On Friday the 4th of October Brian Maguire LRPS a drone photographer from Belfast was welcomed by members of the Bangor club .Brian's talk would in the first instance concentrate on the regulations and requirements for the safe flying of drones and following the intermission for refreshments, Brian displayed and talked about some of his outstanding photographic images from home and abroad.
While the regulations are to some extent complex there being differences between those pertaining to the UK, and those of The Republic of Ireland and The EU but also additional requirements for those who wish to fly these aircraft for commercial gain .
Here we will confine our concerns to the requirements for the recreational user.
In The UK The CAA [The Civil Aviation Authority] is the regulating body and in The Republic Of Ireland it is The IAA [The Irish Aviation Authority] The IAA reflect EU regulations.
It is important to understand that the regulations are the law and it is the responsibility of drone operators to comply with regulation .
ID and registration requirements
There are two requirements here
Flyer ID, WHICH SHOWS YOU HAVE PASSED THE BASIC FLYING TEST
OPERATOR ID ,WHICH MUST BE LABLED ON YOUR DRONE.
Flying weight requirements Flyer ID Operator ID
Below 250 g /toy no no
Below 250 g not a toy /no camera no no
Below 250g with a camera no yes
250g or above yes yes
You must pass the CAA official theory test to get a flyer ID
The operators the person responsible for managing a drone and responsible and for its maintenance .You must be 18 or over to get an operator ID.
Flying Safely and responsibly
At all times you must keep your drone in direct sight and ensure you have full view of your surroundings .you must fly below 120 m ,do not fly closer to to people than 50 m. do not fly over people that are crowed together.keep at least 150 m away from buildings ,do not fly within 5 km of an airport or flight restricted zone .
always check that it is safe to fly in the location where you wish to fly .
Before flying check that the weather conditions will be suitable and carry out checks on your drone to ensure safe operation .
This is a summery of the general requirements you should consult direct,with the CAA or IAA to establish your legal responsibilities .
Finally if flying a drone for commercial gain, you should ensure you have suitable public lability insurance.
Following a break for refreshments Brian displayed a number of his superb drone images captured in Donegal, Connemara, Scotland and in Lake Bled Slovenia and spoke about the locations and how he achieved the desired results. Brian said his Nikon camera accompanies him on his expeditions and usually is set up on a tripod and thus can capture ground based images in addition to the drone shots .
You are welcome to visit Brian's website brianmaguirephoto.com to view more of his work .
Many thanks to Brian for his instructive talk and for sharing his image making expertise.
NEXT WEEK
Kieran Murray will present his photographic journeys in the National Parks of the USA .
Edward McCavana BNDCC Information Officer .
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