Drones over public area?

I fly my quad everywhere - circled Blackpool Tower @ 500ft at the weekend :-)

The only restrictions on flight are if you're near an airport. There isn't even an altitude ceiling for hobbyist use.

I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST READ!

The LAST place you should be flying is over anyone's head. Especially not somewhere busy like Blackpool.

Why would you even think of doing something like that?
What if your battery dies?
What if you radio link fails?
What if your GPS goes mental and it flies off into someone or their property?

All of those things can and do happen.

Be responsible. Join a club, get insurance.
 
I thought the most you could fly is 400ft?

And yes, flying above people can get you in serious trouble. I fly over the local fields and if people are there, which is mainly dog walkers, I move the Vision away from them.
 
CAA says for avoiding collisions when operating Unmanned Aircraft and Airspace issues

'Visual Line of Sight Operations - Visual Line of Sight is termed as being the maximum distance that the flight crew is able to maintain separation and collision avoidance, under the prevailing atmospheric conditions, with the unaided eye (other than corrective lenses). For flights within Line of Sight, the pilot is required to employ the See-and-Avoid principle through continued observation of the aircraft, and the airspace around it, with respect to other aircraft and objects. Within the UK, Visual Line of Sight operations are normally accepted out to a maximum distance of 500 m horizontally, and 400 ft vertically, from the pilot.'
 
But there is an exception to allow up to 1000ft

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/ORS4 No. 1011 Small Unmanned Aircraft.pdf


Cyclone: What fields do you fly in? or do you mean like the Town Park?

The spot I use is more just practise for short range LOS flying right now, waiting on my FPV gear to come, anyone who comes in to the area I keep an eye on them if they get too close then I land. Not always possible if they have let their dog off the lead and it wants to chase it... which in turn is annoying if I am running low on battery as it requires a pluck out of the air technique :D
 
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I fly in the town park, it's 5 minutes from me. Sometimes down by the river but only having 20 minutes flying time I tend to stay close to home. Once I get another battery I'll venture further out :)

All this countryside is begging to be flown over, only downside is its pretty much the flight path for planes going into Stansted Airport so I wont be able to go high :(

13MtZKu.jpg.png
 
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it is definately, I am recovering from a motorcycle accident right now, one I get back on the road I'll be able to go out further myself.

I went to the Lake District earlier this year and got some great photo's
 
I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST READ!

The LAST place you should be flying is over anyone's head. Especially not somewhere busy like Blackpool.

Don't be so dramatic.

Why would you even think of doing something like that?
Because it's fun?

What if your battery dies?
Backup battery is enough for an emergency R2B (return to base).

What if you radio link fails?
On a Futaba T18MZ? No chance. If a radio system passes pre flight checks, then the chance of failing in flight is practically zero.

What if your GPS goes mental and it flies off into someone or their property?
GPS and user control systems (see Futaba T18MZ system above) are seperate and not interlinked so in the extremely unlikely event that the GPS fails I can fly the system back manually. If the Radio system fails, the GPS auto R2B kicks in.

All of those things can and do happen.

The likely hood of all the fail safe systems failing at the same time are practically zero.

Be responsible. Join a club, get insurance.
I am responsible, I'm in a club, and I have insurance.

 
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Originally Posted by amigafan2003

Don't be so dramatic.


Because it's fun?


Backup battery is enough for an emergency R2B (return to base).


On a Futaba T18MZ? No chance. If a radio system passes pre flight checks, then the chance of failing in flight is practically zero.


GPS and user control systems (see Futaba T18MZ system above) are seperate and not interlinked so in the extremely unlikely event that the GPS fails I can fly the system back manually. If the Radio system fails, the GPS auto R2B kicks in.



The likely hood of all the fail safe systems failing at the same time are practically zero.


I am responsible, I'm in a club, and I have insurance.


I guess if you have the relevant insurance and your abiding with all the relevant laws/regulations, there is no problem with flying drones.

Of course, no amount of fail-safes can account for every possible scenario. From you video, there is a slim chance of say, your drone being hit by a seagull, all the rotors breaking, then the drone hitting someone. Hence the insurance. Pretty unlikely but a possibility.

Great video btw...

I can't afford another hobby, but after doing R/C planes years ago, This something i would do if time and money were not a factor.
 
Don't be so dramatic.


Because it's fun?
I'm sure it is. I'd love to do it myself, but it's irresponsible, potentially dangerous, and I'm pretty sure it's also illegal.

Backup battery is enough for an emergency R2B (return to base).
Assuming you remembered to charge it, connect it, and that it actually works when it's needed
On a Futaba T18MZ? No chance. If a radio system passes pre flight checks, then the chance of failing in flight is practically zero.

Practically zero isn't zero. The 18MZ might be the flagship Futaba radio, but it still uses FASST(est) same as the 14SG and 8FG, and there isn't a 2.4GHz system out there that hasn't failed at some point without warning.

GPS and user control systems (see Futaba T18MZ system above) are seperate and not interlinked so in the extremely unlikely event that the GPS fails I can fly the system back manually. If the Radio system fails, the GPS auto R2B kicks in.

I know how these things work. I also know that the majority of people that fly them can't fly them in manual mode (no self level, no GPS, no compass, no barometer). Again, you're relying on technology to bring it back.

The likely hood of all the fail safe systems failing at the same time are practically zero.

Flight controllers fail. Without artificial stabilisation, multi-rotors are un-flyable.

I am responsible, I'm in a club, and I have insurance.

So fly at the club. That's why they exist in the first place. If you are in a club, then you know the insurance is only valid with the land owners permission. Did Blackpool council give you permission?

Youtube vid of blackpool

As already mentioned, he was prosecuted.
 
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Here is some harmless SUSA (I think) photos I took a couple of weeks back, no-one was harmed, no missiles shot, no bombs dropped :). Was great fun though... but due to being 7AM I had no observer, but there was no-one for miles so I applied my own modification of CAA rules called common sense ;)

knowlton1.jpg


knowlton4.jpg
 
Defend it all you like amigafan, that video is squarely in the 'flying like a ****' and 'the kind of stuff that's going to get FPV/Multirotors banned' camp.
 

Loving the video dude. FPV is something I've been looking to get into once funds permit. Was thinking about starting off with a decent transmitter as I have some small RC helis and a couple of glider but they came with their own cheap transmitter.

I'm assuming you would recommend Futuba? I've also been looking at similar models by Spektrum. Is 2.4GHz the accepted band for control these days? and if so what band do you use for the video link? 5GHz?
 
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Here is some harmless SUSA (I think) photos I took a couple of weeks back, no-one was harmed, no missiles shot, no bombs dropped :). Was great fun though... but due to being 7AM I had no observer, but there was no-one for miles so I applied my own modification of CAA rules called common sense ;)

knowlton1.jpg


knowlton4.jpg

Is that farm abandoned too. :p Bit of a trek for you from xchurch to Knowlton? Nice shots
 
Don't be so dramatic.


Because it's fun?


Backup battery is enough for an emergency R2B (return to base).


On a Futaba T18MZ? No chance. If a radio system passes pre flight checks, then the chance of failing in flight is practically zero.


GPS and user control systems (see Futaba T18MZ system above) are seperate and not interlinked so in the extremely unlikely event that the GPS fails I can fly the system back manually. If the Radio system fails, the GPS auto R2B kicks in.



The likely hood of all the fail safe systems failing at the same time are practically zero.


I am responsible, I'm in a club, and I have insurance.


Were you not the fussy old fart that was arguing the toss about even taking a sip of water in a car? Seems a bit rich.
 
I fly my quad everywhere - circled Blackpool Tower @ 500ft at the weekend :-)

The only restrictions on flight are if you're near an airport. There isn't even an altitude ceiling for hobbyist use.

How do you know you were at 500ft just out if interest?

When I was taking flying lessons, the tower (airport) put us in a hold around Blackpool tower a few times and probably not too far from those heights.

Edit, nice video. Good range!
 
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