Don’t Buy A Drone Until You’ve Read This

Drones aren’t new, in fact they have been around for more than a decade.  They’re also known as Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), if you play Call of Duty, you may have heard that being mentioned when you deploy one on the game. Drones are used for various purposes such as surveillance, delivery, construction etc. Drones are becoming more than just a tool used by the military or the government.

Anyone with an Internet access can now buy them online with HD camera, or ones you can attach your own camera.  In the UK alone, you can even head over to your local Maplin store to pick up a drone, with DJI making some of the best drones money can buy.

At CES alone, there was a special area set out just for drone testing for journalists and there are TV shows in the works for drones. If you are thinking of buying one, you can’t just deploy them anywhere, there are laws in the UK which governs where you can use them and how to make sure you are using them safely.  Let’s take a look at some of the things you need to be aware of, before shedding out your hard earned cash for a bit of fun.

Before you buy your drone, here’s what you need to know:

1. Check the weight: Your drone should weighs less than 20kg, otherwise, it’s only legal to use it in certified “danger areas”
2. What will you be using it for? You can’t use it commercial reasons, otherwise you will need to acquire the licence to do so from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
3. How far can you fly it? Avoid flying it within 150 metres of a congested area, like a park for example and 50 metres of a person, vessel, vehicle or structure not under the control of the pilot.  There was a case of an individual who was fined for doing so – he was fined around £800, that’s as much as your drone costs, if not more.
4. Can’t leave your sight: You need to fly your drone within sight, meaning you can’t go above 400 feet in altitude or further than 500 metres horizontally.
5. Acquiring a licence to go above the law: To get a licence you will have to show that you are sufficiently competent to fly your drone under controlled tests and environment.
6. Will you be recording your flight? Recording your HD content whether for YouTube videos or personal clips or whatever you decide to do, you could be breaching the Data Protection Act, or the CCTV code of practice.  If someone such as your neighbour complains that you are recording them without their permission, you could get into trouble.

Those are some of the major information you need to know or be aware of when thinking of buying your drone.  Do you know any others? Please share with us below. In the meantime, check out this awesome Drone footage: