Stringent regulations surrounding the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems, popularly known as drones, will be effective from July in South Africa for commercial and private use, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said today.
Speaking at a press briefing at the SACAA offices in Midrand, SACAA director Poppy Khoza emphasised drones were a new technological development, and that there had been no rules worldwide from which to benchmark the new regulations.
The regulations are a result of "authorities from around the globe putting their heads together, working under the guidance of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, seeking to understand, define and ultimately integrate this aspect into the civil aviation sector," added Khoza.
A stringent licensing process will take place and all operators will have to obtain a remote pilot licence before using the drone commercially. Private users of drones will not have to obtain a licence but there are also strict regulations they will have to follow, such as obtaining permission from land owners before flying a drone above their property.
Anyone in contradiction of regulations could be liable for a fine of up to R50 000 or imprisonment, or both.
The regulations state unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) cannot be used to tow another aircraft, perform aerobatic displays, be flown in formation, and cannot fly next to, or above, a nuclear power plant, prison, police station, crime scene, court of law, national key point or strategic installation.
Drones also cannot fly above 400 feet above the ground, or within a 10km radius of an aerodrome.
There will also be regulations in place for selling drones. Drones cannot be sold unless the seller has notified the buyer of the operational requirements imposed by SACAA.
SACAA Aircraft Certification Division senior manager Subash Devkaran said, until July 2015, all drone operation in South Africa was illegal because no UAS could meet the Civil Aviation Regulations requirements for operating an aircraft in the South African airspace.
Devkaran says the SACAA estimates there will be fewer than a hundred applications for licences in July, but that figure is expected to grow exponentially. Drones will be used in a pilot programme to clamp down on rhino poaching locally.
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