Man from Boston area ordered to pay more than £1,200 over drone offences - seized equipment to be destroyed

Thomas Ling, 34, of Main Road, Brothertoft, appeared at Boston Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday, August 28), charged with:

• Flying an unmanned aircraft without an operator licence ID on 26 occasions
• Exceeding the maximum height for unmanned aircrafts of 400ft on 25 occasions
• Flying an unmanned aircraft beyond visual line of sight on 26 occasions
• Installing or using wireless telegraphy apparatus without a licence granted by Ofcom

The offences took place in the Boston area between March 1 and June 18 of this year.

Ling, who pleaded guilty to each charge, was fined £200 per charge and ordered to pay £85 costs and the £320 victim surcharge – £1,205 in total.

An order was also made to deprive Ling of drone equipment. The kit will be destroyed, Lincolnshire Police has said.

Following the case, a spokesman for Lincolnshire Police: “Flying drones is an enjoyable past time for thousands of people, but when drones are flown outside of the legislation or in restricted areas it may cause a significant impact to the safety of aircraft, the crew, passengers and anyone on the ground.

“A drone must be kept within visual line of sight to ensure it does not crash into a structure or cause a danger to aircraft, such as search and rescue aircraft or air ambulances, which may take off or land unexpectedly.

“A height restriction of 400ft is the maximum limit a drone is usually allowed to fly. Any drone flown higher risks flying into the airspace of crewed aircraft, who generally fly above 500ft, except for take off and landing.

“The risks of Ling posed by flying his drone so high were considered so serious that flights by the Royal Air Force, the Air Ambulance and the National Police Air Service had to be diverted to avoid flying in the area for a number of days. RAF Coningsby is located just six miles from where the drone was being flown.

“An urgent investigation by Lincolnshire Police led to Ling being identified and his equipment – a first-person view drone and two radio-controlled aircraft – being seized. The investigation revealed that between March 1 and June 18, Ling had flown his first-person view drone at heights of up to 12,178 feet on 26 occasions in and around the area of Boston.”

Kev Taylor, chief drone pilot and safety manager of Lincolnshire Police, said: “Drones have so many great uses, but they need to be flown responsibly and legally. The regulations are there to ensure drones are operated safely without causing a risk to the public and airspace users.

“Ling's drone was adapted so that it could be flown at such high altitudes often flying between 7,000 and 12,000ft. Lincolnshire airspace is congested; we have multiple RAF bases and civilian airfields in our county, including the Red Arrows, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the Air Ambulance, private and commercial aircraft operating daily.

“Ling has shown a repeated and blatant disregard for the legislation and the safety of both the public and airspace users in Lincolnshire.”