Hi All,
Yesterday I received my first drone (Mavic 2 Pro) and I’m looking forward to learning how to fly it.
I am a retired software engineer, interested in Photography, Drones, Boats, Bikes, clay shooting, Electronics and toys in general. I have wanted a drone for a long time and I am in the process of buying a boat so I now have the excuse
I’m looking forward to finding out more and picking up some good hints and tricks from you all.
I’ve checked the rules and I’ve got my Operator and Flyer IDs so all I need to do now is find a quiet, flat, open area where I can run through all the practice drills that I have seen on YouTube. I saw the drone scene app and I understand that recreational areas need to be 150M away etc., but I’m finding hard to identify a hassle free area where I can learn to handle the drone without the risks of flying over water etc. Perhaps there is a club that has a flying area that I could learn on. If you have any ideas I’d be very grateful. Even if it means travelling a bit.
You may like to search Article 16 - there are a few threads here dealing with the subject. Basically, Article 16 allows you to fly much closer/in recreational areas. To do so you must join an approved group and agree to their terms. I believe the cheapest option is to take out insurance with FPV UK (around £20/annum) and sign their terms and conditions and you’re away. You have to carry out a risk assessment but that is little more than you would normally do to ensure all is OK.
Check out Good2Go and select Article 16 for your M2 Pro and see the differences it provides - it may well suit your needs
Article 16 looks like it would really make life easier. I took a look at the FPV UK site and it looks like I just have to pay £19.99 a year to be able to fly under Article 16, with all the advantages it brings, it almost looks too good to be true. Just to be sure I am understanding this, other than needing to research Article 16 to understand all the requirements (Risk assessment, distances etc), am I right in thinking I can just join FPV UK instantly, online, and then, subject to risk assessment, I can fly in recreational areas?
Have you seen our members map? (Click the burger-menu in the top right) You may find some pilots living near you. Feel free to add yourself to the members map too
We’re a well established club with many knowledgable members so it’s very likely that any issues you come across will have been discussed here before. Our discussion forum has very powerful search features which should help you find what you need but if you get stuck you can post a new question in the #questions-and-answers category.
Looking for recommendations of places to fly? Check out our interactive map on Drone Scene - be sure to log in to gain access to the full suite of features and map layers:
Find places to fly your Drone (UAV) in the UK and share your favourite flying locations with other hobbyists pilots.
And please feel free to add locations of your own too.
Please also take a moment to look at the Membership Levels section on our FAQ as we’re quite different to other clubs and you’ll be eligible for some rather exclusive club discounts as your membership level increases
Several further advantages to FPVUK (BMFA are similar) = For your £20 you get £5 million public liability insurance for recreational flights. It’s a useful point to mention when you are asking someone if you can fly from their land.
FPVUK are consulted by the authorities when framing drone regulations, always fighting our rights
Their top man, Simon Dale, is a member here - @FPVUK
Message me and we’ll see about an evening flight at the Hayling gun site (down by the ferry) sometime soon.
