Drones: where and how high can I fly?
You should clarify where and how high you are allowed to fly with your drone before you take off with your drone. We summarize the details of flight and take-off permits for your drone in this article.
Flight permit for drones - Here you can fly with drones and multicopters
Take off, film and see the world from above. As good as the prospects can be with a drone, there are certain regulations that restrict your drone's starting permission, and you should definitely follow them.
- If you want to fly privately and your drone weighs a maximum of 5kg, no separate flight permit from the state aviation authority in your state is required.
- As a rule of thumb, it should be said that you should keep a distance of at least 1.5 kilometers from an airfield, port or a residential area. However, this is only a guideline and not a stipulated regulation. The distance regulation is handled differently from state to state.
- If you want to fly within a closed town (for example in your garden), you must inform the responsible regulatory authority or police department in advance. In addition, you are not allowed to fly over foreign property unless you have a permit from the property owner or from the regulatory authority.
- It is therefore best to inquire with the state aviation authority in your state before you let your flight model upgrade.
- The following applies: You may only fly in uncontrolled airspace. There is a general ban on the gathering of people, military facilities, industrial facilities and power generation facilities, prisons, places of misfortune, disaster areas, and locations of police and authorities or organizations with security tasks.
Up to this height, your drone is permitted to fly
First of all: You need additional liability insurance. It regulates exactly how high you are allowed to fly. As a rule, it further limits the following legal requirements:
- In Germany, you can fly your drone up to a maximum of 762 meters without a separate permit. This is where the uncontrolled airspace ends. But be careful: the delta airspace (for example near airfields) can limit the uncontrolled airspace to approx. 300 meters. The details can be found in the ICAO cards (air tickets).
- However, since you must always see your drone according to air traffic law (Section 16 of the Air Traffic Regulations), even 300 meters may be too high.
- The following also applies to commercial flights (including the sale of photos): You need a (simplified flat-rate) ascent permit and the maximum flight height is 100 meters.
- Note: There are special regulations in many regions. For example, in Berlin you are not allowed to fly within the S-Bahn ring without a special flight permit. Therefore, inform yourself in advance at the district or regulatory office about additional provisions.
(All statements without guarantee)
In another practical tip, we present three good drone models.