Approval Services, Landowners & TOAL

The platform has been adopted by airports, heliports and aerodromes across the UK and we’re now seeing airports and aerodromes in mainland Europe coming online.

Overall, feedback has been positive. Naturally, some operators are not happy with fees. But the benefits are there for all to see. Cambridge Airport has reported through deploying Approval Services the time taken to review the flight requests and administration fees have both been dramatically reduced - down from 21 days to five for flight reviews, and the administration fees down from £75 or £50, to just £35 for commercial users.

But Approval Services is not just being deployed at airports, heliports, and aerodromes.  It is also being deployed by landowners, estate managers, and those trusted to care for some of the UK’s  most iconic, beautiful, and historically significant buildings and scenery.

As with airports, the platform allows landowners and managers to configure and charge an administrative fee for reviewing and approving flight requests, where appropriate.

And, it is this point which has caused a little confusion and consternation within the commercial drone community.

Landowners can’t charge for me to fly in Class G airspace, can they?

No, they can’t.

The key difference between airports and landowners is this: airports (and the like) manage the airspace, therefore you need permission from the airspace manager to fly within the FRZ (the AIRSPACE!), irrespective of where you take off and land.

Landowners have the legal right to ask drone operators to request permission if the drone operator wishes to take off and/or land (TOAL) from property they own/manage.  Landowners DO NOT have the right to ask an operator to request permission to fly in the airspace above their property.

So why do landowners want to charge me to fly over their property?

They don’t.  The sites which are adopting Approval Services want drone operators to request permission to TOAL from the land they manage.  They are doing this for several reasons, such as:

They want to manage drone operations around their site.

Can I not just fly my drone over the site from land next door where I don’t need permission to TOAL?

Yes, and no. There is nothing stopping you from taking off and landing from adjacent property.  However, you do need to make sure you are operating within Article 241 of the Air Navigation Order 2016 - Endangering safety of any person or property which states ‘A person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property.’

As an example, you want to capture some amazing images of a castle.  You’ve not needed to gain permission to TOAL as you’re stood on public land. The castle wall is 300 meters away, so you’re able to fly VLOS safely.  However, the second you take the drone above and over the castle wall you could be in breach of Article 241 because you have no way of knowing what is behind the wall.  There could be a guided tour taking place, a wedding with hundreds of guests, horses taking part in a military ceremony, the filming of an historic drama…  You get the picture.

So what are landowners charging me for?

Landowners want to work with drone operators so everyone can be happy. Using our above scenario, if the operator requests permission from the castle manager to fly from the castle grounds, the request will be looked at against the castle opening times and any events planned where groups of people could be in attendance. The castle manager can then either approve the flight or suggest to the operator they fly at such a time as when it will be safe.

With an approved flight, the drone operator may be given exclusive access to the castle before or after opening hours.  They will be able to take off and land from the most advantageous place within the castle to get the best shots.

From the landowners point of view, they’ve been able to facilitate a drone flight at a time convenient for both parties and no uninvolved persons have been involved. They’ve also been able to recoup the cost of facilitating the flight during a non-core/working hours, and maybe raised a little extra which can go to the upkeep of the castle, site or property.

In summary

It’s only natural drone operators want to capture beautiful buildings and ancient sites from the unique perspective aerial photography brings. And those trusted to manage our historic sites have a responsibility to preserve our history whilst making it accessible to as many people as they can.  Through Approval Services, we can collaborate for the benefit of all.