Scottish castles introduce request to fly platform for drone pilots

More than 200 historic sites across Scotland will be introducing a new ‘request to fly’ platform which will give drone pilots the opportunity to apply to conduct flights from some of the country’s most famous landmarks.

Until now, drone operators have had to file a request to take off and land at one of Historic Environment Scotland’s properties via the Historic Environment Scotland website – including Edinburgh Castle, Blackness Castle, Doune Castle and Stirling Castle. The number of requests to fly at these famous and picturesque sites in the care of Historic Environment Scotland has increased, and the ability to manage and approve flights has outgrown the current system.

Using the new platform from Altitude Angel, drone operators can submit requests to fly at some of the world’s most famous castles, cathedrals and stately homes via the UK’s drone flight planning app, Drone Assist, or via dronesafetymap.com. Historic Environment Scotland can then approve, decline, or offer alternative flight times, depending on the venue, its opening times, and events taking place on the ground.

Applications for the first tranche of sites, which include Tantallon Castle, Caerlaverock Castle and Huntly Castle are now being accepted with further sites due to come online in future phases.