Having purchased my 3rd drone (the first was my sons toy, 2nd flew off never to be seen again, pressed “home” it flew back to Taiiwan) this Mavic is a more serious attemt at drone flying and photography. We have some stunning locations but access is my greatest worry - the area around the Airport is an obvious exclusion but we also have a wider area that is classed as Leeds Bradford CTR that extends some further 5kms from the airport yet isn’t a no fly according to the Dronesafe app - can anyone help me with getting clear before I fly - thanks
2 Likes
Hi Phil.
And welcome to the group. I’m in Otley so I’m well versed with the restrictions in this area as the NFZ starts just South of the river, which is the 5km NFZ you refer to. However I live North of the river so I can fly my Mini2 and sub250g FPV quads with near impunity. I have much larger machines but I strictly fly those in more remote areas. Even though I have an Article 16 authorisation which would allow me to fly them in the area around Wharfmeadows park I limit my use of these to my Flying Club’s field.
I would of said that the Swinsty and Fewston reservoir areas would be ideal locations but I seem to remember from somewhere that Yorkshire Water don’t allow drones in their areas. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to the reservoirs so I may have just imagined it.
Hi Nidge
Thanks for your reply. Do you know the area around Arthington? it is outside the airport restricted zone, it’s this area that I am unsure about. Drone Safety Map | Altitude Angel
1 Like
I’m taking a guess that you may, or may not, be considering the viaduct? Yes that area is fine to fly in. In fact the Wharfdale Model flying Club had their field there at one time until they were forced to move due to the land being sold. The area is in Class D airspace, which from a drone flyers perspective is fair game so long as you observe all the usual guidelines and remain 400ft or lower with respect to your takeoff point. My flying club is in the same airspace and while we have to observe the maximum ceiling height of 400ft for multirotor’d models we are allowed a max ceiling height of 1,000ft for fixed wing models.
Thank you - my drone did beep and tell me it was a restricted area bit as I had already checked the airport no fly zone thought it was incorrect - I guess I have a lot to learn about where I can and can’t fly. I fly within the regulations and carry my i.d. and labelled the drone - it’s a work in progress I guess. Thanks a lot - are you aware of any drone meetings or places where I can meet with other enthusiasts?
1 Like
Quick hello from Barnsley
Keep an eye on this site. As we make our way out of lockdown and the weather improves there will be quite a few GADC meet ups.
2 Likes
Hello
Hi @philleeuk and welcome to Grey Arrows 
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 & 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:
Where To Fly Your Drone in the UK
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 
I’m not a million miles away from you out Selby way, but am a Leeds boy born, bread and buttered. As above keep an eye on the posts, we often have Yorkshire meet ups
Welcome once again!
Hi Phil and welcome to GADC.
1 Like
Hi Phil,
Welcome to the group.
I live within 2 miles of LBA in Guiseley and like Nidge am aware of the restrictions.
I too am a newbie so am being as careful as I can but find I can frequently self permit to fly locally on the dji app.
Nidge, who is vastly more experienced than me may be able to tell me if what I am doing is correct or not!
It would seem to be a bit of a minefield of rules and regulations, but it is such an enjoyable hobby that it is surely worth persevering.
1 Like
Welcome to the GADC
This is where the DJI APP’s NFZ’s and drones are less use than a chocolate fire guard.
DroneScene and the database’s it links to, excluding the DJI FlySafe database, are the ones that you should refer to.
The areas in yellow are the no-go, under any circumstances, around LBA and the Leeds Heliport. The larger red areas are again no-go areas UNLESS you have the relevant CAA prerequisites and the express permission (not readily granted) from the Air Traffic Control or The Flight Information Service.
However if you just refer to the DJI Fly APP or the DJI Go4 APP, they first off all get the radius for the Heliport incorrect, and secondly allow you to unlock these areas via the APP without consultation from the governing bodies. They also impose flight restrictions, altitude limits, where none officially exist.
DJI Go4.
DJI Fly APP.
And if you use the DJI Groundstation APP, as I do with my Naza and Wookong equipped drones, you’re completely screwed as you can’t even arm the Drones if you’re within five miles of an aerodrome as the NFZ has a diameter of over 16km.
Even though their intentions may have some merit it’s for these reasons you should not allow a manufacturer to embed restrictions as at best it stops you flying in areas where it’s legal, and at worse allows you to fly in areas where you will end up with a criminal record.
To conclude, if you are a hobby flyer operating under Article 16, A2COC, or just the basic Drone Authorisation, your reference should be the information provided by DroneScene and the sources of its data, certainly not the DJI FlySafe database which can, and has recently done so with the FPV and Air2S drones, completely cripple your drone.
1 Like
There’s a prime example in that very region.
I wonder if this guy who has logged a flight report knows DJI will won’t allow him to fly his drone higher than 60m in half of his planned flight area, but they will in his other half 
1 Like
Hi