Flying a Drone in the UK

Recently, YouTube has been throwing me a lot of hiking and bikepacking videos. Some of the photography in them has been astonishing. In particular, I’ve been amazed by the quality of the aerial shots, as so many creators are using drones to enhance their wide shots and B-roll. As part of my ongoing mid-life crisis I decided to get in on the action.

The drone

I purchased a DJI Mini 4 Pro after a fair bit of research, for the following reasons:

• It weighs less than 250 grams, so is subject to fewer regulations than heavier drones. It can be flown in built up areas and over people (but not over crowds).
• DJI drones are readily available in the UK; more so than any competitors. I appreciate the situation is different across the other side of the Atlantic.
• Up until last month, it was the most highly-specced of the Mini drones. It has an excellent camera, multiple autonomous shooting modes, full obstacle avoidance and reasonable wind-resistance.
• It has now been superseded by the Mini 5 Pro, so I was able to pick up the 4 Pro for a more attractive price.
• I had previously bought a cheaper drone from another manufacturer (a Potensic Atom 2) which was faulty, and I had a bad time with Customer Support.

There were a few things I needed to do before going flying. First, I read The Drone Code from the Civil Aviation Authority. Being in charge of the UK’s airspace, they set the rules of which many are codified into law. To their credit, the document is useful and clear, setting out the requirements to fly a drone safely.

I learned I required an Operator ID to fly legally. This has to be renewed, for a small fee, every year. The Operator ID has to be affixed to the drone or placed in a compartment in the aircraft which can be accessed without tools. Many people stuff the ID in the battery compartment but I sellotaped mine to the back of the drone.

While I was at it, I also obtained a Flyer ID. At the time of writing, this is not required to fly a sub 250g drone in the UK, but it will be required from January 2026 onwards. Nevertheless, it seemed like a sensible thing to do. It involved doing a multiple-choice test online, which was not invigilated and could be repeated as often as required to achieve the pass mark. The questions are derived from the Drone Code and most are trivial or obvious. It only took a few minutes to pass the test, and the awarded Flyer ID is valid for 5 years.

Finally, I obtained insurance. The drone was expensive, so I bought protection for the device from DJI. This means I can obtain discounted repairs or replacements if the aircraft is damaged or lost. I also joined the Grey Arrows Drone Club which offers indemnity insurance with some of their paid membership levels.

Flying the thing

Flying the drone is surprisingly easy. When outside, the aircraft can use GPS satellites to track and stabilise flight. It doesn’t “dance” uncontrollably like cheap, toy drones; instead, it hovers in place without input and responds consistently to instructions from the controller.

Speaking of the controller, the sticks take a while to learn. My brain has become wired to the typical “games” controller setup where the left stick controls forward/back and strafing movements, and the right stick controls the camera. On the drone controller, the left stick controls up/down and yaw rotation, and the right stick controls forward/back and sliding left/right. The camera is pointed up or down by a wheel. Being stabilised on a 3-axis gimbal, there is no impression of pitch or roll from the camera as the drone flies. This is a great advantage when filming.

There are dedicated controller buttons for video and still camera shutters. Whilst the drone must be flown in direct sight, the controller screen gives a clear first-person camera view. Touchscreen functions (the device runs Android) give access to a plethora of automatic photography, video and flying modes including tracking modes, master shots, waypoint flying, bracketed exposures and panoramas. Plus, there are deep and complex manual controls over shooting parameters, recording formats, stick sensitivity and safety functions.

By default, the drone will fly with full 360 degree hazard avoidance switched on, meaning that it will brake or take evasive action if it is flown towards an obstacle. It can automatically fly back and land at its take-off point if it loses contact with the controller or if the battery is running low. The drone will refuse to fly above legal altitude or into known Flight Restriction Zones around airports etc. However, it is the responsibility of the flyer and operator to ensure the aircraft is being flown legally as the drone’s database is neither exhaustive nor up to date. Resources like Drone Scene can be helpful here.

By necessity, battery life is limited on these drones to save weight. Depending on activity and weather conditions, it is reasonable to expect a safe 20 minutes of flight per battery before the drone will start suggesting it would like to come back and land. I would recommend buying one of the “Fly More” packages if you are picking up a mini drone, giving 3 batteries which can be swapped out to keep flying. The other expense to consider is a large, fast micro SD card.

I have been editing my videos with the free version of Davinci Resolve which copes brilliantly with the 4K video files.

The results

I need to work on my flying, cinematography and editing skills but these are fun skills to learn! I am really pleased with how well things turn out, even with my cack-handed talents.

Flying the drone is giving me a great excuse to get out and enjoy my surroundings. I look forward to boring my friends with many more videos.