Where can I fly my drone?

It goes without saying that you can't go flying your new toy anywhere. These devices carry a great responsibility, and the use of drones is governed by the air navigation regulations of the Civil Aviation Authority of your country. So… where can I fly my drone ?

To summarize, a drone must weigh less than 20 kg, it cannot be flown about 150 meters from a congested area, or where there is an outdoor gathering of more than 1, 000 people or less, 50m from a vehicle, structure or property that is not under the control of the drone user.

Where can I fly my drone?

You have to keep the drone 'in sight', placed at 122m vertically and 500m horizontally, and get explicit permission from the CAA to go further. Camera drones - the vast majority - are legally classified as unmanned surveillance aircraft, and cannot be flown within 30m of an area that is unobtrusive.

It is 100% recommended to fly a drone in an official club and that they have infrastructure enabled for it. Although this may involve a monthly cost… it is the best option.

If you are using a drone, you need a civil aviation license from your country and demonstrate that you are "competent enough" and if the drone weighs more than 20 kg, it can only be used in specific "non-danger zones" such as airfields.

That's all for now, but the EU House of Lords Committee has called for mandatory registration of all drones, and further regulation is inevitable as their popularity grows.

The CAA spends most of its time stopping drone owners without a license for commercial use, but firstly the UK's conviction for the misuse of a drone in April 2015 showed that the law is strong against developments technological. Chances are that if you have been using the drone you will pay a fine.

What you can do legally and easily

Now the good news. Even though it all sounds very restrictive, there are still plenty of fun things you can do with a drone. Take a photo of the annual family barbecue, take a photo of yourself on your snowboard, or chart the progress of your extension in the backyard, periodically taking photos of the sky. Attach a tracker to your dog and follow him to see how he is jumping around a field, or take photos of your son's baseball game.

If there is no flight club in your city or all places are full. It is best to take it to a desert area that cannot cause any harm to any person or animal. When we say desert, it is desert.

Concerts and festivals are, unfortunately, no-go zones, nor is your neighbor's backyard, but if you own the property and have everyone's agreement on the picture, no problem.

If the drone has a front-view camera in front, you can even sign up for FPV races, in which quadcopters and drones (some even homemade) face off in a flag and obstacle course. There are clubs of all that in several countries in Europe already and an official organization that takes care of everything.

Types of drones

Most of the drones on the market are four-legged monsters with a camera or two attached to it. They're controlled by a phone or tablet with the matching app, connected via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth - new generations are expanding to include wereables and game consoles as controllers.

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Parrot's Drone was one of the first to start construction for commercial use; Its latest model, the AirDrone2, comes with a 1080p camera and carbon fiber tubes, with a total weight of 420g.

The Chinese company of DJI Phantom, another relative veteran of the market, has just launched its new model, which can put live video sequences on YouTube and even withstand substantial shocks in the water and walls.

San Francisco-based 3D Robotics have an alternative; Alone, considered a 'smart drone', it is the first to offer remotes from a GoPro and send live high-quality video and photos directly to your phone. All three can come in under £ 700, depending on what options they will do.

Lily Mix Zoom, currently under development, can watch and follow around the air like personal CCTV, snowboarding, surfing, or just walking. Instead of a tablet or phone, it tracks by connecting to a bracelet or tracker in your pocket. Its 1080p / 720p camera playback certainly produces great quality video and photography, and at 330 euros it's a very reasonable purchase.

Other drones make use of existing cameras, such as the LA200 Lehmann system, which perfects its navigation system and offers an impressive flight time of up to 45 minutes, leaving the GoPro to mount to the system.

Where do you fly your drone? What drone do you use? We are interested in your opinion.