Groundless prohibition rules (and a nice evening flight around Stonehenge)

The Annual Stonehenge Whacky-Baccy-Folk festival is coming up next week, 20 - 21 June.
The only time of the year you are allowed to actually touch and cuddle the stones.

Will anyone be getting up super early and flying their drones over ?
It is only 15 miles away for me.
I will be there as a participant, but I have decided not to take the Mavic,
probably will not be allowed in with it.

I will be looking out for drones.
That’s the problem with drone flyers,
they have an annoying secondary hobby of walking around looking at the sky
all the time…

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Strangely, it is actually illegal to fly the drone over Stonehenge during the Solstice as they implement a No Fly Zone

Yes indeed. A temporary NOTAM is in place for the solstice. A few thousand people will be there so I get why. And who would want the total peace and tranquillity of sunrise (surrounded by thousands of people and the main road 50 metres away) ruined by a buzzing drone :wink:
But it’s good that you can call up the Chief Officer of Wiltshire Police to ask his permission, complete with phone number!

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From another forum, this was raised in relation to NT property and their attempts at “prohibition” of flying over their properties.

As has been said, you only need landowners permission to take off or land on their property and unless specific bylaws exist, it is not illegal to fly over private land.

What was interesting is that one guy had an online discussion with a CAA rep on this issue. Here are the screenshots of the chat

Jason

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There are 2 more screen shots but I can’t post them due to forum restrictions.

The say that airspace is a state asset and it is not owned by anyone.

Providing the pilots observe the rules of the air then there are no restrictions.

As long as they don’t interfere with the landowners ordinary use and enjoyment of the land

Jason

Hi @ianinlondon
Having just taken my PfCO and I mean just
Saw the video and wasn’t sure if you could do the flight you did but you are correct in everything that you have done and have the CAA definition of flying over structures
Also love the video and the balls to go for it :slightly_smiling_face:
Jeff

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@JasonHB Hi and welcome to Grey Arrows! Your new-member restrictions have been lifted :+1:

And aircraft can land wherever the pilot considers safe … in an emergency!
I reckon a near flat battery ranks as an emergency.

I’d love to know what the NT would do in that situation. I’m sure they wouldn’t have the right to confiscate.

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Nice to have that direct discussion with NT; I wonder whether it’s worth having a discussion with EH over this too. Thing is, at the moment, buzzing drones have this image of being an obtrusive and intrusive device. But a car engine, kids and DSLR Zoom lenses all do much more… So I’m hoping that in time, people will just see drones as another type of camera and not bat an eyelid over them.

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As long as drone pilots respect the rules. And yes I tell people you have more chance of being spied on with a good zoom DSLR than a noisy drone with a wide angle lens.

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Hi all
Ok I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this but when you tell friend that you have a drone the first thing they say is “Have you get some good bedroom shots” or is it just my old voyeur friends…

If not we’ll i need to find new friends

Perhaps they know what you’re like. :wink:

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I am sure either here or on another forum I read a post from a guy who had been involved in some discussion with the NT and they said the NT were open to discussion and currently reviewing their blanket ban on drones. So let’s hope that one day they will allow take off and landing on their land.

Found it

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Oh no they don’t

Honest

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So have you got some good bedroom shots then??? Lol

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Are you taking the piss callum🤨

Ok if not then no

That’s furthest from my mind

People think it has a blue thunder/air wolf mode which it doesn’t and you would be rumbled well before you got to a bedroom window

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Thanks Ian for the video and subsequent clarification from the CAA

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Interesting! Some thoughts:

Thanks for provoking the discussion and getting some much needed common sense.

The only bit of the video that made me raise an eyebrow is the shot that looks like you flew directly over the stones. Not sure I’d have done that, I’d have interpreted Stonehenge as a building, but maybe that’s a question of judgement.

I was around there about a month ago and I’ve got a load of footage to edit. I was too cowardly to fly at Stonehenge though. Maybe I need to just grow a pair.

You are a very good pilot, with a great eye for a shot. Looking at my footage, you’ve made my filming and pilot skills look utterly rubbish!