Drones Aren’t Toys, U.K. Regulators Warn

Britain’s aviation regulator wants people to know that when they’re buying drones they are getting more than a toy, they are buying an actual aircraft.

Regulators and legislators worry that people buying drones, or those that get such remotely piloted aircraft as gifts, may simply be unaware of the responsibilities that come with operating the system.

“When you get the box home, where, first of all, does it tell you that you are buying an aircraft, let alone anything else? These are aircraft. They are viewed in the Air Navigation Order as aircraft, and you have responsibilities under that order,” Paul Cremin, head of U.K. Aviation Safety for the Britain’s Department for Transport told legislators recently.

To help build awareness, Britain’s Civil Aviation Administration has drawn up a leafletto foster operator awareness over a range issues, including safety and privacy. Maplin, a U.K. electronics retailer, has already agreed to provide the handout to customers, the CAA said. The retailer had no immediate comment.

“The other big player is Amazon, but we have not yet approached them to ask for assistance,” CAA spokesman Richard Taylor said. “We will be doing so very soon however.”

A spokeswoman for the online retailer said the company has set up a website in its Drone Store to alert operators on how to use such device. The company is recruiting for its Prime Air drone delivery unit also in Cambridge, England.

Amazon has not yet sought a permit for aerial work in the U.K., the CAA said. Almost 360 companies have applied to become commercial operators in the U.K. using small, unmanned aircraft weighing less than 20 kg through Oct. 21, the regulator said. They include drone maker Aerovironment, academic institutions and even police forces.  Many film and TV production companies were amongst the applicants.

The CAA said it began talks with Maplin when the company began selling the widely popular DJI Phantom 2 unmanned aircraft made by China’s SZ DJI Technology Co. The drone maker last week unveiled plans to build a more powerful model of its four-engine helicopter unmanned aircraft.

The U.K.’s House of Lords is grappling with the issue of commercial drones in a series of hearings.

"WSJ"