Australia is leading the world in terms of licensing and regulations around Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) – otherwise known as drones. It is now illegal in Australia to fly a drone for any form of commercial gain without the full, proper certification & license granted by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
Sadly, we’ve seen a number of unlicenced drone companies offering aerial photography and video services, without being certified and licensed. With certification and licensing being a prerequisite for insurance, this means not only are these companies and individuals unlicensed, they are also not insured.
What happens once a drone operator gains certification?
The rules certainly don’t stop upon licensing. Below are some of the rules that licensed UAV operators such as SkyMedia must adhere to:
- A drone may not be flown above 400ft
- It is not permitted to fly closer than 5.5km of an airport, without special authorisation
- Flying must occur during daylight hours only, unless appropriate additional licence is obtained
- The UAV needs to remain in visual sight of the operator
- You cannot fly in densely populated areas
How to select a UAV operator
If you’re looking for a company to help with your aerial photography and video project, it’s essential you make sure they company you select is licensed. Ask to see their license, and check yourself on CASA’s website. Remember, if they’re not licensed, they are operating illegally and any insurance they do hold won’t be valid.
It’s important to remember that whilst we make operating our drones look easy, it’s take us years of training, studying and experience to achieve that. There are real risks involved with operating UAV’s, and working with an unqualified company is an inherently risky decision.