Australian Flying - July 2018

July – August 2018 AUSTRALIAN FLYING

t’s now well accepted that

remotely piloted aircraft

systems (RPAS or better

known as drones) are a

part of the aviation system

and that the role they play

will grow and expand as

technology continues to press

forward. Drones are already

regularly used in a wide range

of areas including industry,

agriculture, advertising, film

and television, mining, policing

and firefighting.

This means the pilots of

manned aircraft are already

sharing the sky with drones and

can expect this sharing will only

grow. CASA has Civil Aviation

Safety Regulations (Part 101)

covering RPAS, and as the drone

industry develops we will ensure

the rules keep pace to protect

the safety of other airspace users

and the general public. Last

year we published a discussion

paper on drone regulation which

fed into a review of a range of

key safety issues. The review

supported mandatory drone

registration in Australia for

drones weighing more than 250

grams and the development

of a simple online course for

recreational and excluded-

category operators, followed

by a quiz with a minimum pass

mark. It also supported the

development of a roadmap on how

to safely integrate drones into the

Australian airspace system.

Work on developing updated

drone regulations has been

underway for some time, although

we have been waiting on the

recommendations and government

response to the Senate Rural

and Regional Affairs and

Transport Committee’s inquiry

into drones prior to finalising

policy proposals. When proposed

changes to the regulations are

finalised these will be put forward

for consultation in the usual

way and I encourage everyone in

aviation with an interest to have

their say.

With more than 1300

certified remotely piloted aircraft

operators there is a good level

of professionalism amongst the

commercial drone sector. These

operators go through a CASA

certification process and the

pilots they use are trained and

licensed. CASA is regulating

certified drone operators on a

similar basis as manned aircraft

operators – we issue approvals,

carry out audits and surveillance

and can suspend or cancel

approvals if breaches of the safety

requirements are proven.

In the smaller commercial

drone sector–below 2 kg

maximum take-off weight–we

require operators to notify

CASA of the intent to operate

and to accept the more restrictive

standard operating conditions.

If the operating conditions are

not met this can be a breach of

the regulations and penalties can

apply. For recreational drones

there is currently no notification

registration process, but the

requirements of Part 101 of the

Civil Aviation Safety Regulations

apply and again penalties can be

and are issued.

By May CASA had issued 27

infringement notices for breaches

of the remotely piloted aircraft

regulations in 2018, with most

fines more than $1000. Penalties

have been imposed for a range of

offences including f lying over a

populous area, f lying within 30

metres of people, f lying beyond

visual line of sight, f lying outside

standard operating conditions

and conducting unapproved

commercial work. In Brisbane a

man was issued with a $1050 for

f lying a drone over an Ed Sheeran

concert and in Melbourne a

person was fined the same amount

for f lying over the Australian

Open Tennis. Both locations

were populous areas.

While it is clearly the

responsibility of drone operators

not to cause a hazard to manned

aviation, it is important for pilots

to think about potential drone

risks when f lying. It is useful to

consider if drones are known

to operate in areas you will be

operating in and if there are any

drone "hotspots". NOTAMs

will be issued for approved drone

operations in busy locations such

as Sydney Harbour, but these will

not cover all drone operations

at all locations. Drones can be

operating within their safety

requirements and be in the same

airspace as manned aircraft

that are f lying at low altitudes

or taking off and landing. It is

the responsibility of the drone

operator to avoid causing a hazard

to aircraft by landing their drone.

CASA’s Flight Safety Australia

January 2018 edition featured an

article on drone hotspots that is

well worth reading.

If pilots are aware of

unacceptable safety risks being

caused by drone operations at

specific locations please let CASA

know, either by using the online

drone complaint form on our

website or by contacting your local

CASA office. Remotely piloted

aircraft are a growing aviation

sector and CASA is committed to

ensuring this development is done

safely and respects all the other

sectors of Australian aviation.

Getting our

Drones in a Row

Shane Carmody, CASA CEO and Director of

Aviation Safety, brings us up to speed with

drone regulation and what it means for pilots.

it is important for pilots

to think about potential

drone risks when ying

Safety Matters^77

I

CASA has an app available

showing where drones can

and can’t be lown.

CASA