The disturbing news of the Australian couple that has been detained in Iran for flying their drone without a permit brings to light the potential consequences. Ignorance is no defense when it comes to the law. So that you don’t end up in a situation similar to theirs we have written some tips for travelling abroad with a drone.
1. Make sure you know the rules and regulations for the country, be sure to repeat your checks on the official sites as the drone rules and regulations are constantly changing.
2. Does the country’s rules differentiate between commercial and recreational use?
3. Are there foreigner specific drone laws that might be applied to you and not to its citizens? These can be different.
4. Do you need to have your drone registered in the country you are visiting? As of 30th November 2019 the rules for the UK will change so that anyone who would like to fly a drone (from a light 250g to 20kg) will need to take a test and be registered.
5. Travelling with the batteries can be problematic. The lithium batteries might need to be carried as hand luggage and packaged carefully. Be sure to check your airline for their specifics especially in regards to the number of batteries carried and their maximum capacity in watt hours.
6. If the drone laws are yet to be established in that country, don’t assume that you can bring your drone in and fly where you want.
7. If travelling to the UK follow the UK drone code.
Lunar Aerial Imaging has CAA permission for commercial operations and follows a strict protocol of how and when they fly their drones. They are required to gain permissions from a variety of sources from landowners to prisons and airports and then getting the drone unlocked by the manufacturer for flying in sensitive areas such as near airports, prisons and football stadiums.
