Licence to fly drone in UK?

TOPICS:
In this Feb. 13, 2014, photo, members of the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office fly their search and rescue drone during a demonstration, in Brigham City, Utah. Law enforcement, government agencies and others are itching to use drones for everything from finding lost hikers to tracking shifting wildfires. But privacy watchdogs are urging state legislatures to step in and head off any potential privacy violations. That tension is on display as more than 35 states consider drone legislation this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The bills include ways to attract an industry that could generate billions and restrictions on drone use and data collection. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Posted By: Marcel van Leeuwen December 23, 2016

It seems the British government is about to get tough on drone owners after suggesting this week it may force everyone with a flying machine to take a test before they can use it.

The proposal comes amid mounting concern over safety in the skies, with more than 50 reports in the last year of near misses with commercial aircraft in British airspace, with two particularly serious incidents reported in just the last few months.

Other measures being proposed by the Department of Transport in its 58-page document include the setting up of a registry of owners, similar to the one launched by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in December 2015.

In the U.S., both professional and non-professional drone pilots have to register their machine if it weighs more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams), while only professional owners have to take a written test to prove their knowledge of flight safety. However, the proposals set out by the British government suggest everyone with a drone weighing more than 0.55 pounds will have to take a written examination described in the document as a “knowledge or situational awareness test.”

The government said in its consultation paper that “the safety of other airspace users and the general public is dependent on leisure drone users adhering to the rules and understanding the risks.”

The paper also discusses the idea of an electronic ID system to keep track of a drone’s location, and the mandatory use of an app that provides owners with information on known hazards in an area where they want to fly.

U.K. lawmakers are also considering introducing tougher punishments for anyone caught flying their drone in no-fly zones such as airports and prisons, and could increase maximum financial penalties that currently stand at £2,500 (about $3,100).

As in the U.S., British drone owners already face plenty of restrictions on where and how they can fly their machine. For example, drones have to be kept within the line of sight of the operator and mustn’t be flown within 50 meters of crowds and buildings.

Industry experts will now offer their views on the government’s proposals to help it build a final set of rules that could eventually become law.

SOURCE DIGITAL TRENDS / YAHOO Read more..

Related Articles