DRONE LEGISLATION ▶▶▶
Rules for drone use vary around the world, particularly in the areas of pilot certification, crop spraying and visual line of sight
How to fly drones within the law
Drone regulations continue to evolve as their use becomes more widespread. Future Farming looks at the current rules
BY JONATHAN RILEY W 32
orldwide legislation on drone use is evolving, with most countries moving towards similar regulations on
automonous flight operations. However, variations still exist, and while some authorities implement draconian rules, others have taken bolder steps to give farm drone operators more scope to exploit the developing technology. There are three key areas where laws differ, being pilot certification, crop spraying and visual line of sight.
Certification Neil Gabriel, training and operations manager at drone systems provider PrecisionHawk, says the UK has relatively flexible regulations compared with some countries.
“The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which administers the rules in the UK, is forward- looking and open to reviewing legislation where a change can be proved to be safe and necessary,” he says. By comparison, other EU countries have imposed measures that restrict flying. “In Spain, rules are extremely tight and
commercial drone operators must hold a pilot’s licence. It’s a costly and time-consuming qualification to obtain and operators need to go well beyond what is needed to fly drones in most cases. “Operators in the Netherlands face
regulations that require each drone to be physically examined before use by government-approved assessors. “If an operator later modifies the software or equipment, the whole machine has to be sent away for checking all over again,” explains Mr Gabriel.
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 9 November 2017 UK drone rules
The aircraft must not be flown beyond: ▶ visual line of sight ▶ 500m (1,650ft) horizontally ▶122m (400ft) vertically The aircraft must not be flown within: ▶ 150m (500ft) of a congested area ▶150m (500ft) of an open-air assembly of more than 1,000 people
▶50m (165ft) of any vessel, vehicle or structure
▶30m (100ft) of anyone other than the pilot except during take-off or landing
COMMERCIAL USE For drones weighing 20-150kg pilots must: ▶ hold a certificate of airworthiness ▶ register the drone with the CAA ▶obtain permission from the CAA to operate the drone
▶ obtain an approved pilot qualification. Source: Summary provided by Michelmores (Law Firm)
GARY NAYLOR
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
