The introduction of new plant or equipment in the workplace may introduce new risks. The same can be said for our home life. Many people may have been lucky enough to receive a drone for Christmas, but are they aware of the rules that they must adhere to?
Here is a basic run down (courtesy of CASA) for recreational drone pilots.
- You must not fly above 120 metres in all locations
- You must not fly your drone in the area of a public safety or emergency operation, for example a bushfire, police, or search and rescue operation
- You must not fly within 30 metres of people, unless the other person is essential to controlling or navigating the drone
- You must operate only one drone at a time
- If your drone weighs more than 100 grams:
o you must not fly within 5.5 kilometres of a controlled aerodrome (usually those that have a control tower) at any time
o you must not begin flying within 5.5 kilometres of a non-controlled aerodrome if there is a manned aircraft operating to, or from, the aerodrome
- You must safely manoeuvre your drone away from the path of a manned aircraft and land as soon as safely possible if you become aware that a manned aircraft is operating to or from the non-controlled aerodrome or helicopter landing site
- You must not fly at night, or in fog or cloud
- When flying you must be able to see your drone with your own eyes (not just on your app screen, first person view goggles or binoculars)
- You must not fly over people
- You must not fly in designated restricted areas.
Some more helpful information can be found in the videos, app, and brochure below.
The Can I Fly There App can be downloaded to your device to assist in determining the restricted area locations. Here are the links:
The Flying your Drone for Fun brochure can be found here.
Stay safe and happy flying.