Drone users to face safety test in new registration plan

Drone owners will be required to pass a safety awareness test as part of a new registration system being brought in after concerns over their misuse.

Any of the flying devices weighing 250g or more will be registered for online tracking after research found the larger gadgets are capable of smashing plane windscreens and shattering helicopter rotors.

Scores of near misses between drones and aircrafts have fueled concerns over a potentially catastrophic mid-air collision.

The UK Airprox Board investigated 48 incidents involving drones or unknown objects in the first six months of 2017.

However many customers who buy small drones on the high street are likely to be unaffected as they are too light to cause damage.

What are the restrictions for drone users?

The misuse of drones has included attempts to smuggle goods into prison. Credit: PA

The rules - as set out in the Civil Aviation Authority's Drone Code - say the devices must not be flown:

  • Above 400ft (120m)

  • Where you cannot see them

  • Near aircraft, airports or airfields

  • Within 150ft (50m) of people or property

  • Over crowds and built-up areas

  • Within 500ft (150m) horizontally of crowds and built-up areas

The Department for Transport (DfT), which carried out safety testing with pilots' union Balpa and regulator the Military Aviation Authority, said it is exploring the best ways to introduce tougher operating rules through legislation.

It also plans to expand the use of geo-fencing - which sees drones programmed not to enter restricted locations, such as prisons or airports.

Drones were involved in thousands of cases dealt with by police - including neighbourly rows, smuggling into prison and "scoping" for burglaries - after a dramatic increase in recent years.

Aviation minister Lord Callanan said the new rules will look to minimise the misuse of drones while "maximising the full potential" of the role the devices now play in industry and in the emergency services.

"By registering drones and introducing safety awareness tests to educate users, we can reduce the inadvertent breaching of airspace restrictions to protect the public," he said.