whetheradrone is used for amateur and
recreational use, or whether therewill
be acommercial aspect to its use. From
correspondenceTheRMhas seen, the CAA is
quite clear on each aspect.
If thereisanintention to earnmoney from
drone photography or video, the CAA says a
user must apply foralicence, have insurance,
and attend an approved CAA course, which
will cost around £1,000 beforethe licence fee.
Provided your intention is merely to put
images and video onawebsite for others
to enjoy,fromwhich thereisnofinancial
gain, then you will not fall foul of the licence
requirements.If you feel suitably encouraged and want
to buyadrone, prices begin at around £30 for
user-friendly,entry-level UAVs, which will fit
in apocket, and rise to morethan £10,000.
Bear in mind the entry-level drones will
have limited features, with lower quality lenses
and smaller sensors than moreexpensive
versions. Depending on yourrequirements,
you will also need to carefully consider battery
life, video and still image quality,weight,
speed and portability,aswell control range,
the versatility and the camera’s ISO range.
Many can be controlled byasmartphone
too, and fortunately thereare anumber of
specialist shops to guide you. ■■Thepicturesinthisfeatureweretaken usingaDJIMavic2ProDrone,whichcarriesaHasselblad
camera witha20megapixelsensor.Tocomply withCAArules, no paymenthas beenmadefortheir use.DB CargoClass 66 No.66024 passesThorneSouth with 6H63 the 10.15 Immingham-DraxPower Station biomass train on November 12, 2018. In thefore grou nd is theStainforth&KeadbyCanal.
Thelandscape atSummerseatfrom anewangle as Class 50 No.50015Valiantcrosses the River Irwell with the
10.44 Bury-Rawtenstall local on July 6.August2019 •TheRailway Magazine•39