Expanded Drone No-Fly Zones Implemented in the UK

The next couple of years is likely to see a serious ramp up in the number of laws and regulations controlling the use of drones. Depending on where you stand in the debate, this is going to either make life more difficult or introduce necessary changes to the way drones are managed.

Image via The Lazy Artist from Pexels.com.

And it is all just getting started in the UK which expanded its former no-fly zones yesterday, March 13th.

These changes are coming as part of the government’s response to the Gatwick airport incident over the 2018 Christmas season.

For those of you that might not recall, an errant drone (or drones, the details still remain unclear so many months later) shut down holiday traffic at one of the UK’s biggest international airports.

This not only resulted in delayed flights for passengers but serious backup in air traffic in general.

The new no-fly zone expands from 0.6 miles (or 1 kilometer) to 3 miles (or 5 kilometers) according to DPReview.

Of course, the Gatwick incident isn’t the only time a drone has caused consternation at an airport but it is the most prominent and probably the most costly in terms of money so far.

The incident prompted a flurry of reform proposals and even pushed forward the testing of anti-drone technology.

On top of all this is the controversial drone-aircraft crash test video released last year that caused more than a stir, particularly among consumer drone manufacturers.

As for other ways the government will probably be invading your personal drone space over the next year includes registration schemes as well as pilot licensing.

And, lest you think that drone makers aren’t taking this seriously, a lot of the changes are being pushed by and in collaboration with them, DJI being one of the most prominent examples.

Do you fly drones? What is your experience like? Let us know your thoughts below in the comments.

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