UK goes tough on drone owners, say they must first take fly tests

British government is about to get tough on drone owners after suggesting this week it may force everyone with a flying machine to take a test before they can use it.

The proposal comes amid mounting concern over safety in the skies, with more than 50 reports in the last year of near misses with commercial aircraft in British airspace, with two particularly serious incidents reported in just the last few months.

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Other measures being proposed by the Department of Transport in its 58-page document include the setting up of a registry of owners, similar to the one launched by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in December 2015.
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In the U.S., both professional and non-professional drone pilots have to register their machine if it weighs more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams), while only professional owners have to take a written test to prove their knowledge of flight safety.

However, the proposals set out by the British government suggest everyone with a drone weighing more than 0.55 pounds will have to take a written examination described in the document as a “knowledge or situational awareness test.”

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