CAA Warns That Reckless Drone Pilots Could Face Jail Time

After another close miss between a drone and a commercial airplane, the CAA warns that you not only could be fined but also face prison time if you fly your drone recklessly. An Airbus A320’s wing passed just 6 meters below a drone that was hovering at Heathrow airport and this news comes just days after a Lufthansa jet nearly collided with a drone on the approach to Warsaw’s airport.

There have been 6 other incidents with drones that nearly missed commercial planes between March 2014 and March 2015 in the UK alone and users of these toys need to be aware of the rules surrounding them. The drones become more and more sophisticated and also easier to afford, thus the amount of drones in the air is rapidly increasing.

Recklessly endangering an aircraft is a criminal offense and you could face a five-year jail sentence. The general drone code of conduct is: Always keep your drone in sight which is about 500 meters and never fly higher than 122 meters. You should also stay at least 50m away from people, vehicles, and structures due to privacy laws and up to 150m away from large groups of people.

The British Airline Pilots Association also urges owners of drones to exercise common sense when flying their crafts and remember that they are entering one of the busiest areas. There are a lot of flying objects in our airspace and they’re getting more every day.

Thank You BBC for providing us with this information