Your opinion of drones

Yes, and the ones who don't buy a licence will be the ones who cause the trouble of course.

Impossible to administer

Make the licence expensive enough to pay for itself- and make 25mio minimum insurance compulsory too.

The argument about licensing having a cost could apply to anything- so why bother with any for anything?

Licensing implies a cost to the tax payer to administer the licence. Making it illegal to use any model aircraft without insurance would have the same effect without the cost to the tax payer. My £25 million insurance costs me £39/yr.

Whatever the system, there will always be those that flout the law.

Perhaps they should be licensed.

No legislation could prevent terrorist using them. They are quite easy to build from basic parts that are readily available. Many enthusiasts build their own.

They do however have a very small payload so could not be used for explosives etc.

One of the worst concerns for me, which just does not bear even thinking about- is the potential for terrorist attacks with chemicals, like anthrax. It would be so so simple to do....

Yes the BMFA is campaigning for control on Drones along with all model flying. They, along with other flying models should only be flown by competent people on recognised sites.

Don't get me wrong, drones are fun to fly (in the right places), our club flies them indoors on club nights, they are fun. But we recognise the danger of even the smallest and insist on everyone wearing eye protection.

I'm not so sure about being able to disable them in flight, that could only be done by jamming the radio signal, the drone would then continue to fly uncontrolled until it crashed.

A small drone hitting the front of an aircraft won't do much damage. A small drone deliberately flown into the engine (especially with a small amount of explosive on board) would bring it down. Think of the damage of one flying into your windscreen on the motorway. Do we really want to take the risk just so aerial photography is open to more people?

There is talk of fitting drones with a chip that would disable them within range of an airport, but chips can be disabled deliberately.

Can we not have designated drone flying areas for the hobbyists, and only licenced flying elsewhere? Won't stop the terrorists, but might cut down on accidents. I dread the day, which will soon come, of drones hovering above my garden, my hotel, my open spaces, my ruining my peace and quiet (and privacy)

If you want to see the outcome, read Dave Eggars 'The Circle' (good one for a Book Club!)

Craftycat Yes, you're right, that man should be employed! I didn't hear the full conversation, so I don't know who he was.

You're also right about any disaster not just affecting the passengers and crew on the plane. Bearing in mind the dreadful crash at Shoreham airport (albeit by a different cause), it seems unbelievable that something isn't being done.

Exalted Wombat...I would,t be able to take my custom away from a betting shop as I have never been in one ,so have never handed them my money.
There are several businesses I won,t give my custom too for various reasons i.e GAP and Starbucks.It is to do with choosing whose profits I add to with my hard earned cash.

I am amazed that nothing has been done around airports- will it take a plane to be brought down to make them see sense?
I believe all drones over a certain size should only be sold to someone with a licence- like firearms.Something the police are aware of. The potential for terrorism is just far too great to treat these things as' toys'

I think the man MiniMouse mentions should be employed immediately! We don't live far from Gatwick & it is not only the poor people on the plane that could be affected if a plane is brought down.

There was a Knowledgeable Chap/Expert on our local radio station this week, who said that it is possible for airports (in particular) to deploy a system which would disable drones that fly within the forbidden zone. He couldn't understand why this isn't already in use, as it's been available for ages, apparently.

It wouldn't solve all the drone issues, but at least it could help to prevent an accident such as nearly happened the other day.

pompa a very sensible suggestion and surely one that should be discussed in Parliament. Is the BMFA campaigning for this solution?

That's a bit like refusing to shop in the High Street because a betting shop has opened!

For several years I have purchased products from Achica on-line.They send daily offers on a variety of very nice products.
The morning that I opened my emails and saw that they were offering cut priced drones,is the morning that I cancelled my subscription to their site.
They are becoming a must-have-toy and are nuisances.
Drones should only be used by such as the police for traffic control,or others with a genuine use who should be registered.
I have read that Amazon are considering drone deliveries....what a nightmare.

I'd vote for that pompa

There was a case recently of a little boy who was blinded in one eye by a neighbour's drone. He flew it over the next door garden and it hit the child.

This is a hot topic for me. I fly large model gliders (around 10ft wingspan).

In order to fly them at any recognised UK, I need to be qualified and have passed a practical flying test and be insured (25 million per claim). This is organised by the British Model Flying Association, who manage and monitor model flying in he UK. Anyone attempting to fly a traditional model without a qualified instructor is unlikely to have a model to fly for many minutes.
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These drone are very simple to fly and even the largest could be flown by a child. Very few owners/flyers are qualified or tested in any way and many have no appreciation of the risk they are taking. (or care ) They also have an extremely long range, way beyond the ability to see them.

The solution would be that all model flying would require insurance, that would bring all model flying under the BMFA, requiring insurance, tuition testing and qualification.

The existing BMFA test includes safety, on the ground and in the air, rules covering flying sites, flying near areas of population, airports etc, equipment checks and safety along with a practical flying test that demonstrates full control of the model and the ability to recover from emergency situations.

I dont get why the Government hasnt acted immediately on this. They have been around for a while now, and most of the potential problems with them could easily have been predicted and were, right from the start.

I can sort of only conclude that Governments like them for their own uses

Thank you Terribull, you raised an interesting thread.

Thank you POGS, you have pointed out both a number of positive and negatives about them which hadn't occurred to me. I agree about the need for a licence as far as high end models are concerned. As Tizliz has rightly pointed out the trend has accelerated faster than the legislation required.

Drones as obviously a cause for concern .

There is obviously a size and technical capability of each individual drone and who the operator is. A child using a small , basic drone in a recreational ground is not the same as a high end , sophisticated drone being used by an adult.

Drones have the potential for terrorism and obviously a danger to air craft.
Drones are used to drop contraband goods into prisons.
Drones are used to invade privacy , even us in our own back gardens.
Etc.

Drones are marvellous for the production of t.v films
Farmers are using drones to steward their stock.
Etc.

So I guess I am saying Drones have multiple usage and not always for good or bad. They are like dogs , depends on the handler . I think there is a debate to be had on the matter of drones, they are viewed as a toy by most people I would think. Anybody who owns a high end model perhaps should be licenced The reason being a drone which has the capability of covering a wide distance and height has the capability to be a 'snoopers' piece of equipment and for anybody with a desire to do harm has an opportunity to use a drone with ease as you don't necessarily see or hear them.

Yes, to licencing and restrictions but in the right hands they can be fun. I have seen some amazing photos taken by drones. Not of peoples gardens I might add. And they are useful tool for the military and police.

I had of course read about them in a military context for sometime, it's only lately I've become aware that anyone can buy one.

There are rules about flying drones - min height, distance from buildings and people AND there are no fly zones round airports. BUT sometimes these rules are not included in the box/people don't read them/don't care.

A licencing system is needed so that drones can be identified. At the moment if one flies out of range and is lost or breaks the rules and is confiscated there is no way of identifying the owner.

The trend has accelerated faster than the legislation.