How High Can You Fly?

BMFA Legal Guidance

BMFA policy is provide all of our members with the best advice available so that they may avoid both safety and legal problems whilst involved with model flying.

The recent increase in the popularity of Aerotowing has given rise to many questions as to what is legal and what isn’t and the office is now regularly receiving phone calls and e-mails from those involved asking for clarification.
The following sections give you the exact legal situation as set out by the Civil Aviation Authority in the Air Navigation Order (ANO) as it applies to any model flying activity.

Note that ‘un-powered models’ are those that carry no propulsive power unit, i.e. pure gliders. It does not mean ‘powered gliders that have the motor switched off’.

All models Under 7 kg, both powered and un-powered.

These are not limited in any way other than having to comply with articles 73 and 74 of the ANO which are the endangering articles that we should all be familiar with.

All models Between 7 kg and 20 kg, both powered and un-powered.

Outside Controlled Airspace

It is ILLEGAL to fly any such model above 400 ft above the point of launch (ANO 98)
Exceptions

The ONLY exception to this law (and it is a law, not a rule or recommendation) is if an event is being flown and the event organisers have applied to the CAA for an exemption to fly to greater heights. Such exemptions are reasonably easy to obtain but they will not be issued for general flying, only for very date and location specific events that can be publicised by a NOTAM.

Inside Controlled Airspace

It is ILLEGAL to fly any such model without the specific permission of the appropriate Air Traffic Controller.
The height that may be flown to on a site is a matter of negotiation between the flyers and the ATC but it will normally be 400 ft unless you can persuade them other wise. Such agreements can be active over days or weeks and it’s not unusual for them to be set on an annual basis.

All powered models over 20 kg.

These are regulated by CAA Exemption certificates which carry the limitations of flight on the document. Almost invariably they follow the laws set out for models between 7 and 20 kg.

Breaking the conditions on the Exemption Certificate effectively invalidates the document and the model is then subject to the full force of the whole of the ANO, which is what it was exempting you from in the first place.
All un-powered models over 20 kg.

This is the only grey area as pure gliders over 20 kg are classed along with full-size gliders and have much more freedom to operate than pure gliders from 7 to 20 kg. This may change in the future.

Chris Bromley FSMAE
BMFA Technical Secretary

Manny Williamson
BMFA Development Officer