With Chrissy just around the corner I have no doubt there will be a LOT of drones stacked under Christmas trees around Australia. If you have not yet purchased (or indeed, even if you have), it should be known that while drones might seem a harmless sort of toy, sort of like a powered paper aeroplane (No! NOT “airplane” thank you – they fly DUE to “aero”), a drone is far more – and as a result can have consequences.
Due to this, the governing body for all things that fly, except bricks according to Douglas Adams, CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) has put out a missive on a web page at https://www.casa.gov.au/publications-and-resources/media-release/shoppers-urged-buy-drone-safety with advice on what to look out for.
Drone manufactures have been urged to sign up for the safety initiative – and this is what it is all about, safety – and get involved in the education of drone purchasers and users.
We have been alerted to all this by DJI (we make no bones about being unabashed fans of their kit) and as signatories to the CASA education campaign, on their Facebook page they have a series of content to help customers and drone users in general learn the rules, pick up a few flying tips and provide some useful info on CASA’s new Know Your Drone website.
If you have no knowledge of the rules of drone flying as set down by CASA – and the penalties for transgression can be VERY harsh – you can find them at https://www.casa.gov.au/knowyourdrone/drone-rules.
By the way, the original Can I Fly There app from CASA for both Android and iPhone / iPad has been discontinued. The replacement approved by CASA is from Wing Aviation LLC and is called OpenSky-Drone Flyer.
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