UK To Extend Drone ‘No Fly Zones’
Purchasing a drone can be a very inexpensive way to have a lot of fun. With the cost making them more accessible, however, there will always be some people who decide to either abuse their use or fly them in completely ridiculous places. A good example of this has been seen in instances where people (against all logic) decide to fly them near airports. You may recall an instance only a few months ago which led to Gatwick airport being shut down for several hours after a drone was sighted in the vicinity.
It seems, however, that the UK government is responding to this issue by imposing new stricter rules. As such, in a report via SkyNews, new proposals could see drone ‘no-fly zones’ extended up to 5km surrounding airports in the country.
New Regulations
The new regulations are set to come into place on March 13th. They will require that no drones are operated within 5km (circa 3 miles) of any airport. This will also include a 1km exclusion area extending at least 5km from the end of any runway. As a follow up to previous regulations put in place last May, violating these could result in a prison sentence of up to 5 years.
What Do We Think?
As with many things in life, it seems the irresponsible few may be spoiling things for the vast majority of sensible drone owners. That being said, however, a drone impacting a plane clearly represents a danger. Not only to the craft but the safety of the passengers onboard. Especially if one was to be ingested by a running engine.
As such, while the exclusions are quite extensive, unfortunately, they do seem necessary. Some people clearly don’t seem to be getting the message!
What do you think? Do you own a drone? Is this a sensible new exclusion zone? In addition, do you think the punishment is fair/right? – Let us know in the comments!
