Originally Posted by
sxjack
I have also complained to the Airprox board about their use of the term. They came back saying that they default to the term drone as UAS is too technical for the general public and press.
They gave me pretty much the same answer. Obviously some people couldn't be expected to cope with the highly technical nature of long words such as "Unmanned", "Aerial" & "Systems". Continuing this dumbing down I think we should start calling all road vehicles "broom brooms" and all shipping "boaties".
The Dft has pointed me to a document which was published last year and from which the definition that you give is taken, I suspect. (See page 10).
What is a drone?
1.1 A drone is an unmanned aircraft, normally flown by a pilot from a distance, using a remote control station that communicates instructions to the drone. Drones are also known as Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Those using drones are referred to as drone users, operators or pilots.
1.2 Drones come in a variety of sizes – they can be as small as your hand, weighing less than 250g or as big as a small plane, weighing several tonnes. As they increase in size, they are able to travel further. Smaller drones tend to use electric motors for propulsion, whereas larger drones tend to use combustion engines like other conventional aircraft.
https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...-of-drones.pdf
So there we have it. My interpretation is all radio control, wi-fi or bluetooth controlled models, regardless of type. This will no doubt upset many model flyers who have been flying their > 250g models safely for years and who consider drones to be something other than what they fly. There will be rioting on the streets for sure.