Can I fly my drone here? How to check a spot on the map
Updated
To check whether you can fly your drone at a particular spot, open the GeoPilot map, choose the country, and click the exact place you plan to fly. The panel that opens lists every drone zone in GeoPilot’s data at that point, what each one requires (from prohibited to information only), the heights it covers, when it is in force and which authority published it. If no zone is found, the general rules for your category still apply — and a zone found does not always mean you cannot fly.
Check a spot in four steps
- Open the map. It starts on your country when it can tell which one that is; otherwise pick it from Country at the top.
- Find the place: pan and zoom, or type a town or county into the search box (Search city, county or restriction ID…). The map flies there.
- Zoom in until you can see the exact field or street you will take off from, then click it.
- Read the panel that opens. Every zone at that point is listed; when there are several, Other restrictions at this point lets you switch between them.
What the panel tells you
- What the zone means for a flight — one of five: Prohibited, Authorization required, Coordination required, Information only, or Meaning not published when the source does not say.
- Active now or Not active now — many zones only apply during set hours or for a set period. The line beneath says what that was determined from.
- Vertical limits — a zone is a volume, not an area. One that starts above the height you fly at does not affect you — but compare like with like: a limit given above mean sea level (AMSL) sits closer to the ground over high terrain. See how zones work for AGL and AMSL.
- Authority — who to ask for an authorization or who to coordinate with.
- Valid and Active daily — the dates and daily hours, in UTC.
- Source and Data currency — which authority’s publication the zone comes from and when it was last synchronised.
Reading the colours on the map
Before you click anything, the map already answers most of the question. The colour of a zone is what it means for a flight, and its outline is what kind of zone it is: a dashed outline marks a time-limited zone such as a NOTAM area, and a faded shape is published but not in force right now.
Filters narrow what is drawn — by meaning, by type of zone, or to zones active now — but they never change what a click reports: the panel always lists every zone in GeoPilot’s data at the point.
When the panel finds nothing
When the panel reads No restrictions in GeoPilot's data at this point. This is not a clearance to fly., no published geographical zone covers that spot in the data the map holds. That does not mean the flight is allowed: outside zones, the general rules for your category still apply — in the EU open category that includes a maximum height of 120 m above the surface and keeping the drone in visual line of sight.
A different message — This point could not be checked — means the check itself failed. Never read it as a clear result; try again.
GeoPilot, an independent tool, shows what national authorities publish, with their dates. It is not an authorization, and the authority’s own publication is what counts.
Before you go
- Check the time you will actually fly, not only now — some zones switch on later. See checking restrictions for a future date.
- Check the area around your take-off point, not just the point itself. Measure the distance to the nearest zone edge.
- Where a zone needs an authorization or coordination, contact the authority named in the panel well before the flight.
- The address bar holds your view, the clicked point and any chosen time, so copying it shares exactly what you are looking at.
Frequently asked questions
- Does “No restrictions in GeoPilot’s data” mean I can fly there?
- No. It means no zone in GeoPilot’s data covers that point — the data can be incomplete or out of date, and temporary restrictions announced only by NOTAM may not be in it. The rules for your operation category still apply, and so do local rules the national source does not publish as zones.
- Is GeoPilot an official source?
- No. GeoPilot is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any aviation authority. It brings together the zones each country’s authority publishes and shows every one with its source and the date it was last synchronised. Where the two differ, the official publication prevails.
- Do I need an account to check a spot?
- No. The map, the click check, search, filters and distance measurement are free and work without signing in.
- Which countries can I check?
- Every country listed on the drone map by country page, each with its own page describing its official source.
Related guides
- How to check drone restrictions for a future date and timeSome drone zones apply only at set hours or for a few days. See the airspace as it will be at your flight time, up to 7 days ahead, NOTAM areas included.
- Drone no-fly zones explained: how UAS geographical zones workWhat UAS geographical zones are, who publishes them, and how to read one: prohibited, authorization, conditional zones, height limits and schedules.
- How to measure distance on a drone mapMeasure the distance from your take-off point to a drone zone, an airfield or a built-up area, in metres and nautical miles, and read map coordinates.
- How to plan a drone flight area and check it against restrictionsDraw your drone flight area or route on the map, see every restriction it crosses and how much of the area each covers, then save it to share or monitor.