CTR's and RESTRICTED AREAS - Can you fly in them? Class D airspace and red zones

[@johnmelling9950]

I sold my first drone years ago as i thought it was illegal to fly in the ctr zone and i live just inside one. Recently bought a mini 4 pro as i found out it was legal to fly here. This video just confirms that for me thanks. I do notice a lot of fairly low flying aircraft here circling to land at Liverpool/Manchester but they are always above 4000 feet, well above the 400 feet drone legal height. The only time i go to 400 feet is for very short periods with the drone very close by just to take 360 shots and then i come back down to much lower flying heights. You could not fly the mini drones far at 400 feet anyway as you quickly lose LOS with them at that height. About 100/150 feet is my preferred general flying height

[@mikew976]

Explains it well! It's good to hear this but it would be good to see where this is stated / documented in the regulations too 👍🏼

[@jamiewright4420]

Just watched both videos you did about Drone assist app, learnt alot being a newbie and owner of a mini 2 which I absolutely love. Will watch all other of your video in due time to gain more knowledge and confidence. Keep up the good work fella 👍

[@paul-thys]

Thanks Jamie, great to hear! Glad you enjoy flying!

[@94feetphotos]

Thanks for the information it makes it a lot easier to understand.

[@paul-thys]

So glad to hear that! Thanks Justin!

[@TonyPeterson45]

Thank you for this. Valuable information and difficult to find a definitive answer online.

[@paul-thys]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Triumph_Explorer]

Great vlog. Very helpful. Cheers.

[@paul-thys]

Thanks man. So great to hear!

[@lindsayheyes925]

Great stuff! I've seen comments from people who have been overwhelmed and dismayed by CTRs in their area - completely unnecessarily. This clears it all up nicely. Proper job!

[@paul-thys]

Yeah thanks Lindsay! I live within the Heathrow CTR and it is massive. I simply would not be able to fly without a long drive so feel it is important people are aware of the situation.

[@benrec6]

Many thanks Paul & Colin, another great video. Pleased to say that I passed my A2 CofC yesterday 👍😁🚁🌞

[@paul-thys]

Congrats man! hope you get plenty of flight time!

[@benrec6]

@@paul-thys thanks Paul! Can’t wait to be able to now offer my commercial aerial services within my photography. Have got just under 45 hours as a recreational user. Good luck with the GVC. I’ll study for this at some point too 👍

[@callumwelsh5908]

Very informative, getting him back on for ldn specific would be great!

[@paul-thys]

I have shot that already, just needs editing and then reviewing to make sure it is all accurate. Hopefully will be out within the next few weeks.

[@LISTEDGames]

my entire city is covered for kms under class D airspace, which is good to hear that it only applies to manned aircrafts

[@paul-thys]

Yeah it can look scary at first 😅

[@PeterMatthess]

VERY informative video! This is indeed information that's actually quite hard to get clarity on, thankyou! I'm a Newcastle based drone flyer and you answered my question about the Newcastle CTR. Thanks!

[@paul-thys]

Thanks Peter. Had a great challenge looking for this info before talking to Colin. Hopefully you can have fun with your drone without that doubt at the back of your head now. Happy flying!

[@danjor_droneitsme6874]

Excellent 👍👍 that cleared up a lot of questions,well worth it thanks

[@paul-thys]

Great to hear!

[@iMateusz1978]

Good video , explain lot. Thank you.

[@paul-thys]

Thanks 😊 Glad it was helpful!

[@reepham39]

Very informative thanks

[@paul-thys]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mananddroneuk]

*Great information Paul, subbed your channel - thanks!*

[@neilneil60nb]

Very helpful thanks

[@paul-thys]

Glad it helped!

[@urkman100]

Just learned that in Sweden you are allowed to fly up to 120m in controlled airspace when the airports are closed. I guess that this applies to all of EU/UK if not regulated otherwise.

[@paul-thys]

I believe the laws still vary slightly in the EU, for example in Germany I think you can only fly to 100m and the in UK, although have laws based on EASA, we have slightly different laws since we left the EU...

[@stevio7777]

1) Are all CTR areas classed as a D area/zone? 2) Can we still fly our mini 2 drones in these areas without notifying the authorities. 3) I was told air space in these CTR areas doesn’t go from the ground up. But your friend said they do? Many thanks 😊

[@paul-thys]

I believe all CTR's will be class D. You can fly your mini 2 in class D areas without permission. Again I believe they range from the ground up, I will check all this will Colin next time I speak to him!

[@12vibaba]

@@paul-thys sometimes class C (millitary) and no not always from the ground up. sometimes like an upside down pie. (Bigger airports) and you can not fly in class D airspace because you need 2 way radio contact. Not sure what this guy is talking about. you can only fly in class E and G airspace. (uncontrolled airspace). But maybe the UK has different rules if it comes to drones but I I would not try it in other countries.

[@ClanLawrence]

Yes, they are all Class D. Also, they are not "Controlled Traffic Regions", god knows where that came from. They are simply "Control Zones" Anything defined as a "Zone", I.e. CTR, ATZ, MATZ or FRZ is from the surface upwards. An Area, as in Control Area (CTA) or Terminal Maneuvering Area (TMA), is between 2 defined levels.

[@ClanLawrence]

@@12vibaba There are no Class C CTRs in the UK.

[@Jonathantuba]

Very useful, thank you!

[@paul-thys]

Thanks Jonathan. Glad it was helpful!

[@JimiJo]

This is a fantastic video thank you. I’ll be using iRed that’s for sure. My house sits 2km south of Gatwick’s main runway does this mean I can’t fly my drone around my garden keeping below 3metres?

[@paul-thys]

Thanks James. I would think you would need permission to take off. I am not sure 100% where you mean though. I would download the Drone Assist app by altitude angel and that will tell where all the zones are.

[@pete2109]

If we don’t need permission to fly in the pink areas what happens when the dji app says “restricted area you need permission”??? I live within a FRZ and have to go just outside this area to be able to fly, I hope? I bought the mini 2 yesterday but know the app will throw up warnings and restrictions! I used to fly the Spark and could take off (hover) in my garden but because dji have increased their geo zones I can’t even do what I used to do with my Spark, which is bloody annoying! How do we get these ‘permissions’ from dji? I have the flyer ID and Operator ID and I’m insured as a hobbist. Thanks, great content as usual 👌

[@paul-thys]

Hi Pete. It depends on the pink area. If it is a CTR you do not need permission. if it is a FRZ you will need permission from the CAA. I have a video on flying in a FRZ here kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKa2e4SQebedm6c It explains how to unlock the DJI fly app.

[@pete2109]

@@paul-thys Hi Paul, yes, its a CTR but will dji still throw up a “restricted flight you cannot take off”? Have I got to go through all the rigmaroll on the dji fly app to be able to fly, although we “don’t need permission??? So confusing mate🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@lyndarlehane582]

Clear as mud.

[@paul-thys]

😂 basically yes you can fly in ctrs

[@Matt_warren_photography]

Great video and info really clears things up as a hobbyist. Would definitely be interesting to know more about the mini and mini 2 and about night flying. Is it just the light on top that's required?

[@paul-thys]

I will add that to my list! But actually the laws are changing and it looks like you may not need a light at this time.

[@Matt_warren_photography]

@@paul-thys oh really that's good to know!

[@GStar-9]

What do you do before each flight to check local byelaws in public places as that too can restrict permission to fly as set by LA's and won't be on Drone Assist. Breaching a byelaw can result in a fine as a minimum. Discuss ...

[@barneykennett9282]

Nice...👍.

[@paul-thys]

❤ thanks Barney!

[@mananddroneuk]

Manchester Airport in Drone Assist shows as a CTR controlled zone. I was asked to take some aerial photos of a hotel which opposite the 2nd runway. Since I'm flying the Mini3 pro sub 250g would this be legal?

[@paul-thys]

Not without permission. It is easy to get though. Fill out this form and should be okay

[@joniantipatrea]

Hello Is there any chance to fly the dji air 2s over London? Thanks

[@paul-thys]

It's a lot harder. You will be better off getting a GVC which is hard work and expensive. You will still need to find a nice place to take off from too.

[@elementary8963]

Colin has a very nice Pizza oven.

[@jamesss1953]

Looking at the drone assist app I was horrified with the red area over the Scottish Highlands. This region in which I live. According to drone assist restrictions are RED and from surface upwards (>400 ft for max drone altitude). Having just watched you guys here it would appear that as a hobbyist, with caution & drone regs & common sense, I can in fact fly in this space? I often do a hike to remote areas (no roads, inhabited buildings, people etc and only then fly my DJI Mavic 3 ~ I’m a photographer and bought M3 because of its Hasselblad camera opportunities. I do know of certain times of the year that there are military procedures ongoing (which involves aircraft) do I don’t fly during such times. Please can you help me in this question. Incidentally/ I’ve just subscribed and 👍 since I’ve found content well worth watching.

[@paul-thys]

Thanks James. It looks like you can fly there on the weekends. That is a NOTAMed restricted area. If you go to notaminfo.com/ukmap click Airspace details Show offshore/NOTAMed restricted areas It should tell you it is restricted Mon - Fri.

[@jamesss1953]

@@paul-thys I’ve tried to get an account with notamed ~ still waiting for password. Also terminology is above my understanding, so a bit of investigation required from me. It’s the statement = “surface to “ which to me means ‘NO’ flying. This is a brand new subject for me and I’m sure there are many others in the same position ~ any chance of a KZbin vid on this or including this area, including description of the drone assist app terminology? I know it’s a lot to ask🤔

[@paul-thys]

@@jamesss1953 Leave it with me! It is good info to get out. It is very difficult for hobbyist drone operator at the moment. The law is in the air and the CAA are largely difficult to contact. For now its a 'part time' restriction where you can fly on the weekend 🙂

[@jamesss1953]

@@paul-thys thank for your speedy reply; and look forward to your information

[@paul-thys]

@@jamesss1953 Thanks James. I have a ton of freelance work atm, but will hit KZbin hard again as soon as I can!

[@pete2109]

You say we don’t need permission in the pink areas, but what if dji say it’s prohibited? Can we get round that?

[@ThatGoth]

According to DJI and Drone Assist almost all of the UK from Manchester to Liverpool is a Class D CTR and comes up red, so I can ignore that?.

[@edcbabc]

There is a red zone around Sandringham in Norfolk. It just says 'red zones are regulated high risk areas and operation of your drone may be hazardous or prohibited'. No flight restriction zone inside it. Is that a CTR?

[@paul-thys]

No a CTR will need an airport in it.

[@PalfT1]

Great video and very informative! I have a question about flying in danger zones. It was mentioned that you cannot fly without permission in danger zones, however I contacted the CAA about wether I could fly my Mini 2 in the d202 danger zone, as I saw on the drone assist app that it said if you do fly, fly with caution and keep strictly to the drone code. I had a response from CAA saying that as long as I follow the drone code I should be fine to fly? Any idea on which is right?

[@paul-thys]

Hi Tom, The drone code classifies this a flight restriction zone, so you will need permission to fly there. The CAA with give sponsors the ability to regulate the airspace on their behalf. The sponsors can be found on the eAIS www.aurora.nats.co.uk/htmlAIP/Publications/2021-01-28-AIRAC/html/index-en-GB.html under You will need to get permission from the sponsors who control the airspace. I found this on the NATs eAIS Range Control, Tel: [phone]. Remarks: Pilots will be required to comply with ATC instructions whilst crossing EG D202B and will be provided with an appropriate Flight Information Service. Pilots who may be unable to comply with ATC instructions should not request a crossing clearance. The Cap 722C covers areas where UA should not be flown. Page 7 should help... publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP722C%20UAS%20Airspace%20Restrictions%20Guidance%20and%20Policy.pdf Looks like a lot of effort!

[@PalfT1]

@@paul-thys Thanks, I'll have a look at those. It's a bit strange I was told otherwise by CAA, they said it should be fine flying keeping to the rules. I better look into it some more then

[@jonsavva]

Can you do one for yellow areas please

[@paul-thys]

I will get onto this!

[@callumwelsh5908]

@@paul-thys please do!

[@PP-rl5sn]

@@callumwelsh5908 has this been done?

[@dolwen]

Police non-emergency number is 101 , not 111. Many offer online reporting which is easier.

[@paul-thys]

Thanks for the info Simon!

[@gregb49]

@SimonSays Very useful thanks.

[@danensis]

Dronescene is a bit more user friendly than the NATS app.

[@paul-thys]

I will check it out again. I found it a bit fiddly the first time I used it...

[@PaulMcKillop]

Thanks for the information and detailed explanations. Paul, what will the GVC give you as extra over A2 CofC when you qualify?

[@paul-thys]

For me honestly there is not a huge use for it. It will however allow me to fly any drone under 25 kg (even without a C class mark) generally 50 meters from people. With a 50 meter bubble around the drone. After seeing my A2 CofC video iRed offered me the GVC course for free. (This was unexpected for me and the video was made without knowing this would happen). So I decided to give it a go to further my knowledge wore than anything. The GVC will allow me to start a drone company with employees, gain easier access to flight restriction zone and fly in the specific category if I choose to. It has also expanded my drone knowledge and given me more awareness of who the sky is shared with.

[@PaulMcKillop]

@@paul-thys Thanks, Paul. The 50m permission is certainly worth thinking about. It doesn't look if the existing drones will be given retrospective C classification so that may be a way to make the Mavic Air 2 relevant again.

[@paul-thys]

@@PaulMcKillop Yeah, it does appear that way. Still not finished yet (as I cannot do the practical test until covid eases off). It is a lot of work though and much more involved than the A2 CofC!

[@nickstevens8858]

Hi all I have a question, I’d like to fly at Thurleigh Airfield Business Park to get some aerial shots of my place of work, but it’s still listed as an Aerodrome even though it’s not been an active airfield for many years, the area is now mostly used for car storage (in fact the main runways are now used for storage). It’s on drone assist as an FRZ and not a CTR but as far as I can see the DJI software would prevent takeoff?

[@paul-thys]

Looking on the DJI app it appears you will not need permission to take off. There is no NFZ there

[@nickstevens8858]

@@paul-thys does make me wonder why it’s on altitude angel as an FRZ then, surely either it is or it isn’t 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@paul-thys]

@@nickstevens8858 If it’s a circle with a runway and it’s not being used. It probably isn’t. You can always go on the NATs website and see if there is a NSF form for it. If not it is likely incorrectly labelled on Drone Assist. You can always try emailing the CAA.

[@nickstevens8858]

@@paul-thys it’s listed as an FRZ on Nats. I’ll contact the Aerodrome and see what they say

[@nickstevens8858]

@@paul-thys thanks I’ll have a look 👍🏻

[@P1SteveP1]

You don't need a nearly 17 min video to say CTR's don't apply to uav's operating in the Open Category.

[@paul-thys]

Thanks for you feed back Steve. I feel on this issue it’s important to give all the information on as there is contradicting/unclear information from respectable sources. Anyone can post incorrect information on KZbin, so if you give all the information it can give you the confidence to fly knowing you are not going to get stopped by law enforcement. I also personally thinks it’s interesting. No need to watch the whole video if you just want a quick answer though. If you add the fact it took me a few weeks to gather the information, I felt it was worth taking the time to put all the information in one place. I will review the videos title though to see if it can reflect this better.

[@P1SteveP1]

@@paul-thys A few weeks? It's all in CAP 722 and you could have found it in a few minutes and that is the only respectable source you should be consulting.

[@bangalicreative]

Thanks for that Paul, really clears up some confusion! I have a question - I went to Langdon hills in Essex last week and the park keeper told me I wasn’t allowed to fly there. Is that true or did he just not know the rules? I have a mini 2 and it’s registered. Thanks in advance!

[@paul-thys]

I grew up there and use to go to Langdon Hills all the time! Depending on where you are shooting the land will either be owned by a volunteer group or the council. Legally You have just as much right to the airspace above the park as any aeroplane that flies over it. However you will need permission to take off and land from any land that is not public. So there may be the possibility to take off from outside the park and fly over, but not do it from within the park. I personally would ask (as politely as possible) why they would not want you flying there. It may be as not to disturb certain wildlife for example (I happen to know Langdon hills is a Site of Special Scientific Interest ). The CAA do mention to fly safely and considerately.

[@bangalicreative]

@@paul-thys thanks for that detailed answer Paul! He said he didn’t want to set a precedent and that people would mind. He did direct me to another park nearby, but didn’t seem to care that I was allowed by law. Anyway, thanks for ur answer, keep up the great work!

[@pete2109]

@@bangalicreative Have you had any warning from dji that you cannot fly in an area? Reason I’m asking is I’m trying to ascertain whether dji will throw up a “you cannot fly” in my area, a CTR around Southend airport, not within a FRZ but a CTR which is the outer pink area, although many youtubers say you don’t need permission but dji has thrown up warnings before when I used to fly my Spark! 😡😡🤬 Did you fly over Langdon Hills? And have I got to go to the dji fly safe app to get this permission? Thanks mate 👍

[@bangalicreative]

@@pete2109 hey Pete, yes DJI geo-locks their drones in the red zone (forgot the code) but if you’re just outside, you can fly up to the edge without issue. Some people find it annoying but I feel like it helps me stay within the law, even though it can be annoying! I did fly in Langdon hills, no issues there except for the grounds keeper, you can check the flight on my channel. I believe the blue zone can be unrestricted via DJI’s website, but others I think @paul-thys would know much better than me! Happy flying!

[@pete2109]

@@bangalicreative Thank you mate, I’ll go out and try to see what dji throw up when I’m in the ‘pink CTR’ area when I get a few moments 👍

[@PabloTBrave]

A bit ummmie and armmie but useful Info thanks

[@paul-thys]

Thanks Paul. Yes not my usual style, but I get a lot of questions about this subject so I felt it was important to go over it in detail. Will try to be more concise in future interviews!