Flying a drone in London can be a bit tricky. Parks are an enticing option because they offer lots of open space but be sure to stay away from the capital’s eight Royal Parks if you’re going there to fly a drone. By order of the Secretary of State drone-flying has now been banned in London’s Royal Parks.
Notices have already been put up in these parks so that visitors are aware that they are now allowed to fly drones. The order also prohibits the operation of model aircraft inside park grounds.
The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority restricts operations of model aircraft and drones with the Air Navigation Order 2009. It outlines rules that restrict drone flight across the country. For example drone operators must always keep it within 500 horizontal meters and 400 vertical feet of themselves.
Additional restrictions are imposed if the drone has filming capabilities, which many do these days, there are restrictions on how close such drones can be flown to other people.
The Secretary of State can issue can order to further restrict operation of drones if there is reason to believe that unsupervised flight might pose a risk to national security.
In this instance though a spokesperson for the Royal Parks confirms that this restriction has been put in place so that local wildlife and park visitors are not disturbed.