Free tool · Devon & Cornwall
Can I fly here? Can I put a boat on that water?
Every other UK drone map hands you coloured shapes and leaves you to work out the law. This one gives you an answer. Pick your aircraft or vessel, drop a pin anywhere in Devon or Cornwall, and read the verdict in plain English — with the reasons, and the rules that still apply even when the answer is yes.
Zones are derived by us from published aerodrome coordinates, published harbour descriptions and the CAA’s own construction rules — they are approximate and carry no official status. Check NOTAMs, the CAA chart and the harbour authority before operating. Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO. Postcode lookup by postcodes.io.
What is on the map
13 aerodromes with flight restriction zones, 12 statutory harbour authorities, plus prisons, military danger areas, national park byelaws and marine protected areas across the peninsula.
Flight Restriction Zones
13 aerodromes — Newquay, Exeter, Culdrose, Chivenor, Land's End, St Mary's, Bodmin, Perranporth, Dunkeswell, Yeovilton and more
Prison no-fly zones
400 m strict-liability zones at Dartmoor, Exeter and Channings Wood
Military danger areas
Okehampton, Willsworthy and Merrivale ranges on Dartmoor
National park byelaws
Dartmoor and Exmoor — take-off and landing, not the airspace
Harbour authority limits
12 authorities from Bideford round to the Exe, including the Dockyard Port of Plymouth
Marine protected areas
Fal & Helford, Plymouth Sound, Lyme Bay, Land's End and the Isles of Scilly
Sea danger areas
Live firing and intensive rotary training over water
Starting out down here
You do not need a degree to begin. You need a registration, an honest read of the rules, and somewhere legal to practise — all three are cheap or free.
Register with the CAA
A Flyer ID is free and involves an online test. An Operator ID costs a few pounds a year and must be displayed on the aircraft. Anything over 250 g, or with a camera, needs both.
Learn the Drone Code properly
The CAA's Drone Code is short and it is the actual law, not a summary of it. Read it before you buy anything.
Fly sub-250 g first
The A1 category is genuinely more permissive and the aircraft are cheap. Learn to fly badly somewhere it does not matter.
Add an A2 CofC when you outgrow it
Needed once you want to fly a 900 g – 4 kg aircraft near people. Several UK recognised assessment entities run it remotely, so being in the South West is no obstacle.
For marine, start with the MGNs
MGN 702 for MASS under 25 m, and Workboat Code Edition 3 if the operation is commercial. Then call the harbour master before you launch anything.
Use the region's institutions
Camborne School of Mines and the University of Exeter at Penryn, the University of Plymouth for marine autonomy, Falmouth Marine School, and Cornwall College. All on the peninsula.
If you are building something
We build aerial and marine autonomy for a living, from Bude. If you are working on something in Devon or Cornwall and want a second opinion on whether it is legal, buildable or worth doing — ask. We would rather tell you in week three than watch you find out in month eighteen.
Talk to us →Common questions
Where can I legally fly a drone in Devon and Cornwall?
Anywhere that is not inside a Flight Restriction Zone, a 400 m prison no-fly zone or an active military danger area — and where you can keep the aircraft in visual line of sight below 120 m. The peninsula has six aerodrome FRZs and three prisons. Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks additionally control take-off and landing by byelaw, though not the airspace above. Drop a pin on the map to get a verdict for your aircraft class.
Does a sub-250 g drone have different rules?
Yes, and it matters more than most people realise. A sub-250 g aircraft flies in the A1 category and may overfly uninvolved people, where a 900 g – 4 kg drone must keep 50 m from them and 150 m from built-up areas. But weight makes no difference at all to Flight Restriction Zones or prison no-fly zones — those apply to every aircraft including a Mini.
Do I need permission to fly near Newquay or Exeter airport?
Yes. Both are controlled aerodromes with a Flight Restriction Zone of roughly 2.5 nautical miles, and you need air traffic permission before flying inside it. RNAS Culdrose and RMB Chivenor are active military airfields — treat those as closed.
Can I operate an uncrewed surface vessel in UK coastal waters?
Yes, with obligations. COLREGs apply in full — an uncrewed vessel is still a vessel and still needs a proper lookout. Commercial remotely operated unmanned vessels under 24 m fall under the MCA's Workboat Code Edition 3, with MGN 664 offering a case-by-case route to a load-line exemption. MGN 702 covers MASS under 25 m.
Do I have to tell the harbour master?
In practice, always. Every statutory harbour authority on this coast expects notification before an uncrewed platform goes on its water, and the Dockyard Port of Plymouth requires written permission from the Queen's Harbour Master. Most authorities are helpful. None enjoy a surprise.
Is this map official?
No, and it is important that you understand why. The zones here are computed by us from published coordinates and published construction rules, not copied from licensed aeronautical or hydrographic data. That keeps the tool free but makes it approximate. Always check NOTAMs, the official CAA chart and the relevant harbour authority before you operate.