Update to the New Drone & RPAR Requirements by CASA
For the purpose of understanding the note below, Drone Racing Australia and it’s clubs are registered and insured via the MAAA.
As you may have heard, Legislation has commenced for Drone Registration and the Accreditation of their Operators/Pilots. In this context, Drone refers to any remotely piloted aircraft, not just multi-rotors.
The new Legislation will be rolled-out in stages. It will affect Commercial Operators firstly, followed by the Excluded Sub 2kg Class (These are commercial operators registered with CASA using Sub 2kg drones).
It is anticipated that the changes for Recreational Users (us) will commence late in the first quarter of 2020.
What does this mean for DRA members?
In most cases there will be no changes to the way we currently operate.
If you fly gliders with no motors and remain under 400ft then you are exempt from the Registration/Accreditation process.
If you are an MAAA member flying at an MAAA registered field (such as ALL DRA fields) then you are exempt from the Model Registration and Pilot Accreditation. This exemption applies whether or not the field has an Area Approval. The MAAA will supply a complete list of all of our fields to CASA from the information that their Clubs have already provided.
If you fly off a private property or a friend’s farm, or any other unknown field, you will need to ensure that this additional flying site / location is registered by your main Club as a secondary flying field. Alternatively, you can contact the ANSW Secretary directly and register the location with them. You can be assured that the addresses of these private Registered Locations will not appear anywhere except on the register sent to CASA and the private club list.
If you are flying in a public park or a headland then the location must also be recorded with the MAAA. Aeromodellers NSW are currently finalising with CASA, how this situation will work, as these locations may attract non-MAAA members and as such collectively we need to develop a mechanism to identify who‘s flying. More details will be released once they are finalised.
If you are flying at a location that is not recorded with CASA as a registered flying site then you will be required to register when the Recreational User rules come into force in 2020. This includes flying on your own land/in your garden and the only exclusion will be for aircraft below 250g flying weight.
Please, also, keep in mind that this isn’t the MAAA or ANSW trying to create rules and red tape for us. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has gone through a detailed process in order to rein in dangerous and inappropriate use of aircraft, often in places where public safety is put at risk by uninsured and careless operators. The outcome for MAAA members is very good, with business as usual for most of their Clubs and locations. It has required a major input of time and energy from a lot of people, but the outcome is a good one for us.
If you have any specific questions then please contact Aeromodellers President via email at president@nsw.aeromodellers.org.au
That’s going to be all I want to cover in this update to you all, again thankyou for being part of the DRA family, and remember if you haven’t renewed your membership with us to do so, so as to ensure you are protected as per our association and registration with the MAAA.
Happy flying.