There’s A New ‘Dronecode’ That Could Land You In Prison

Delivering your shopping, filming buildings being demolished and freaking people out are just some of the reasons why the drone-heavy future of YouTube looks bright.

But in move that brings grey clouds over your airspace, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has just released a ‘dronecode’ that tells you how you can and can’t play with one of the greatest toys bestowed on grown men. And breaching it could see you faced with a prison sentence.

Related: 5 of the best drones money can buy

The main points of the code are as follows:

You must always be able to see your drone and you should not fly it higher than 400ft

(To be fair this is almost as high as the London Eye, still good enough to take birds out)

You should always avoid airfields, flightpaths and other aircraft such as planes and helicopters

(Which is just common sense, really)

Keep in mind that if you are not taking care and flying safely you CAN be prosecuted

(Maybe avoid the London Eye)

They’re not messing about either, last year a drone pilot was fined £800 for flying within 50 metres of the Jubilee Bridge on the Walney channel and hovering near to a nuclear submarine testing facility. There's also a growing number of public spaces in which drones aren't allowed to fly - from many of London's parks to national shopping centres and urban areas.

We’d cry fun police, but then someone did strap a gun to their gadget.

For an idea of the sorts of legal fun you can have with a drone, check out this footage of First Person View's drone racing event at an abandoned building just outside Sussex. You can also learn about how to fly a drone safely right here.