Can I fly a drone around Tower Bridge?

My question is if I will go early early morning for sunrise it’s possible to fly the drone around there? I have also the caa test

2 Likes

Not 100% sure if it’s legal to fly there as it’s a helicopter route.

look what drone assist says. Also the helicopter doesn’t fly above 120m?

2 Likes

The short answer is no. Unless your a PfCO holder who has planned that flight meticulously and got the right permissions in place I would say its just not possible. For a start, there is almost nowhere you can legally take off from.

Even with a PfCO, you’d need justification for the flight especially when in the heart of a major city… Just because you wanted to is not a good reason if anyone questions you.
Without a good reason, you will struggle getting permission to fly in the area, so good luck being insured.
Not to mention your pretty much bang on 5 miles from an airport.

My advice is that unless you want to be in the papers and on TV for all the wrong reasons, I’d not advise it! London never sleeps!

2 Likes

My advice…you go for it…what can possibly go wrong…who’d be bothered about it…
I had a great flight over Gatwick the other year, I think anyone hardly noticed at all, it didn’t inconvenience anyone. Nobody was in the slightest bit interested in a drone flying around restricted airspace of one of the country’s busiest airports. I had fun flying and got some nice aeroplane photos for the social media album, so that’s ok. Isn’t it??

8 Likes

Common sense should indicate the answer to your question.

1 Like

:joy: :joy: This answer should qualify for a badge!

3 Likes

I’ve done it.
You need an unlock code from dji and permission from london city airport (it’s not 24hr operation) as long as you ring them before and after flying you’re good to go, once you’ve found your TOAL place. We used google maps to find places that weren’t private, there are some about

12 Likes

As a hobbyist?

2 Likes

Just my opinion, but if you even have to ask that question then the answer is a definite no.

2 Likes

Colour me intrigued… how?

Even with a PfCO you may be able to come straight down the middle of the Thames as it’s wide enough, but what was your TOAL point? Not doubting you found the spot, just interested to see how you did it as I’ve always assumed anybody taking shots like that in central London has an OSC to bring the distances riiiight down.

Can’t see how it could be done at all as a hobbyist. There’s nowhere that’s 150m clear of the (every-so-slightly) congested area.

3 Likes

I made a quick flight today during a break in the weather

10 Likes

/immediately reports @macspite to CAA

6 Likes

Damn, you got me bang to rights!

I din’t mean ta do it. I gets these headaches, red mist comes in front of me eyes. But I never ‘armed no woman an’ I never 'armed no child.

I want’s two airports, free prisons, an army base an’ the Shard taken into account …

5 Likes

Don’t worry Robert ,!the little men in white coats will be along in a while…
After they have finished giving me a bed bath., and a small amount of hand relief ! !!.

2 Likes

Steady on Matron. . . . :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

1 Like

Astonishing shot - fabulous actually
Quite surprised by “permissions” required. Can’t quite recall London Heli-routes and don’t have the charts to hand but don’t they figure in this?
Just three weeks ago Police in York wanted an OSC to overfly river there and backed up by city council - road adjacent to river had to be closed to enable flying.
Was yours just a straight up and shoot the photo rather than a fly round for video?

2 Likes

What Drone Assist seems to be saying here is that the River Thames is Heli-Route H4.
Helicopters fly as low as they want to or need to.
Huge risk in flying there - it would start at “25” using CAA recommended calculation and would be very difficult to mitigate to “acceptable”.

2 Likes

But it’s Heli-route H4…