I expect this has been covered several times on this topic, but i could do with some straight forward advice, please. As with most things drone related, there seems to be grey arrows relating to this subject (pun intended ) and this isn’t a dig about this site, I mean in general on the internet.
I took my drone out to a well know beauty spot in the peak district yesterday. Once I arrived at my vantage point, I noticed there were paragliders in the distance (I mean several hundred metres away).
As I like to keep a rough radius of 350-400 metres, I decided it would be safe to take off. However, I noticed the gliders were getting much closer, so thought it best to land.
I guess my question is if there is a right of flight between a UAV and a manned paraglider, who would have it? I am assuming paragliders need to stick to the same CAA rules as drones with regards to flight altitude.
The last thing I want to do is upset anyone (or worse) if we get a little close to each other, so if someone could give me some advice it would be great.
I was flying around Berrow beach one evening and noticed a guy with a camera taking photos of the same sunset a few hundred metres away. Couldn’t talk so did my utmost to be polite and keep out of his shot and let him do what he was doing. Packed up and wandered over for a friendly chat and it soon transpired he was also a paragliderist with a very diffident attitude towards drones. I complained that I technically couldn’t fly over miles of empty beach with my 248g drone because SSSI yet paragliders could apoarantly yomp all over the dunes and fly wherever they wanted. He said they’d had instances of drones flying in and around paragliderists in flight which they didn’t appreciate at all from a safety point of view. I agreed that was pretty stupid and suggested it was similar to experiences those of us with sailboats have had with jetskis - not all bad but a few idiots spoil it for the rest.
All of which is a very longwinded way of saying yes paragliders will very definitely get the hump if you go anywhere near them so you would be quite correct to keep well away and even land if you think necessary. Let’s hope they appreciate it when you do.
I fly both, and would never fly my drone near a paraglider. Depth perception is very difficult for the drone pilot unless you have them on your monitor. A drone could possibly cut the paraglider lines which could have lethal consequences close to the ground if there isn’t time or height to deploy a reserve parachute. Catching a drone in the face wouldn’t improve their day either. If the paraglider is soaring low on the ridge with others, they will be busy looking out for other paragliders and avoiding them. They are not going to see a drone until it is fairly close. Avoiding it late on could have serious consequences. If there’s just one paraglider, you could have a chat and see if they are happy flying with you, and agree a safety protocol. They can move quite fast, particularly speed wings, but these are normally only flown in fairly strong winds when it would probably be too strong for most drones.
"I guess my question is if there is a right of flight between a UAV and a manned paraglider, who would have it? "
I don’t know about the exact legal standing but I guess, at the very least, that common sense should prevail? If your drone comes down after contact then it’s just bits of plastic and electronics. However, if your drone causes the paraglider to come down? Humans are not so easily repaired or replaced.
Personally I’d just do as you did and land. Maybe see if you can talk to one of them, find out if there is somewhere online you can check to see when they are flying. Dont know if it would be available to them, but you can also log a drone flight on Dronescene? Don’t know who this info is made available to so might be pointless.
When I was at mam tor / winnats pass the other week there was a notam in place starting at 8am that morning for paragliders in the area, did you check to see if there was any flight restrictions.
The nearest I’ve found in the past for rules on gliding is this on paramotors . Although Paragliders do not need to be registered they are supposed to follow Air Regulations. Check NOTAMS before you go and steer clear of them (at least 30m, I’d say).
Thank you everyone for taking the time to read and respond.
When I go somewhere new, I try and make a point of looking around noticed boards and signs for any warnings regarding no fly zones etc. So far I have never seen any, so rely on the DJI App.
I think I made the right decision to land based on the feedback given. Now that the nights have drawn out and the weather is much better, I may try again after work.
As others have said, many paragliding and hang gliding clubs will NOTAM flying activity the day before when it looks like the wind will be reasonably square to the hill, and a suitable strength (around 6-9 mph on the flat, so more on the hill). They rely on the wind blowing up the slope to soar, and then often ridge soar looking for thermals and some will be up and away to cloudbase, usually downwind. If the wind is well off the hill, then they are unlikely to be around. At some sites where paragliders, hang gliders and RC modellers have shared the airspace for some time, agreements will be in place with the BMFA club.
Paramotors take off from flat fields and don’t rely on soaring from hills, so could be anywhere where airspace allows. They usually fly early or late when conditions are calmer, as a collapse in rough, thermic air is not much fun with all that clobber on your back. I doubt they NOTAM much, as they can roam far and wide.
There is no licence required in the UK for paragliders, hang gliders or paramotors, but the sports are governed by the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA) for the CAA. Most people will train and gain qualifications with a BHPA approved school. The main flying sites are usually managed by the local club, and usually insist on BHPA membership as that provides third party insurance, often a requirement of agreements with the landowner. There is nothing to stop Darwin Award contenders buying a knackered old paraglider off eBay and jumping off a hill, other than common sense. Paramotoring has only more recently been brought under the BHPA, and some pilots are outside the system, some having little understanding of airspace regulations.
) and this isn’t a dig about this site, I mean in general on the internet.
on paramotors . Although Paragliders do not need to be registered they are supposed to follow Air Regulations. Check NOTAMS before you go and steer clear of them (at least 30m, I’d say).