We were asked to support the Royal Bath & West Show’s ‘Safety Zone’ this year – providing a spotlight on drone safety.
It proved to be very timely, as while we were there, the Department for Transport announced the new rules coming into law for recreational drone use (see our recent Facebook post here).
We took a number of drones with us to show the public that there are a range of sizes and weights out there, not just the standard quadcopter-type that most people tend to think of.
We took our drone flight simulators for budding pilots to have a go at flying drones safely, and without the stability of GPS hold (demonstrating that its worthwhile learning to fly your drone without systems on it in case of GPS loss). We set each person a tough challenge of flying over a cone and safely landing on the pad again to win a packet of sweets – not many were given out!
The flight simulator proved quite popular with they guys from Western Power (who had the stand next to us in the Safety Zone) before we opened each morning, as well as with the public! Even Helen learnt to fly during our time at the show 
We showed a number of drone flight safety videos and we took questions from members of the public about where they could safely fly, and what to do if drones were flying too close to their properties.
We had a good number of visitors each day and answered lots of questions. We were asking everyone who spoke to us if they were drone flyers and knew the rules and we were giving out copies of the CAA’s Drone Code. Of concern to us, was the number of drone pilots who were either unaware of any rules for flying, or who disregarded them 
There were also a reasonable number of comments from concerned residents who had neighbours flying drones too close to their properties; we also had a few conversations about whether they could shoot the drones down.
We really enjoyed our time at the Royal Bath & West Show and we’d like to thank everyone who took the time to come and visit us in The Safety Zone.
Our thanks to the Royal Bath & West Show Safety Committee and the sponsors of The Safety Zone; Crestmoor Group of Companies, for inviting us to be part of the 2018 show.
Following our time at the show, we’re promoting our ‘Hobby Fly Safe’ sessions; a chance to learn the basics of flying your drone safely from professional drone pilots. The aim of the session is to promote the understanding of the rules and considerations for hobby flying of drones in a fun atmosphere for both those that have a drone, and those wishing to find out more about them.
Visit our website here to see when the session is running and available. Only £35 inc VAT per person, often with sessions on a Saturday. Booking in advance is essential!