New Europe-wide drone laws come into effect in the UK
A Dorchester drone pilot’s helping you understand what you can and can’t do with your new drone.
If you got a new drone for Christmas, regardless of its size, you’ll need to be aware of new legislation.
The rules bring the UK in line with the rest of Europe – it provides rules and training requirements for particular kinds of drones, rather than a ‘one size fits’ all regulation.
It affects all drones, including the new one you got for Christmas, not just professional pilots.
A drone pilot from Dorchester has made it her mission to make sure it’s easy to understand what you need to do if you have a drone.
Gemma Alcock from Dorchester is the CEO of Skybound Rescuer, she said:
“It will be a huge step forward to us. However, it makes for a very complex regulation.
“But I think just because they are complex regulations, doesn’t mean they should be complex to learn, which is why we created the Drone License Finder.
“It simplifies the learning for everyone, you simply need to answer a series of yes/ no questions and the Drone License Finder will then tell you which category or sub-category you are.”
The legislation came into effect on 1st January 2021 and categorises drone pilots based on risk, the type of operation and the performance level of the drone pilot.
Each category has different rules and training requirements associated with it.
Gemma added:
“So anyone from someone who got a tiny little toy drone, as they would call it, for Christmas, all the way up to people who are flying them commercially every day for their job.
“Whether you’re flying as a hobbyist or commercially, there are risks involved and therefore there’s laws.”
You can find out what rules apply to your drone from Skybound Rescuer’s website.