Hi all, just purchased the DJI Mini Pro have to say very impressed so far. Not a great start though! Where I live is close to Gatwick and in an Authorisation zone. So I went on the DJI website and managed to get permission to fly or so I thought….yesterday I had 2 police officers turn up at my door saying that I had illegally been flying a zone and have to do a course and register my drone and if I don’t do that I will get prosecuted.
So obviously I should have done more research but bad that I thought I had authorization via DJI. Looks like I need help and advice from fellow drone flyers!
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Hi and welcome to the club.
I done the same and so do lots of others. Most newbies to the hobby wouldn’t have a clue there are regulations or a drone code to follow. I have a work colleague who had a holey stone drone and now a mini2, he flies anywhere he likes (including RAF bases) and has never registered with the CAA. I keep telling him he should but he’s not interested. One of these days he’ll get caught and regret it hut until then he’ll just keep doing what he wants.
Main thing is you are here now and you can find all the information you need.
Also check out DroneScene, a valuable tool to check where you can or can’t/shouldn’t fly
One point here that no one mentions is that it is possible to use the drone in an area that is geo-fenced, the app itself just enforces but doesn’t seek permissions if you have a geo-fenced area opened.
I’d assume that that isn’t what an app would do but maybe it obviously isn’t to everyone.
The other is classification, sub 250g but with a camera, it does need an operator ID, a flyer ID is probably a good idea as but it’s class does mean training is much more optional (??) DJI do give this a ‘toy’ classification.
I think that the police are close in that an operator ID was something you needed for sure (£9 from the CAA). But as a sub 250g ‘toy’ training and other licences are probably not mandatory.
Morning you won’t be the only person that has bought a drone and flown it where you shouldn’t but it’s a case of learn from your mistakes. I find there’s a few apps that let you know where you can fly and can not fly I have a few on my phone. There’s a lot of knowledge on here that I have seen and best advice is learn from it. I know I have flown in flight restriction zones with work but it’s a case of getting the right permissions and working with the ATC. But it’s a case of better safe than sorry for the of making a few phone calls .but it’s an addictive hobby lol so we buoy your flying
The Rob, is it best then to phone rather than email. I have quite a few aerodromes near me. I want to be able to some surveys in those restricted areas as a lot of houses in these restricted zones. Only be flying at around 12 metres!
I would personally get everything in email so you have a paper trail if questioned later. By all means have a nice informal chat on the phone first, but definitely follow up with email.
I have had to do both, depending on the Airport you can normally ring the Air traffic control, I did with Doncaster and then they told me who to email about going on the approved flyers list, but same with scampton in Lincolnshire I rang them and agreed with their ATC about flying in that flight restriction zone. But I had had to deal with small grass airfields and I had to ring and jump through hoops but in the end I went in and showed them what I was planning to do, even showed them my insurance and flyer I’d. Which after talking with them they were happy to let me do, but you can never go wrong with calling as a first point of contact
