Drones.

superflyninja

Hi all,
Quick (possibly off topic) question for you concerning drones. I had a quick look at the aviation authority's site and it seems that drones are not allowed anywhere, not in parks,beaches,residential areas etc. I've seen a few people use them out in parks etc in clear spaces but legally where is their use permitted? Or is it just on private property?

Balfey1972

You are allowed use them but with restrictions and they are very restrictive.

Did you check out the IAA guides - https://www.iaa.ie/docs/default-source/misc/drone-safety---dos-and-don'ts.pdf?sfvrsn=2

There is alot of people using them and not adhering to the guidelines as you say. You don't have to go far on youtube to see that.

I have one, done the ground school training and have liability insurance as I am using it in a commercial capacity.

If you are using it as a hobbiest or amateur make sure you are aware of the do's and don't and check with your household insurer to make sure that your personal liability whilst using it is covered by them.
Units over 1kg must be registered with the IAA but I see that changing soon with the Mavic.

CabanSail

The 5km from an aerodrome is a big restriction in Dublin. The circles from Dublin Airport, Weston and Baldonnell exclude a lot of areas. Then not being able to fly over an urban area takes out a lot more.

One area which "could" be OK is in the Phoenix Park if you find a suitable area so that you are not flying over an "assembly of people". That would depend on any rules from the OPW.

The restrictions here were much the same until late last year when they were relaxed in late September. Limits of 30m from people and property still remain. It must be in sight. Lower than 400' when in controlled airspace (most large cities). Within 3nm (5.5km) of an aerodrome you must keep below 400' and keep away from approach, departure and movement areas as well as being aware of aircraft. Not fly over large groups and in urban areas not fly in a manner that could be dangeraous.

The above is my paraphrasing. I carry a copy of the regulations in my bag now after last weekend. I was doing some flying over a beach which was sparsely used (so not a large crowd) and made sure I went up to 30m. It was a bit under 3km from an airstrip too. I was just starting to fly when a guy came up yelling at me to stop. He was telling me I was in breach of the rules etc. and wanted me to stop. I hovered as I was not able to talk to him and safely fly but he seemed to want the drone to be landed and argue. I was trying to just land it. I calmly asked him when he last read the rules and he said "recently" I asked how recent as they had changed in Sept last year and so when? He just said "recently" and as he was quoting the old rules I knew it was a while ago. I was not going to fly with any an aggressive person there so I flew back and landed. He carried on for a while and I ignored him as I packed up. He wandered off. I will have to go further away to find a deserted beach to film.

.Longshanks.

I was at my local beach the other morning (Bronte, Sydney) and there where 3 drones buzzing over the rock pool. Pool was busy and none of the drones were >30m away at all times.
I can see it all ending in tears soon...

superflyninja

Thanks for the info guys. It pretty much marries up with what I had read. I read on the OPW site that drones are not allowed in any national monument sites I think the site specifically mentions the Phoenix Park.
@Cabansail thanks for the detailed info.
Wow that guy sounds like a nutter. Always a chance of run ins with that type of person with stuff like this.
I had a bad one myself a while back in Malahide Castle(just to do with camera, not drones).

uck51js9zml2yt

Saw one in the botanic gardens a few months ago!

Nforce

Had a private pilot acquaintance of mine have a near miss with a drone last week at 1700ft over Offaly, while flying his light aircraft. I was surprised that anyone would be flying a drone at that height.

Balfey1972

Nforce wrote: »

Had a private pilot acquaintance of mine have a near miss with a drone last week at 1700ft over Offaly, while flying his light aircraft. I was surprised that anyone would be flying a drone at that height.

That is some height. plenty of footage on youtube. Remember one in Holland above the clouds and over 1km high, they were pushing to see how high they could get it. Mad Stuff.

Some of the new drones can travel nearly 5km in distance. Crazy when you think the max limit here is 300m direct line of sight.

Came across this one yesterday.
https://buzz.ie/this-video-of-dublin-set-to-gavin-james-coming-home-is-perfect/

CabanSail

The ceiling on the Phatoms is 16000 ft. They are now limited to 500m (1640ft) above take off point. Aircraft fly above sea level so it only had to be launched 100ft up to be in the same airspace as an aircraft at 1700ft.

There are maximum distance limits you can set in software too, the trouble is that these are causing all sorts of problems with the latest update. The two modes which seem to cause this is Maximum Distance and Beginners Mode. The latter sets a distance of 30m the first one is user defined. The bug has been that when it hits the limit sometimes it changes the Home Point to a spot about 1 to 1.5 km away, normally WNW. It then thinks it is out of range and ignores the controller and flies home. The position will be recorded in the control device but this has often been in the middle of rivers or ponds. There can also be obstacles in the path. Many lost drones have been reported. One recent one was a guy in Clontarf who thinks his drone flew to Marino.

Nforce

Seems like he has the culprit as good as caught. His on-board GPS pinpointed the area of the near miss.
I reckon we'll hear a lot more about these sort of incidents in the future. Operating drones higher than 500ft, even in uncontrolled airspace and away from airports, will eventually lead to a collision.