Hi there! What a great resource. I’m an American headed to Cornwall and Dorset this summer and found this site while searching proper places to launch my drone (still considering if it’s worth bringing on the trip). I’ve got my operator and flyer ID from the CAA. Here in the US I’m a very rule-following, responsible drone operator and use my Mavic Pro Platinum primarily for still photography, and less often flyovers. I’m trying to suss out the ins and outs of responsible and legal drone flight in the UK for my upcoming trip. Places I’m most interested in are the coast line around Boscastle and St. Ives; Abbotsbury (according to the maps I’ve found this looks fairly non-problematic) and of course the south coast like Butter Rock, Durdle Door, etc. No flying over people, no disturbing wildlife, pretty much straight up probably well under 120m do a few quick photos and quickly back down, maybe 200m our toward the sea to get a shot of the coast from that perspective and back in. I’ll work hard to find my own answers but will appreciate any advice or links to official information to help me decide whether to drag my drone along or leave it home. Thanks!
Hi from the UK 
Have a look at “Good 2 Go”, it’s a great starting point:
Hi Eric @emarvin64 - welcome to GADC 
Thanks! Hoping to learn enough here to help me decide whether to bring my drone to the UK when I visit. I’m a responsible operator and know the US rules and regulations to a tee. I don’t, however, wish to cause an international incident or be fined/charged as “I didn’t know” is not likely to be an acceptable answer.
As @PingSpike has recommended - have a look at Good2Go. Its a GADC tool which allows you to enter details of your drone, location, qualifications etc and will very quickly tell you if you are within the regs or, if not, what facet puts you outside the regs. Try a load of different scenarios and you’ll soon get the idea of what can and cannot do - legally
Hi @emarvin64 and welcome to Grey Arrows 
Looking for recommendations of places to fly in the UK? Check out our interactive map on Drone Scene (just a reminder, it only covers the UK) 
Interested in becoming a member of our Club? Read about all the benefits of membership at:
Wondering whether you can fly a particular model of drone under particular circumstances? Check out Good 2 Go where you’ll soon find the answer 
We’re a well established club with many knowledgeable 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.
Our Associates are able to enjoy a lot of great services for free but our Members are eligible for a whole lot more! Read all the details about our Membership Benefits?
And finally, if you are new to drones and wondering what it’s all about, have a look at Resources for a beginner.
Welcome once again!
Yes, I’ve reviewed it a few times already, very similar to the general regulations in the US. I’ve taken my online training and have my Flyer ID fom the CAA.
I’m off to Cornwall next week and will take my drone. A lot of the coast is owned by the National Trust who do not allow TOAL on their land. Depending on when you are coming there is a sizeable NOTAM on place which excludes a lot of Cornwall. The SSSIs where in going are for the rock formations so OK to Fly over. You’ve chosen some excellent coast to come over and see.
Welcome to G A D C
Hi Eric, welcome to Greyarrows, and the UK.
I’m not sure how it might affect you, but the radio protocols and frequencies used between the drone and it’s controller may be different.
In the US, the FCC-compliant system is used, using a greater transmission power, leading to greater range. This radiated power is illegal in the UK (much to the disgust of most UK drone fliers).
In the UK, we are forced to set up using the CE system, a lower-powered protocol supposed to be better health-wise, and also less capable of causing interference.
You might get asked to switch your system over depending on which region you intend to fly in (US or UK).
I thought this automatically takes affect country to country from fcc to ce or vice a versa or have I read this wrong .
No plod will know about or care about what system you’re using, just stick your Operator number where they can see it and they’ll be fine! No Karen or Ken will know what you’re talking about CE or FCC, just ignore them!
Welcome anyway mate, if you’re drinking the beer, remember our pints are bigger than yours by 25%, so 4 pints are the same as 5 of yours! 
I went to university in London for a year. I know all about the pint sizes 
Great information. Thanks!
I think it gets set when you first set up your drone and choose your country, so you are not actually asked if you want FCC or CE. It is then written to the firmware.
In the UK, you can purchase a hack to switch from CE to FCC, but this then makes your drone technically illegal.
My concern is that if the drone is already set up for FCC, then it becomes inadvertently illegal when entering the UK. I don’t know how you switch it from FCC to CE, as I have not seen any settings, or anyone deliberately wanting to cripple the range on their controller 
Sod’s law, high transmission power, especially on reserved frequencies, is easily detectable.
The only people that have been caught using fcc mode so far, were caught because they were being dicks. The fcc mode was only discovered after their kit had been siezed for flying illegally. Lots of people in the UK fly in fcc mode. Don’t fly illegally and don’t do anything to have your kit siezed, there’s hardly a squad of fcc detectorists walking about trying to catch us.
The CE and FCC power output is based on the geo-location of the drone at the time.
It knows it’s in the UK based on its GPS position so it’ll use CE power levels, it’ll also turn off Remote ID and geofencing.
Head out to USA with the same drone and FCC will turn on, Remote ID will turn on, Geofencing will turn on, etc.
Thanks for the info on this nuance I knew absolutely nothing about. It sounds, then, like my drone should (in theory) switch to CE mode based on its geo location? I’m likely not to run afoul of any regulations as I am expecting to go up, capture some still shots, and come back down. I fly lots of coastline and lakes here in Michigan in the US, and although I’d LOVE to do that in the UK with some of the coastline in Cornwall and Dorset it seems like an opportunity to break some rule I’m not aware of. I can read the maps, and it SEEMS straightforward but I’m unsure about the regions around the coastlines that are in yellow (fly with caution) but yet state restrictions for animal life.
You’ll be fine Eric, pack the drone. We’ll keep you safe come the time
Can’t have you coming all the way over here and not getting some stunning drones shots to take home!!!
Can you post a link or screenshot of where you got the info? There are quite a few places where there are large colonies of migratory birds during the breeding season. The laws here state you can’t “disturb” birds, especially during the breeding season. But be sensible and keep your distance, a lot of these places can still be flown with planning