By Mark Baber
March 20 – Nigel Wilson, 42, from Nottingham has been summoned to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on April 16 over allegations he flew a drone over several football grounds during matches, breaching an Air Navigation Order, according to Scotland Yard.
Wilson is accused of 17 breaches of the regulations pertaining to the flying of small unmanned surveillance aircraft with the offences alleged to have taken place on the following occasions last year:
September 13 – Liverpool v Aston Villa at Anfield, Liverpool
September 16 – Liverpool v Ludogorets FC at Anfield
September 17 – Nottingham Forest v Fulham at The City Ground, Nottingham
September 27 – Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium, London
September 27 – Palace of Westminster, Queen Victoria Memorial, outside Buckingham Palace and the north bank of the River Thames in London
September 29 – Stoke City v Newcastle United at Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
September 30 – Derby County v Bournemouth at iPro Stadium, Derby
October 18 – Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
December 2 – Leicester v Liverpool at King Power Stadium, Leicester
Wilson is accused of failing to maintain direct and unaided visual contact in controlling his drone and also of flying over areas where more than 1,000 people were gathered in breach of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations.
According to a CAA spokesperson: “There are clear rules and regulations in place regarding the flying of drones in the UK and it is the responsibility of users to spend time fully understanding what those rules are.”
Frankly amazing footage, taken from a drone on some of the same occasions as in the indictment, can be seen on YouTube on the Drone4Adventures channel, apparently taken from a DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus drone available on Amazon for £880.
The CAA says: “The rule is that you’re not allowed to fly over large gatherings of people of 1,000 or more at any height.” In addition, “you’re not allowed to go within 50 metres of a building or structure. It’s not something that people can just do without permission for safety reasons.
“These [drones] can weigh up to seven or eight kilograms. They could create a bit of damage if they fall from 1,000 feet.”
Wilson is one of the first people to be charged in connection with the use of a drone, with Robert Knowles of Barrow-in-Furness having become the first person to be convicted of such an offence last April after he flew a drone into restricted airspace above a nuclear submarine facility, earning an £800 fine and having to pay £3,500 in costs.
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