Hi, I went to a local park today, this is an area that has a rugby and football field for local clubs. It’s also a favourite place for dog walkers.
So I picked today when it was very quiet. I even spoke to two dog owners that didn’t know too much about drones, basically me a few weeks ago.
I check the area, checked the online CAA map to make sure it wasn’t a no RFZ, all clear.
Took it up, no issues. Anyway, I met a family friend that advised drones and other remote aircraft are not permitted. The sign is not in an obvious place and hard to see at distance.
Based on the good info above from @milkmanchris, I would ignore the sign and fly responsibly there.
I’d probably avoid busy times (if there are any) and just enjoy yourself.
If someone asks you to stop flying, try to ascertain if they have any authority to do so (they won’t have) and decide if you want to comply with their request or not.
Sometimes it’s better to just pack up and leave …. And come back when they are not there
Great thanks all, I did wonder why this looked a bit informal! None of the dog owners said anything, and I even went up to two and said, if your dog is uncomfortable I would stop. They were both fine, and just interested in the drone and what I was doing.
It’s odd that when we see a sign we automatically think that this is the law.
So, if legally ok, I would be happy to take off and land there. And I would not pick days/times when the park is busy. And like what BudgieUK said, if it was an issue I would probably leave, as I don’t live that far away.
“The council considers any requests it receives to fly drones from its land
on their own merits, depending on the nature and specific circumstances of
the site in question.”
<pedant mode> The *use* ........ *are* prohibited. Should be the use of ... is prohibited </pedant mode>
You are registered with the CAA
You have £5 million Public Liability Insurance
You used one of the only 2 CAA recommended programs to check for the legality of your flight.
You adhered to the Drone Code and aviation law
You checked via a Freedom of Information request whether any bylaws were in place
You selected a time when few of the public would be using the area
You approached those who were there and asked if they were ok with the flight.
Does a half-hidden, badly mounted notice with no reference to any law trump that?
Theft, possibly. Of course, if you took a blank sign of the same size and proportions, removed the screws, added the blank plate on top of the existing sign and replaced the screws…
