For a long time, my wife had been saying I should go
out and get a new hobby. So, when I received a toy drone for Father’s Day a
couple of years ago, I thought now would be a good opportunity to give it a go
– if only to keep the peace.
It was a Denver DCH600. Capable of a range of up to
80m and had something I thought akin to “sport mode”. I felt I was going to be
Britain’s next number one drone pilot and went to the nearest field to try out
my new toy. But as I soon found out, these super lightweight flying machines
are trickier than I thought and within minutes it was stuck up a tree.
Over the next few weeks I must have got in more
scrapes than I did as a young child. If I didn’t crash it on the ground it was
stuck in a branch. And if that didn’t happen, I was wading knee deep in water.
With just one battery that lasted only ten minutes I bought two more. As time
passed my flying improved and I became more proficient, but I also came across
my fair share of resistance from the public.
Denver DCH600 Drone. Photo credit David Walker
It seems the biggest concern people feel is their
privacy may be invaded as they could be spied upon by these versatile flying
machines. Modern drones – or to call them by their proper name Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAV’s) can travel large distances and nearly all have camera’s
attached. But most of those that are fitted work best for aerial
photography covering a large expanse of land. So, unless you are within 10
metres of someone and looking at them straight on, then to pick out an
individual’s features can be incredibly difficult.
At present there are no official regulations for
hobbyists when it comes to flying UAV’s over UK airspace, although there are
certain areas which are off limits. There is however something that’s known as
the drone code that commercial users and hobbyists alike abide by. These are a
series of common-sense type rules which are designed to be beneficial for
operators, the general public and everyone’s safety. Of course however you do
have some operators who use their units in a reckless way, which gives true
users a bad name and is frowned upon greatly. To combat this, the Government are
aiming to put into place some form of official regulation that everyone will
need to abide by. However, this has been a very long time coming and they are
still not sure what they are going to do, or when they will do it. To gain some
clarity, I tried contacting the Department for Transport multiple times but as yet, I’m still waiting to hear back from them.
Credit Surrey Search and Rescue
Seamus Kearns is Head of Operations for Surrey Search
and Rescue who do a lot of work alongside the Fire and Police services. Kearns states
“out of the 123 call outs they received in 2018, around 25% required the use of
UAV’s”. Adding, “from a search and rescue point of view, drones work best
because you can look for missing people far quicker over weirs, cliff edges,
rivers, lakes and fields of crops. Whereas it is more difficult on a horizontal
plane looking across an area”.
Credit BBC
However, a recent BBC TV Horizon program was perceived by many operators as negatively biased and scaremongering. Terminology used such as “weaponised drones”, “deadly killing machines” and “terrorist drone attacks” portrayed the sport in a poor light giving hobbyists and commercial operators a bad name, which makes the activity more difficult for them to enjoy; mainly due to the negative perception currently held by much of the population.
In response to this, a BBC spokesperson said, "In the wake of the crisis at Gatwick Airport last year - and the strong public interest in this - we believe our Horizon investigation into the technology behind drones, and whether the related UK safety measures are adequate, was justified, fair and impartial. From the outset, and repeatedly during the film, the positive uses of drones and the efforts the industry has taken to make them safe was referred to. The film does not claim that drone technology is unsafe, but rather that it can be used maliciously when in the wrong hands. Indeed, as drone users ourselves, the BBC is well aware of the positive benefits of them when used appropriately.”
Photograph of a woman standing in open ground taken at
25m high. This is just half the minimum height required a drone can be near a
single person under the drone code. Photo credit David Walker.
Anyone who wants to take up flying on a more serious basis to make money can enrol on a course to obtain a Permission for Commercial Operation licence (PfCO). The usual cost for this is around £1500 and normally takes three days, which includes both theory and practical activities. You can get cheaper online versions on a distance learning basis which take longer as you do this in your own time, which start at around £900.
Andrea Verenini from Portsmouth is one such student who set up his own aerial photographic company after obtaining a PfCO. For him, drone flying started off as a hobby four years ago which he loves doing. However, he feels quite frustrated at times because despite paying a lot of money in the outlay he states, “if you have a client who wants a photo taken of their house from above, then you need to get the permission of everybody in the surrounding area”. Adding “people are watching more and more of TV aerial footage which produces some great results, but no-one wants you to fly your drone. You can enjoy the beauty of nature and landscapes but it’s as if they don’t want you having fun”.
To make his point, Andrea compares this to driving. He states, “you spend money on lessons, the driving test, buy a car, then tax, insurance and MOT it. But to go anywhere you must then ask the permission of every householder to drive down a street”.
Most hobbyists often express frustration as to the limitations which are imposed upon them, as not only are there the official no fly zones, but this can extend to the countryside in general. On one occasion, I was asked to pay £25 to cross over a meadow where I wanted to take some aerial photography. Given this money was to help the upkeep of the land I was happy to donate £10 as I would only be there less than 30 minutes. But instead, I was given a flat refusal. Sadly, this is not uncommon because where true hobbyists try to be accommodating as possible, many feel angst when phone calls and emails get ignored when permission is sought to cross land or view an area.
Like it or not, drones are here to stay. True hobbyists and commercial users are always happy to show you what they can see on their screens and in some cases will even allow you to have a go under close supervision. Drone technology has taken major advancements in recent times and is put to good use daily, but it’s a sad fact there is a small percentage of operators who give the rest a bad name. However, whether its fighting crime, helping to fight fires, making great TV or just for fun, the use of drones has certainly enriched our lives for the better.
An image taken at 50m above ground. This is the minimum
requirement a drone can be to a single person under the drone code. Here, the
operator can just be seen on the grass near the red car. Photo credit
David Walker.
