CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) Drone use rules and guidelines

[ricktas]

To get our new Drone forum underway, here is a link to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's website on Drones in Australia.

This link includes:

- Flying for fun
- Commercial drone use
- using drones near emergencies (bushfires etc)
- Flying over your own property, other's property, and public spaces
- When and how to get a remotely piloted aircraft licence
and more.

Here is the link : https://www.casa.gov.au/aircraft/landing-page/flying-drones-australia

[flashc]

Thanks for setting this up Rick...
We just need a few posts now to share some photos or information.

[bobt]

Interesting. I followed the links and checked it out, but all it did was convince me that it's all too tightly controlled. I can understand that, but by the same token unless you live or travel to the country, then you're very restricted. Personally, I like the shots of suburbia from the air, but that's a bit of a no-no.

Photographing people anywhere is getting to be a real issue. Looks like it's back to photographing other stuff instead - spending money on a drone I can't use all that often isn't money well spent in my book.

Thanks for the links though ...... it confirmed what I thought would be the case.

[kevin301]

The rules seem reasonable for hobbyist drone pilots :)
Usual common-sense applies, I suppose.
They don't want drones causing injury, or damage to aircraft, or to intrude on people's right to privacy.

[flashc]

Interesting. I followed the links and checked it out, but all it did was convince me that it's all too tightly controlled. I can understand that, but by the same token unless you live or travel to the country, then you're very restricted. Personally, I like the shots of suburbia from the air, but that's a bit of a no-no.

Photographing people anywhere is getting to be a real issue.
Thanks for the links though ...... it confirmed what I thought would be the case.

I don't think it's all bad and it's far cheaper than hiring a helicopter...
It may sound restrictive to fly a drone but the original flight rules have changed a bit in that it now says to not fly where there is a danger to people and property...
Plenty of flyers are in and around capital cities...Real Estate Agents photograph houses for sale listings
If you looked at the CASA webpage map, you can see lots of marked zones around Melbourne for example...Only the fully dark red shaded areas are totally no fly zones...
You can fly a drone within 5.5KM of a NON-controlled airport or helipad as long as you keep aware of any air traffic that may take off or enter into the 5.5 KM zone and you also need to avoid the designated and marked airport flight path landing zones...
As consumer drones legally must be flown within your line of sight, it's not too hard to land if an aircraft pops up in the distance.
Controlled airports with a manned tower like Essendon are totally no fly zones within 5.5 KM while the airport is operating.

Casa "suggesting" not photographing people is a strange addition as what will they look like from 120 metres up in the sky and from outside the 30 metres clearance rule, horizontally from people.

I live in Queensland where National Parks are mostly ok to fly over without paying fees or permissions..

Consumer drones now have reasonably competent cameras including some with Hasselblad badged cameras and 1 inch sensors
Attached is a zone map from Victoria and it shows one of the messages that appears when the drone location pin is dropped on any area...

[markdphotography]

I think there is a lot of paranoia about drones as there is about anything new and topical. Just look at the shark sightings. Photographing people as mentioned above is an example. You can actually get a "stealth" shot of a neighbour from inside your own property with a long lens far easier that yoou can with a drone. Another example is that I have a house in a private estate at the Bunya Mountains. The Body Corporate have banned drones (they have no jurisdiction to do that) on the basis that if the Rescue Helicopter had to land it may hit a drone. I know you cannot legislate for stupidity so responsible people get grouped with the idiots once again.

I guess the other thing is the hypocrisy in drone flights. I live in northern NSW and have an App on my phone. It states that I cannot fly within the Ballina Airport flight path - which is very reasonable. The problem is that I should be able to fly at Boulder Beach below the sliff or Norfolk Island pine tree line as if my drone was going to hit a plane, the cliff or the tree would be a greater problem than my drone. Secondly, there are limited flights in and out of the airport. The shark spotting drone and helicopter fly up and down the beach in the flight path.

On saying that there is nothing more common than the lack of common sense.

I will say it has been weeks since the drone has seen daylight as with wind, rain and flight restrictions, it is hard to get some air under the blades.

I must say I marvel at the concept of drones delivering parcels and pizzas based on the rules and regulations required.

[bobt]

My kids were going to buy me a drone for Christmas. I told them not to bother .... it would have spent its life sitting in a cupboard, only to be removed when they went through my stuff after I died !

Too many rules, too few brain cells and not enough common sense. As Mark says, it's back to taking photos of my neighbors with a long lens and a darkened room at around 10.30 pm when my wife isn't looking. er .... did I say that out loud ..... :o

:lol:

[markdphotography]

I guess the silly thing is the people rule,certainly should not be flying over Westfield Doncaster as it may hit warp speed and crash through the building or slice some Christmas shoppers in half?

[bobt]

I guess the sillything is the people rule,certainly should not be flying over Westfield Doncaster at it may hit warp speed and crash through the building or slice some Christmas shoppers in half?

That's known as creating a photo opportunity ..... :devil6:

[markdphotography]

I remeber one morning early I had the drone up at The Pass in Byron Bay. A very well informed fiherman got out of his tinnie and came over to me and told me I should not be flying my drone over people. Two things were wrong - firstly there was a greater chance of him hitting a surfer with his outboard prop or his tinnie as he threaded the needle when coming back in (or even on the way out). There was less people on the beach than there was surfers in the water he just came through. Secondly while he was lecturing and arguing with me, I was not watching the drone. I know a local professional and he launches his drone in the bush and hides so people cannot annoy the crap out of him and ask"are you flying a drone?":lol:

[Kerro]

I have a Mavic Pro and there are only 5 rules I need to bother with here in Mandurah WA.
Stay 5kms from an airport with a tower, no restrictions without just don't fly if a plane comes in
Maximum altitude is 120m
Stay 30m away from other people
Stay line of site with your drone, physically, not what you see on your screen
And last of all don't fly at night

I don't find this at all restrictive and really enjoy my drone flying experience.

[Mark L]

I have a Mavic Pro and there are only 5 rules I need to bother with here in Mandurah WA.
Stay 5kms from an airport with a tower, no restrictions without just don't fly if a plane comes in
Maximum altitude is 120m
Stay 30m away from other people
Stay line of site with your drone, physically, not what you see on your screen
And last of all don't fly at night

I don't find this at all restrictive and really enjoy my drone flying experience.

And rule number six is .... https://www.casa.gov.au/standard-page/remotely-piloted-aircraft-emergency-situations

[Kerro]

Agreed Mark, the sixth rule which is actually basic common sense. Trouble its not very common.

[flashc]

Agreed Mark, the sixth rule which is actually basic common sense. Trouble its not very common.

Unless you just happened to live in Queensland recently where fires were burning everywhere...
I was more interested in the fires 60 k's away heading towards us than going up for a flight...

[Ross M]

I have seen the extremes of operators at two car shows I have attended. The first was a commercial operation I would think. They had a temporary fence around their fly zone and just took the drone straight up in a cleared area. I saw the resulting images and obviously the brief was to photograph all of the cars on show from great height.

The second was clearly a hobbyist. He was flying his drone as low as 2 metres above people. Also he was flying above some very expensive and unique custom vehicles.

[flashc]

When we have to pay a fee to be licensed in the near future to fly our drones, life will be different...

[John King]

Shame that CASA doesn't appear to be concerned about light aircraft flying over our houses at 200-500 feet (supposed to be 1,000 feet ... ). Don't even return my calls.

[flashc]

I've seen a few images elsewhere taken from drones over now extinguished forested fire areas
Has anyone flown their drones over areas that are now clear and where it's now permitted to fly in those areas again...
Abstract images of fire affected trees and rough terrain can been seen

[markdphotography]

I've seen a few images elsewhere taken from drones over now extinguished forested fire areas
Has anyone flown their drones over areas that are now clear and where it's now permitted to fly in those areas again...
Abstract images of fire affected trees and rough terrain can been seen

Hi

I guess the key words here are "extinguished forested fire areas" and assume that no emergency services are still active because if they were you would be breaking CASA regs - https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/rules/emergencies .

Having got my drone licence for commercial work in late September, I would want to be very confident about any fire services activities so probably refer to the Fire Services website or their app.

Cheers

Mark

[flashc]

This is a Queensland site that shows active fires that I check first
I guess the other states have something similar

https://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/map/Pages/default.aspx

[Jaded62]

My son has recently purchased a DJI Mavic Mini which is an amazing (to me) piece of kit. The tech in terms of aeronautics, battery, range and electronics, camera and gimble are fantastic for a device this size.

I've read the rules and they all seem reasonable to me except the line of sight bit. The Mini is so small that it is easily lost in the background sky at say 30-40 metres. This on a device that has a range of kilometers.


I have a Mavic Pro and there are only 5 rules I need to bother with here in Mandurah WA.
Stay 5kms from an airport with a tower, no restrictions without just don't fly if a plane comes in
Maximum altitude is 120m
Stay 30m away from other people
Stay line of site with your drone, physically, not what you see on your screen
And last of all don't fly at night

I don't find this at all restrictive and really enjoy my drone flying experience.

[flashc]

I now take my handheld radio scanner with me around non controlled airports so I can hear the pilots talking to traffic control in Brisbane and other planes in the local area...
Water bombing planes are using our airport as a base at present and make for interesting plane photos when they're landing and taking off (photos I take from the ground of course)

[Mark L]

I now take my handheld radio scanner with me around non controlled airports so I can hear the pilots talking to traffic control in Brisbane and other planes in the local area...
Water bombing planes are using our airport as a base at present and make for interesting plane photos when they're landing and taking off (photos I take from the ground of course)

mmmm, planes in non-controlled air space will not be talking to controlled airspace in Brisbane? Do you hear a reply to the pilots calls when taking off or landing?? If you do then that will probably be from a local Incident Management Team looking after a fireground and indicate controlled air space. Maybe they do things a bit different in QLD. Surprise:)
Basically if they are aircraft dealing with a fire then drones are out of order and photography from the ground is go for it. Fire-grounds not using aircraft are probably okay but be aware that above any of them icon in the QFS link you posted is controlled air space and even if there's no planes around you can't go there with drone.

[flashc]

Planes communicating with Brisbane are commercial flights and they also have to announce on the local frequency what they're doing locally

[markdphotography]

My son has recently purchased a DJI Mavic Mini which is an amazing (to me) piece of kit. The tech in terms of aeronautics, battery, range and electronics, camera and gimble are fantastic for a device this size.

I've read the rules and they all seem reasonable to me except the line of sight bit. The Mini is so small that it is easily lost in the background sky at say 30-40 metres. This on a device that has a range of kilometers.

The line of sight is the most important my REPL Assessor told me. You loose spatial depth when you focus on the screen only. The field of view is narrow as is your focus when you look at the screen only. A small drone is just as dangerous to other aircraft as a larger one. All countries have differing sight/distance requirments as they are made for an international market and it is a bit like a car speed. Most new cars can do over 110klms per hour easily but that is the speed limit in Australia. The same applies to a drone (large or small), even though they can fly further, the regs say not out of sight. You can get lights, and other skins to make them more visible to the pilot and other aircraft.

[enseth]

The line of sight is the most important my REPL Assessor told me

You would think if this was the case all countries would make this a mandatory regulation, which is far from the case. Just saying.

[flashc]

Pizza and parcel deliveries won't be line of sight as companies lobby to get what they want for their commercial operations
Their drones would have multiple backup systems

[Jaded62]

The line of sight is the most important my REPL Assessor told me. You loose spatial depth when you focus on the screen only. The field of view is narrow as is your focus when you look at the screen only. A small drone is just as dangerous to other aircraft as a larger one. All countries have differing sight/distance requirments as they are made for an international market and it is a bit like a car speed. Most new cars can do over 110klms per hour easily but that is the speed limit in Australia. The same applies to a drone (large or small), even though they can fly further, the regs say not out of sight. You can get lights, and other skins to make them more visible to the pilot and other aircraft.

I'll see if I can find a flouro skin for it. Might scare the birds away too. Was attacked the other day by something.

[flashc]

I have a rechargeable bright flashing white light that attaches to a drone
Thought it may be useful if it ever crashes into some long grass or bush
I also have a small flashing white led that I was intending to Velcro on top with a 3 volt button battery for power