I’m going to be staying in Troon at the end of the month and was hoping to fly around the hotel/old course. It is very firmly within the Prestwick FRZ.
I have registered on the Air Portal website. The application form asked for a Police Incident Number to be obtained by calling 101. I phoned and left my details last night.
This morning I got a call back from a policeman with my incident number. He said to me he advises I should not fly within the FRZ as I would trigger alarms and be arrested. I explained I was going through the formal application process to fly but he restated his opinion.
Have I got the wrong end of the stick here? If I go through the formal process on Air Portal and get permission, am I still likely to get into a stooshie and possibly be arrested? I thought it was legal to fly in a FRZ with permission?
I’m thinking this is more trouble than it is worth, anyway. It sucks the fun out of things.
The official airport website has language and content that makes its clear permission to fly can be sought and as you say, distinguishes between recreational flights (free) and commercial flights (£25) - the policeman needs to get an understanding of the airports protocol and not be talking opinionated or maybe out of date misinformation - crack on
That’s what I thought when reading it, too. Does anyone have any experience of flying here? Am I likely to be descended upon by the polis even with permission? I know the council had put up lots of “phone 999 if you see a drone” signs in the area. The mixed messages are loud!
Keep your approval email to hand, both printed and on your device, when you are there. You will also have the ATC phone number on you which they could phone to check.
Unfortunately you can’t guarantee that you will not be approached, some people get off on doing so.
If, and its a big if, you are approached just try to stay calm and polite.
A pro photographer I know has two things which diffuse any confrontation. A risk assessment tick box list on A4 paper - weather, people buildings airspace, permission, date etc etc - simple and basic but with a big printed title, and he wears an orange hi viz waistcoat printed with ‘CAA Registered drone pilot’ - have fun
Yeah lots, I’ve had permission from Prestwick ATC several times as there are a few wedding venues we do right in the FRZ. I just emailed them direct with my request and in all cases it was approved quickly. They won’t entertain you though without first getting a police incident number. Once you have your approval from ATC you need to phone them before you take off and again when you land.
The whole point of getting a police incident number first, is that they then know you are going to be flying in the area. Whenever I phone 101 for a PIN, they do stress that you still need to contact ATC for permission to fly.
For a lot of my life I had convertible cars .. the roof was often down more in the winter for frosty, blue sky, winter days than it was in the summer.
Not that wind was an issue for them, of course.
