Based on Australia’s national aviation authority, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), flying drones is acceptable in Australia. However, it is suggested being conscious of and compliant with the drone regulations before doing so.
Since there are many affordable drones now available in the market within a few years, the count of drone owners in Australia has greatly increased.
Some of the Rules for Flying the Drone in Australia
According to the research and interpretation of the laws, here are the vital rules for flying a drone in Australia:
- It is suggested to fly only at the day time and maintain your drone within visual line-of-sight. This signifies being able to view the aircraft with your own eyes instead of using the device at all times.
- Should not fly the drone more than 120 meters (400ft) above the ground.
- Should maintain your drone at a minimum of 30 meters away from other persons.
- Should not fly your UAV over or close to a place harming public safety or where serious work is underway without obtaining prior approval. This would involve the conditions such as a car crash, police operations, a fire/associated firefighting efforts, and search and rescue.
- Should fly only one UAV at a time.
- Should not fly over or above people. This would include beaches, parks, events, or sports ovals where there is a game in progress.
- If your drone weighs more than 100g, you must keep at least 5.5km away from controlled aerodromes.
- Respect personal privacy. Do not record or take a snap of the people without their consent as this may violate the state laws.
Licensing Necessity for Flying a Drone in Australia
If you are flying an RPA(remotely piloted aircraft), weighing less than 2Kg, for commercial purposes, the drone can be flown in an ‘excluded’ category. Which means that you must inform the CASA before you fly and do operations within the standard operating conditions.
If you require to fly outside these operating conditions, you will require the remote pilot’s license (RePL) and fly with a certified operator for commercial flight.
State-related environmental regulations also forbid the drone pilots from flying an RPA within 300 meters of the marine mammals. This will include mammals like the dolphins and whales. They are sincere about it too, with fines differing from $300 to $110,000.
It is also worth examining if there are any council or National Park laws and laws that forbid drones in an area you want to fly in.
These are some of the processes in a recap:
- Apply for an aviation reference number
- Tell the authorities before you fly
- Fly within the standard operating conditions
- Download the CASA drone safety app
Watch a video of Drone regulations in Australia:
