Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

United Kingdom

Flying test and licence needed by drone pilots, says CAA

Drone flyers will soon need to pass a test and have a licence to show they are “safe and legal”.

If pilots fly a drone after failing an online exam, they face a £1000 fine.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) scheme will also create a register of all drones used in the UK.

Advertisement

Officials are concerned about the increasing number of drones crash-landing in public places and abandoned.

Flyers call it “sky-tipping”.

To beat the practice, all registered drones will have a unique number linking the device to its owner.

The 20-question test to gain a pilot ID is free, but it will cost £9 a year to register the drone.

A minimum score of 16 is needed to pass and the ID must be renewed after three years.

The new rules come in to force on November 30.

Jonathan Nicholson, CAA spokesman, said:

“The national registration scheme will allow us to track lost drones and unsafe owners effectively.”

It’s thought more 90,000 people will have to register.

Flying a drone close to an airport became illegal in March 2019.

And, it is illegal to fly a drone higher than 400ft.

Both offences carry an unlimited fine or five years in prison.

 

Comments

You May Also Like

United Kingdom

Film director Ridley Scott has recalled the death of actor Oliver Reed while making the Oscar winning blockbuster Gladiator. Scott said hard-drinking Reed “just...

Business

The controversial Russian businessman Viktor Baturin, well-known for his years-long counterstanding with his wealthy sister Elena, widow of Moscow ex-mayor Yuri Luzhkov, is likely...

United Kingdom

The Tremeloes. Dave Munden centre Dave Munden the Tremeloes drummer – and often lead singer – with the 60s chart toppers has died. He...

United Kingdom

The Watneys Party Seven is making a comeback. The ubiquitous 70s beer was a bland fizzing bitter ridiculed by many. The drink’s insipidness helped...