I recently applied to use a drone on my upcoming holiday in WA & lodged the application with all the relevant information.
Today I got this reply:
Thank you for your application to fly a remotely piloted aircraft in WAs national parks and other conservation reserves. There is no longer a requirement for you to apply for this activity if it is for recreational purposes (non-commercial).
So it would appear that they are starting to relax things a little in relation to personal use as previously I was asked to apply at least 6 weeks prior to travelling to WA & to provide as much information as possible on where I would be using the drone & the dates of each usage.
Just a heads up for anyone who owns a drone & might be considering this.
What do I need to do before I fly a RPA on CALM Act land? Please contact the relevant district office prior to each RPA flight. This is to make sure that your RPA does not impact on, or is not impacted by, aerial and other park management operations. Contact details for the district offices are provided below. Before you fly, make sure you understand and observe the five rules for flying RPA in Western Australia's national parks and other conservation reserves.
What is CALM Act land? CALM Act land includes national parks, regional parks, conservation parks, marine parks, reserves and State forest. If you're not sure whether or not you are flying an RPA on CALM Act land, please check the Park Finder map. RPA use on private land requires approval from the landowner. RPA use on local government land requires approval from the relevant local government.
We recently purchased a Drone, expressly for the purpose of learning to fly it, and later using it as part of the business.
Took it back - unopened - when I took a look at the rules and regs surrounding their use. Given what happened at Gatwick (and subsequently), any "relaxing" of the rules is likely to be short-lived, I would imagine.
If you have 'em, I'd suggest using them while you still can...
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It is better to have and not need, than to need and not have...
Well they admitted that they did't knew what it was , UFO ? At Heathrow , some clown said he seen a drone ,but was not sure . In England , you can not fly with in 1000 metres from an airport , in Australia it is 5.5KM .Cheers
Well they admitted that they did't knew what it was , UFO ? At Heathrow , some clown said he seen a drone ,but was not sure . In England , you can not fly with in 1000 metres from an airport , in Australia it is 5.5KM .Cheers
This is true, hence why we took it back.
If what happened at Gatwick can happen (i.e they didn't "know" it was a drone, but blamed it - and a particular couple - anyway, and shut down the airport as a "precaution), how do you think that will (ultimately) play out here, given the "sensitivity" with which anything airport-related is treated these days?
I'll be honest, I thought the no-fly zone was within 5kms of an airport (rather than 5.5), but there you go. Do you believe that this is likely to be lesseened, or increased, in the future?
Even at a 5km radius, it significantly impacts where you can legally fly a drone, esp. when added to the other rules (not in various council-controlled areas/parks, not within 30M of people, and so on and on...
Probably not such an issue in the great outdoors...yet. Lots of open space, and few people "out there" to Police it.
Not a stretch to think that they might "force" manufacturers to include hard-geocoding in their apps, so that someone, at some point in time, can review data from an app/drone, to see exactly where and when it was flown, and by whom.
__________________
It is better to have and not need, than to need and not have...
We recently purchased a Drone, expressly for the purpose of learning to fly it, and later using it as part of the business.
Took it back - unopened - when I took a look at the rules and regs surrounding their use. Given what happened at Gatwick (and subsequently), any "relaxing" of the rules is likely to be short-lived, I would imagine.
If you have 'em, I'd suggest using them while you still can...
For business it is different hoops to jump through & there are costs involved, along with clearances to use it.
As far as relaxing the rules, I think it will be different for every State as it is now. We see WA obviously relaxing things slightly, but WA & Tas have a strict no policy in any National Park. Things will probably be tightened around airports as you would expect.
A drone with an inbuilt GPS that checks on no-fly zones? That's a thought. Probably never get off the ground.
The drone I have is not able to get of the ground , if it is in the 5.5KM zone ,it is progammed to stay put. I have not tested it ,as I don't like to be blamed for a major airport shut down Cheers
That is 5.5k from a controlled airport. I live within 5.5 of a airpstrip and an uncontrolled helicopter landing zone (hospital) and I can fly as long as there is no aircraft flying at the time or land if one enters the area.
That is 5.5k from a controlled airport. I live within 5.5 of a airpstrip and an uncontrolled helicopter landing zone (hospital) and I can fly as long as there is no aircraft flying at the time or land if one enters the area.