a builidng for 250g+ flying? The Liverpool NOTAM for the Prince of Wales might be as much to do with the presence of crowds as security issues. And a bunch of matelots on the flight deck on parade makes a great video subject, but they are still just a crowd if you overfly them, and you know what the CAA told you about crowds!
Iāve flown my drone near the aircraft carrier and the Portsmouth naval base. My feeling is the aircraft carrier airspace coming into a UK port is āinactiveā unless there are NOTAMs to the contrary. Iāve seen helicopter exercises happening which would be a potential hazard. Also that thing has a powerful radar, so there can be aircraft exclusion zones while they are testing it.
A related story: I was photographic historical buildings just within the boundary of Portsmouth naval base. My drone was near the boundary but not over the base itself. Unfortunately, the police office is right next to Unicorn Gate. I completed the flight and packed away the drone. Soon after, an MOD police van pulled up next to me. I had a bag over my shoulder, so they made an educated guess. I was near the Market Way/Commercial Road junction, so they did well to spot me. The two police were surprisingly polite given the situation. I didnāt mind handing over my details. I knew I was pushing by luck because they can be a bit sensitive about potential threats. Their primary concern was to know if I was registered, and I knew the drone rules. I handed over my flyer and operator ID but I sensed they really wanted my regular ID, so I gave that too. They wanted me to spread the word about good drone practices and rules as well. I think they acted very reasonably given the circumstances.
They must have loved you being so willing to hand over your ID details considering you captured that image from a public space. I can understand them wanting to enquire as to what you are doing being near MOD land but that can be explained without the need of personal documentation and obviously if they are not accusing you of committing any potential offences.
MOD Plod can be approachable one minute and totally officious the nextā¦much like normal police I supposeā¦depends on the circumstances.
I tend to steer well clear of the base especially when either of the carriers are in. Iām going to see how I do at capturing the Spinnaker Tower myself soonā¦just waiting for the weather and finding the time! Itās a bit concerning knowing how close to where the carrierās moor up Iām going to get though. UAV Hampshire (on Ig) have some amazing footage taken from and out over the Solent. Really impressive stuff and well worth a look.
As a rule of thumb, The Spinnaker is my boundary marker when iām flying inside the harbour. I donāt venture any further than that and itās common sense flying not to get too close to the waterside of HMNB.
One probable reason is that the image by @ is of what is primarily accomodation in the barracks and shows the relative position of various buildings. As an ex resident of said area I agree with MoD plod.
Well, yes, but the buildingsā relative positions can be seen on the OS map of the area, so itās net exactly secret or even restricted information. I can see how the Navy might object to overflying the base and the dockyard. but there is no FRZ there and the base & HMS Nelson, which is I believe the barracks area, are marked on the Drone Scene map as a āground hazardā in yellow, so presumably not actually illegal to fly over. Not that Iād push the issue with a couple of burly matelotcoppers leaning over meā¦
But flying within the Drone Code outside the base & HMS Nelson ground hazard area where the base & HMS Nelson are merely part of a general scene in the photographic/filming sense, I think Iād want to stand my ground. And that would include the Spinnaker. Victory & Warrior (which would be my main reason to visit Portsmouth, especially Warrior are on the base and presumably not accessible to the general public when they are closed, so I think Iād want to be asking permission from somebody and not flying if I was told not to.
But what Im really trying to find out is what does the Navy feel is a safe distance that doesnt cause issues. And really I was hoping it was in a regulation somewhere in black and white. In Hamburg with its sister ship the police attempted to use counter drone technology because something got close so there must be a boundry before that is brought into play.
