New UK Drones Law punishes British Model Flying Community

[Lola]

Cool
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May you come back refreshed.

Cooler, 1 week. 😁

Sent from my phone, 2 u 4 free

[BigT]

That was not clear.

The purpose of a forum is inform, discuss and share opinions. FPVHUB, as you say, is a forum and has thus served this purpose.

Attending consultations is geographically and economically not possible for me due to the distances from these things. However direct contact has and is being made. If members of this forum are informed and thus motivated to respond or take other forms of constructive action then the forum has made a difference.

I was wondering if you have had any indication or replies to the inquiry of the format for the CAA compulsory registration and safety testing? I had heard that the system was to be up and running my the end of July to avoid a "log jam" in November. I do know that there has been a joint letter from the LMA, FPV UK, SMA, BMFA sent to Baroness Suggs regarding ANO amendment exemptions for fixed wing flown by members but no reply has been published yet. All we do know is that the registration becomes law in November and the tariffs for non compliance but nothing regarding how it will work and what form it will take.

[FPVSteve]

As I've said before this is basically done and dusted already behind closed doors, this is just a charade IMO.

If they're really bringing in law + registration in November, any systems and software will have had to have been specced and signed off MONTHS ago for it to have any chance of being ready.  It'll have been out to tender, narrowed down and then fully-drafted even before the initial build starts .. for that to happen you need a list of feature requirements. Which means it is already decided what is going to be needed.

[BigT]

With our combined experiences on just how these things work in reality, I totally agree that there is, in all probability, a program in use elsewhere that can be tweaked to fit the U.K. For example  a registration system is in place in the FDR, RoI, Australia, New Zealand etc etc. with reg fees ranging fro £5 to £50 and renewals ranging from 12 months to 5 years. But why the secrecy in the UK?

[FPVSteve]

If that's the case then the point still stands because the software specs would still need to match the requirements. They have to, otherwise they'd leave themselves wide open to legal loopholes.

[BigT]

Will this be the result in th UK? https://youtu.be/Cn6ddGdWSkQ

I think he has that wrong, it's not per recreational SUA. But this is a clearer indication that the program is already available worldwide.
https://www.casa.gov.au/about-us/news-article/drone-registration-and-accreditation-scheme-update

[electrotor]

I was wondering if you have had any indication or replies to the inquiry of the format for the CAA compulsory registration and safety testing? I had heard that the system was to be up and running my the end of July to avoid a "log jam" in November. I do know that there has been a joint letter from the LMA, FPV UK, SMA, BMFA sent to Baroness Suggs regarding ANO amendment exemptions for fixed wing flown by members but no reply has been published yet. All we do know is that the registration becomes law in November and the tariffs for non compliance but nothing regarding how it will work and what form it will take.

I haven't received any indication of replies about the format for the CAA compulsory registration and safety testing.

[electrotor]

From FPVUK website. You can also see the same on other model association websites.

Representatives from the UK Model Flying Associations met with the Aviation Minister, Baroness Vere of Norbiton at the Department for Transport yesterday (Tuesday 5th June 2019).

Whilst the meeting provided a good opportunity for both sides to clarify their position and understand each other's priorities, there is little in the way of good news to report to our members.

It was clear that the government sees the public order and security risk posed by unmanned aircraft as very serious, which is influencing their stance, especially on operator registration.  We were informed that the details of how this approach will be applied by the police and the additional legal responsibilities placed on unmanned aircraft operators will be clarified in the Drones Bill which is expected to be published soon.

We were told that the government has the aim of introducing rules now that will enable all airspace users, manned and unmanned, to coexist in the future without having to rewrite the rules in the near future to account for new technology or the forecast increase in low altitude traffic. Model aircraft flyers will be users of this airspace, so the rules will apply to us.

As such, the Minister insists that all those operating unmanned aircraft (including model aircraft) will be treated in the same way and that a registration fee will be due from everyone along with the requirement to demonstrate competence.  The Minister strongly believed that an 'insignificant' fee and mandatory test would not be barriers to participation.

Provisions within the EU regulations for model flying conducted within the framework of Associations (to apply targeted regulations which specifically allow model flying to continue as it does today) were robustly set aside as the Government is only concerned with UK law for now.

Similarly, previously published UK Government policy has also been set aside, in particular the 2017 Government Strategy (Unlocking The UK's Hi-Tech Economy) which stated that the Government would "...work with model aircraft flying clubs to examine ways in which it may be possible to exempt members of model aircraft flying clubs with adequate safety cultures and practices from certain elements of registration and other educational requirements....".

Whilst the Baroness was very clear that model flyers are not a special case, we were invited to submit our proposals for a pragmatic solution to the DfT for their consideration (albeit within some exceptionally inflexible constraints). Our proposals will be largely as communicated previously and we will submit them in due course.

We will continue to engage constructively with DfT and the CAA on this issue, as they have been clear they want to keep the channels of communication open.

I find it insulting, blinkered and quite pathetic that the Government is setting aside the safety record, safety achievement schemes and safety culture that model flying associations have worked so hard to implement and promote for something which will do little if anything to improve safety and will cost us money. It is like re-inventing the wheel but making it square and with no spokes.

[BigT]

Well said, my feelings exactly. In fact I think it will lead to a mass disobedience and therefore have the opposite effect.

[The flying cat]

It is like re-inventing the wheel but making it square and with no spokes.

easy!

[FPVSteve]

LOL, the irony

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48948591

[FlyingRock]

Precisely my thoughts as I read it...

Cheers

[darlofranco]

LOL, the irony

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48948591

The two faced gits.......  :wtf:

[electrotor]

I too was disgusted by the hypocrisy.

How much does he get paid to stand up and spout that whilst the Corporation he heads up broadcasts "a sea of disinformation and partisan reporting."

[FPVSteve]

He probably believes what he's saying - which is pretty scary in itself.