Parachute NOTAM beside a glider site
You are at a rural site in Class G airspace, planning a 25-minute flight with a 900 g drone at 90 m AGL to photograph a hedge line. Four kilometres away is an uncontrolled aerodrome with published glider circuits up to 600 m. A NOTAM announces parachute dropping within 3 NM of the aerodrome between 14:00 and 16:00. It is 13:40. A temporary UAS geographical zone for emergency services lies 2 km north, and your planned route runs 1.5 km north toward its boundary. Wind is 15 kt gusting 22. A bystander asks you to fly closer to the aerodrome for a better shot.
1. What pre-flight checks and go/no-go decision should you make? Explain how the timing, NOTAM radius, wind and geo-zone interact.
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- Check the official NOTAM and UAS geographical-zone source, not only an app. Confirm local times and the vertical/lateral limits.
- The site is 4 km from the aerodrome, about 2.2 NM, so it lies inside the 3 NM parachute-drop NOTAM area. From 14:00 there is a real conflict.
- A 25-minute flight starting at 13:40 would end around 14:05. That overlaps the NOTAM. Either fly a shorter sortie that lands with a clear margin before 14:00, wait until after 16:00, or relocate. Do not rely on 'probably finishing early'.
- The geo-zone is 2 km north and your route goes 1.5 km north, leaving only about 500 m. In 15–22 kt wind, drift and loss of margin are likely. Keep well clear of the boundary rather than testing it.
- Glider circuits up to 600 m mean other traffic may be low. Your 90 m altitude does not remove the need to see and avoid.
- Refuse the bystander's request to go closer to the aerodrome: it increases airspace conflict and moves you further into the NOTAM area.
- Decision: no-go unless you can complete a shortened flight before 14:00 with reserve, or move to a site outside the NOTAM and geo-zone.
2. At 13:55 you are airborne at 90 m and the app shows the emergency-services geo-zone activating early. You are 300 m south of its boundary. What do you do and why?
Read the worked answer
- You are outside the zone, so the immediate requirement is not to enter it. Do not continue north.
- With gusty wind and a 300 m margin, the safe choice is to stop the task and land in a suitable open area south of the boundary.
- If the aircraft were already inside the activated zone, you would land as soon as safely possible rather than continue the mission.
- Do not wait to see whether the app updates again. Airspace restrictions are not optional, and the emergency-service zone may change quickly.
- After landing, record the change and do not relaunch into the affected area.