UK Drone Users Could Soon Face Examinations to Qualify as Pilots

Imagine you have finally acquired that hot new DJI drone you have wanted for what has felt like an eternity.

Not wanting to wait one minute more, you rush out of your home and try your hand at becoming a drone pilot.

Maybe you have some natural talent, maybe you do not, and even possibly you have factored that into the purchase price of the product, or you may have disregarded it entirely. This scenario typically goes one of two ways: A drone pilot has difficulty managing the device and damages it or the pilot is talented (and a bit lucky) and flies her new drone without issue.

Either way, there is no singular approach to learning how to operate a drone, and given how ubiquitous they are becoming, licensing, registration, and even issues of required coursework have remained at the forefront of debates regarding how to regulate this booming industry that is beloved by amateur and professional photographers and videographers alike.

Image via Pixabay.

The Tory government in London wants to press pause on all of that self-guidance and do-it-yourself instruction with a little regulation in the form of a test.

The either/or scenario outlined above is the typical experience of most first-time drone owners and may be a reasonable approximation of why the United Kingdom’s seemingly bonkers suggestion that drone pilots take an exam before being allowed to use their device is not that terrible of an idea.

In details concerning new legislation for the year 2018, it was discovered that UK officials planned on implementing a nationwide testing scheme to license and train drone pilots before they could operate the device if the Conservative Party laws in this regard are passed by Parliament.

Drones weighing above a certain weight are also set to be banned from flying near sensitive sites such as airports.

A so-called safety awareness test is targeted at addressing the growing problems the booming drone market is causing, particularly when it comes to airports and airlines. According to Digital Rev, British airline pilots have reported 81 incidents of near misses this year, a number large enough to get the public’s attention.

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Kehl is our staff photography news writer since 2017 and has over a decade of experience in online media and publishing and you can get to know him better here and follow him on Insta.

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