Welcome to the next instalment of RAF Shawbury’s Drone Campaign. How did you get on with trying to spot the drones in last month’s post? There were three, well done to those that spotted them all – in a helicopter at speed you would have a matter of moments to see them.

You do not need permission to fly a drone in most of the airspace above Shropshire, but we would really appreciate being informed so we can warn our crews. But what kind of airspace in Shropshire does require specific permission before a drone flight can be allowed? Airfields are surrounded by a Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) and the associated Runway Protection Zones (RPZs) if there is a runway. The FRZ is a circle around the airfield that measures 2 nautical miles (3.7kms) in radius. An RPZ is a rectangle that measures 5kms in length from the end of the runway and 500m either side of the centreline. Both FRZs and RPZs extend up to 2000ft above the ground.

RAF Shawbury owns three FRZs – RAF Shawbury, Tern Hill, and Chetwynd. This month’s image is the RAF Shawbury FRZ and associated RPZs. If you would like to fly within the areas marked in red, you will need to seek permission from our Station Operations on 01939 250351 ext 7163 or email [email protected] . You will be asked to complete the standard Drone Notification Form (https://www.raf.mod.uk/…/20210527-drone-notification-form/). The same form is used for notifying us of any drone flight in our Low Flying Area, so UK Operator numbers are not mandated for flights outside of our FRZs.

You are more likely to receive permission if your requested flight time is outside of our standard operating hours of 0845 – 1715 Monday – Friday, but each request is looked at on a case-by-case basis. With compromise, such as limiting the height, we should be able to issue permission. However, there are rare occasions where we would not be able to provide permission due to safety concerns.

Thank you again to everyone who has been in touch with us before and we look forward to hearing from any new Shropshire drone operators.