Drone Flying Policy

Drone Flying Policy

Drone Flying Guidelines

This Drone Flying Policy is to advise drone and unmanned ariel vehicle (UAV) pilots on how to apply for permissions to pilot a drone/UAV in airspace over council land, such as in council owned parks. Drone pilots must comply with this drone Flying Policy and guidance set by the Civil Aviation Authority (www.caa.co.uk).

What you need to fly on Council Land

To fly a drone on or above council land, you will need to submit a formal request to pilot a drone via the webform on the Oldham Council Website.

Alongside the form, you will be required to provide:

  • A copy of your flyer ID
  • A copy of your Operator ID
  • A risk assessment for the activity
  • A copy of the drone pilot’s public liability insurance policy (must have a minimum indemnity of £10 million)

You must also provide details of the drone that will be used, including the weight of the drone and a picture of the drone with your operator ID displayed upon the drone.

Please allow 2-weeks’ notice for your application to be assessed.

Drone Safety

The drone pilot is responsible for safe flying whenever the drone is being piloted.

Drone pilots must never exceed the legal height limit of 120 metres (400ft) when piloting a drone.

You can be fined for breaking the law when flying your drone, and in severe cases can be open to legal litigation. Drone pilots must look and listen for nearby low-flying aircraft, such as air ambulances, military aircraft, and police helicopters, and land the drone in a safe and convenient place if low-flying aircraft are passing by.

If you endanger the safety of an aircraft, you could go to prison for five years.

Oldham Council has a responsibility to share details of the drone flying application with investigating bodies in instances of legal proceedings.

Drone pilots must comply with guidance set by the Civil Aviation Authority (www.caa.co.uk) to ensure that they fly their drone in a safe manner and don’t present a risk to the public.

Drone Pilots may need to employ the help of a competent observer, particularly if they are piloting a drone in first person view.

Restrictions on Flying (Drones 250g+)

Whilst airborne, the drone must never be flown within 50 meters of people that aren’t directly involved with the activity. This includes people in buildings and vehicles.

You must keep a minimum horizontal distance of 50 meters between your drone and people.

There is a 50 metre “no-fly zone” around people that stretches to the top of the 120m legal fly limit. You must not pilot a drone above people, even if you fly higher than 50 meters.

You can fly within 50m of people that are involved in your activity, such as friends or colleagues, but it is your responsibility to keep these people safe. You must never put anybody in danger.

The drone pilot must assess if the “no-fly zone” needs to be expanded to keep people safe, such as when flying at height or in poor weather conditions. You must land the drone if external factors, such as poor weather conditions, puts anybody at risk.

The pilot must never pilot a drone, regardless of weight category, over a crowd of people.

For drones exceeding 250g, recreational drone flying should never be within 150m of residential, recreational, commercial and industrial areas.

Restrictions on Flying (Drones below 250g)

If the drone being piloted is under 250g, you can fly within 50m of a person and pilot the drone above them at a reasonable distance.

The drone pilot must not intentionally fly over anybody at any time. Smaller drones still have the potential to cause injury, and it remains the responsibility of the drone pilot to ensure the drone is piloted safely. The drone pilot is responsible for any incident or injury that has occurred due to their drone flying activity.

The drone pilot must assess if an additional “no-fly zone” needs to be incorporated to keep people safe, such as when flying at height or in poor weather conditions. You must land the drone if external factors, such as poor weather conditions, puts anybody at risk.

The pilot must never pilot a drone, regardless of weight category, over a crowd of people.

For drones under 250g, recreational drone flying should never be within 150m of residential, commercial, and industrial areas, unless for commercial use.

Commercial Drone Use

Drones can be piloted in residential, commercial, and industrial areas for commercial use, where the purpose of flying the drone is to reduce risk in the workplace, such as working at height, carrying out land/building survey work or undertaking a professional service such as at festivals or events.

If the drone is outfitted with the means to record audio, video or takes pictures, the pilot will be subject to data protection laws and will need to meet specific requirements as a data
controller.

More information on data protection can be found on the CAA website:

Privacy

If your drone is outfitted with a camera and/or listening device, the images and audio you collect may be subject to data protection legislation. You must ensure you don’t invade anybody’s privacy when piloting a drone. The drone pilot must respect everybody’s right to privacy.

The drone pilot must inform people that they are about to start taking pictures/recording video using an unmanned aircraft.

If you capture footage of people in a location where they can expect privacy, such as their private garden or home, you are likely in breach of data protection laws.

You must be clearly visible when piloting a drone. This means that people can easily identify that you are the person piloting the drone.

More information on data protection can be found here:

For any further information, please contact the OMBC Events Team: