The Dundee takeaway manager behind a high-flying idea to deliver Chinese meals by drone insisted that he is going ahead despite scepticism about his plans.
Steven Chow made headlines last week after revealing plans to fly ‘munchie boxes’ to customers’ homes.
He said that he will comply with regulations around drone flying.
But the UK Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that they’re “unlikely” to grant permission.
A spokesperson said: “Drone users have to understand that when taking to the skies they are potentially flying close to one of the busiest areas of airspace in the world a complex system that brings together all manner of aircraft including passenger aeroplanes, military jets, helicopters, gliders and light aircraft.
“The rules for flying drones are designed to keep all airspace users safe and anyone flouting these rules can face severe penalties including imprisonment.”
Mr Chow, who manages Chinatown takeaway, plans to start the service in a month.
He explained: “The guy who’s going to be operating the drone has been flying it for three years without problems.
“It is a custom-built drone and we have considered every possibility.
“We will do everything necessary to follow the CAA rules, such as keeping 50 metres away from a building.
“We will only deliver to places where the buildings are far apart and it will only be on clear days when it’s not raining.
“The food boxes will be securely attached to the drone and we will only deliver to homes with a back garden where the drone can land.
Mr Chow’s ‘pilot’ Greg Suttie, who is also a delivery driver, said that he has never crashed the drone in the three years he has been operating it.
He explained: “I fly the drone as a hobby and when I started delivering takeaways we came up with the idea to do the drone deliveries.
“It’s a custom-build drone that I’ve put together from scratch with all the parts it took six months to build. It has never ever crashed so I’m confident that it will be up to the challenge.”
Rules and regulations around drone flying in the UK
A drone must never be flown beyond the normal unaided ‘line of sight’ of the person operating it. This is generally measured as 500m horizontally or 400ft vertically.
A drone must always be flown at least 50m distance away from a person, vehicle, building or structure, the Civil Aviation Authority advised.
A drone must not be flown within 150m of a congested area or large group of people.
Anyone who wants to operate a drone for commercial use must firstly complete an authorised training course and then apply to the CAA for a licence.
A CAA spokesman advised that even if a business isn’t making a profit out of drone usage or charging a fee for it, it is still considered commercial use if the drone is used as part of a business’s activities.
If a commercial operator wants to fly within 50m of a building in a congested area, they must make a specific request to the CAA.