Monday, January 27, 2014

Urgent need to change drones rules - New Zealand CAA

Urgent need to change drones rules - CAA - Technology News | TVNZ

CAA told the Star-Times the existing regulations were scrapped as ineffective last month as the  technology has "outpaced regulatory development" and added it was a world-wide problem. They say "incidents and injuries" overseas meant it had to "regulate this activity with haste". "The use of (UAV) by untrained individuals is a risk that has the potential to disrupt the traditional aviation system," a spokesman said.

The CAA says it is legal "in simple terms" for anybody to buy a drone and use it over private land. Palmerston North-based professional UAV operator Skycam NZ is alarmed at the regulation vacuum.
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In Australia civilian drones are being used by Surf Life Saving Australia clubs, real estate agents,  environmental researchers, government agencies monitoring illegal fishing, mining companies and  media companies.

Recently they have been rolled out in bushfire fighting and a search and rescue mission. Infamously a criminal gang put a drone into the air to patrol its drug lab and in Brazil contraband is flown over  fences to prisoners in UAVs.

Drone use in protest is untested ground - though in Germany a protest group flew a drone toward Chancellor Angela Merkel, landing it harmlessly near her - but the potential was demonstrated by Marx Jones in his famous flour-bombing of Eden Park from a light aircraft during the third and final test match of the 1981 Springbok rugby tour.

Packer says flying a plane over Eden Park took skill. "It doesn't with a drone."

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