Hi all, I have just taken the initiative and bought a drone to look at photography/video from a different perspective. Now retired, I was a press photographer for almost 30 years. I wasn’t really ready for the legalities of flying drones and as I speak, am trawling through all the CAA stuff along with countless videos on youtube. I have a mini 4 pro, used, but not yet flown by myself. I live in the Bradford area and spend a lot of time in East Yorks. Are there any clubs etc. I could join and maybe acquire more in-depth knowledge. Thanks, take care all, Peter.
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Hi @PeterFoster and welcome to Grey Arrows 
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Welcome once again!
You already have 
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Hi Peter @PeterFoster and welcome to GADC 
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@PeterFoster Welcome to GADC and hope you will enjoy your drone flying 
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Hi @PeterFoster , and welcome.
Where abouts are you located?
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Welcome aboard
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It’s not so hard, either; I did it, but it can be a bit daunting at first. The CAA website is pretty straighforward in terms of requirements for a sub-250g drone, and the rules to fly it. Basically, wherever you like within the Drone Code but not over crowds and with due regard to privacy and nuisance issues, BUT you will need to familiarise yourself with the permanent and temporary restiction zones imposed by the CAA and how they are shown on maps.
So far as maps go, the best for UK use are probably the Drone Scene maps on this very site, which will show you FRZs (Flight Restriction Zones), NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen, basically temporary restrictions), and will highlight ground hazards that you need to be aware of.
The areas shaded in red on the map are permanent FRZs, and will be found around airports, prisons, some military sites and firing ranges, and royal residences. It is possible to fly in airport FRZs by applying online for permission and then contacting the relevant Air Traffic Control to tell them that you are ready to fly, and then again when you’ve finished, but you can’t just turn up and fly without permission!
NOTAMs are in blue, and apply to events such as air shows, balloon displays, major events (sporting or music), laser shows &c. There is one in place over the River Mersey in Liverpool currently because of the visit of HMS Prince of Wales, for example. Clicking on the blue area will show details of the restriction, how long it is in place for, and the altitude limits; some don’t affect drones at all!
Ground Hazards are in yellow, and in an urban area there will be a lot of them. They vary from parks or sports grounds, places where crowds my gather in general, to main roads and railways, schools, hospitals, big factories. Hazards such as cables, pylons, masts, chimneys, aerials &c are shown as individual items, and, again, there will be a lot of them in urban areas. You can fly here, but need to be aware of potential hazards and issues; a playing field might be crowded with football/rugby matches and their associated spectators on Saturdays but eminently suitable on a midweek mid-afternoon when it’s mostly dog walkers.
Much of this is common sense and Rule 1 (Don’t Be A Dick). You must maintain visual line-of-sight (VLOS) contact with your drone at all times (though few of us can state honestly that we always do this all the time, it’s still good practice to do it as much as you possibly can). You can fly FPV (First Person Viewpoint, using the screen display as if you were aboard the drone) but must have a ‘spotter’ with you who can maintain VLOS, and understands what is going on. The spotter muat be with you, not some way off on a mobile phone…
Use a decent sized open area with few (ideally no) people for practice, and stay away from crowds, buildings and (especially) trees. A Mini 4 Pro will almost fly itself, almost but not completely, and it is your responsibility to find out if you are allowed to fly from that site; the map will be of no help here, but the ‘can I fly’ questionaire might.
Landowners, including local councils & similar, have the right to prohibit you from TOAL (Take Off And Landing) from their property, but they do not have any jurisdiction over the airspace above it; that is the province of the CAA, and the CAA say you can fly there so long as you obey the normal flying rules. Not all landowners are aware of this and some conflict can result. Notably, the NT, Scottish Heritage, CADW (in Wales), the Forestry Commission and others do not allow recreational TOAL from their properties, but you can overfly from outside or public rights of way within them.
It’s a lot to take in all at once, so don’t take it in all at once, give yourself some time to absorb and understand the information. I would avoid too many YouTube videos at this stage, as you’ll get well-intentioned but conflicting advice that will muddy the waters further (this is purely my personal viewpoint and advice). Stay away from ‘drone auditor’ videos, they are intentionally (and pointlessly) confrontational, do not portray drone pilots in a positive light, and do not promote the best practices you should be instilling in yourself!
Most of all, fly your drone safely within the rules and enjoy yourself; that’s what it’s for, and a Mini 4 Pro is an awesome piece of kit to do it with! Stay away from trees. And seagulls…
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Sound advice John, with one exception, IMHO. It is always better to have an experienced UAV pilot show you the way fwd in person, but in the absence of such a beasty, YT can be a great source of information and I for one have learnt a great deal from a selection of YT channels. @ianinlondon 's channel (link below) is a great example of one of these, and is advocated by this very club.
https://youtube.com/@ianinlondon?si=1rAq93ETGfoibwT4
I do whole heartedly agree with your ‘Auditor’ YT channel advice and reasoning, however, they are knobs! 
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Hi Peter @PeterFoster - welcome to GADC
… you’ve already found it - GADC is the most friendly drone club for the budding GPS drone pilot to the most experienced FPV pilot. Get yourself a comfy chair, some suitable refreshment and have a search of the multitude of existing threads which contain invaluable info for drone pilots of all levels. If by some chance you don’t find exactly what you need, don’t be afraid to ask the question and don’t be afraid to resurrect an old thread (forum preferred method ) to get the info you need/want.
We’re a friendly bunch and always ready to help on all sorts of problems - drone and other subjects and I’m sure with your photography expertise you’ll be well able to help too.
Most important though - just enjoy your drone and don’t overthink it too much. Every mistake you’re likely to make has already been adequately completed by someone on GADC 
Enjoy
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Hi, I live in Denholme, between Halifax and Keighley.
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Hi Peter
If I might throw my 2 pence worth in; you have a brilliant drone that not only takes great videos and pictures, but also being less than 250 grams has the least restrictions.
My advice would very much boil down to:
- Make sure you’re at least 5kms or 3 miles from airports
- Don’t fly in crowded areas like city centres
- Use Drone Scene to check for localised restrictions
- Find somewhere quiet, pretty and clear of trees or buildings and just have fun getting used the drone’s controls. The world looks pretty much the same from 60 metres or 100 metres, so I tend to stick to around 50-60 metres high. The rules around Visual Line Of Sight are ironically quite blurred; the CAA rules state you need to be able to see your drone without assistance (ie binoculars etc) but they have also issued ‘guidance’ that you should be able to see the orientation of the drone itself in case of a need to move fast due to a helicopter etc. It’s not a rule or law and in truth, you hear anything coming, down is the only direction you need to go.
Don’t fly the Mini 4 Pro much further than 200 metres away and you should be good.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the legalites, many of which go far beyond what basic common sense and safe flying would dictate anyway. In open countryside, take a “fly first and land if asked by someone who actually owns or manages the land approach” (as opposed to a member of the public - although this has only happened once in 5 years for me; it’s rare!). Don’t go trying to get permission each time as if someone has to make a decision, they’ll go for the easy response and say no. So just follow the above guidance, have fun and just enjoy it
Ian
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Hi @PeterFoster from the North West
Added your location to the thread title. It encourages those local to you to come and say “Hi!”.
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As it relates to mini 4 pro settings, drone videography, cinematic flying control and videography, the YT videos by MK Creator, Justin Bainbridge and Shaun the Drone are fab.
And to reinforce the excellent responses below, council policy about drone flying is usually NOT law (councils just don’t have the wherewithal to separate the two imo). So flying over almost everything outside an FRZ is fine for sub 250g but TOAL can be restricted. SSSI’s are everywhere but if it’s designated for stuff growing out of the ground, fly and you’ll be fine in almost all cases. Nesting birds would be restricted and if flying near them, you’d be breaking Rule 1 and the law! You may very occasionally meet ‘Drone Karen’s’ who voice concern about their privacy🙄, but as a pilot, you can tell them there’s a very well defined LEGAL difference between flight law, and privacy and trespass associated with flight and you’re registered with the CAA…so smile politely if you can and try to ignore their expert anecdotal waffle🤭
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Peter, if you visit the coast, you are welcome to pop in here. Just message me.
P.
Thank you for the offer Pat, very much appreciated. I do get over to the East coast from time to time when fishing. I imagine that flying and fishing could dovetail quite nicely!
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I can hear both the Alarms going off
This is a really useful thread, thanks!
I’ve just bought a DJI mini 3 as a Christmas present for myself, so am also just starting on the learning journey.
Hi @PeterFoster , I’m originally from Bradford and my old mum still lives in Thornton just down the road from you. Some really nice countryside to test fly around there. The mini Pros are pretty much bullet proof, great drones to fly so wouldnt worry too much about it all. Will look forward to seeing some of your photos on here!