Recently we were asked to take some Photography of an event at the O2 Area in Greenwich, London. Firstly, what a spectacular location to fly! The arena is very impressive, and just over the Thames to the West you have Canary Wharf looking larger than ever.
It was a great job to do for many reasons. For me, the interesting part is the airspace above the city. London has one of the most regulated airspaces in the world, so operating there is nothing to take lightly. In this instance we were outside of the Restricted zones R157, R158, R159 and R160 which makes things a little easier. We have an obligation as operators to be visible to the relevant authority, so I had conversations with National Air Traffic Services (NATS) about the operation along with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), particularly because the site was close to the London City Airport and within London City CTA so we held a very important responsibility for collision avoidance.
On the day a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) was issued so we were visible to other air users – very helpful! All in all the operation went superbly well. It was a pleasure for me to work with NATS and the CAA to delivery a safe and enjoyable RPAS Operation in the London City area.
Check out the London Heli Cart from the CAA for yourselves! – http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/7/20100316LondonHeliChart.pdf
The CAA site as well as NATS is a great resource, visit them here – http://www.nats.aero/
Cant wait till next time!
