Unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as drones, have implications for everything from photography to the delivery of emergency aid. They are also highly popular in Ireland, not least for leisure use, and the Irish Aviation Authority has introduced regulations to cover drones in Ireland, namely:

• SI 563/2015 (Irish Aviation Authority Small Unmanned Aircraft (Drones) and Rockets Order), which came into force on 21 December 2015,
• SI 107/2015 (Irish Aviation Authority (Nationality and Registration of Aircraft) Order), which governs the use of larger drones and which came into force on 1 June 2015.

Under these regulations, all drones weighing a kilogramme or more have to be registered with the IAA. Drones of 25kg or more must be registered in a similar manner to manned aircraft.

Drones cannot be flown in such a way as to cause a hazard to other aircraft, nor in a reckless manner that endangers life or causes damage to another person’s property. Drones must also be flown within 300 metres of the drone operator, and within his or her line of sight. They cannot be flown more than 120 metres above ground level, or used to drop any item from the sky.

A number of other flight restrictions and regulations apply to the use of drones. These are covered on pages 16-17 of the January/February 2016 issue of the Law Society Gazette.

• Read the full article