South African Civil Aviation makes drone aircraft history
JOBURG – History has being made as South Africa introduces new laws that will regulate remotely piloted aircraft systems known as drones.
Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters recently signed new regulations that will be published and implemented by 1 July 2015.
Remotely piloted aircraft systems are aircraft that can fly without a pilot on board.
These aircraft come in various shapes and sizes and can be controlled remotely by an individual on the ground, in another aircraft or through an on-board computer system.
Traditionally, remotely piloted aircraft systems were used primarily in military operations, however, they can also be used for many other purposes outside of the military.
Other uses include conservation efforts, aerial surveillance, scientific research, journalism, and many other commercial and non-commercial activities.
While these types of aircraft have been used in military operations, their useful deployment in civilian activities has only become more apparent in recent times.
It is also a fact that these types of aircraft are a relatively new component of the civil aviation framework.
It is also a fact that their rapid advancement has caught many regulators worldwide by some level of surprise.
Hence, in recent times authorities around the world have put their heads together and collaborated with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in an attempt to understand, define and ultimately, integrate this technology into the mainstream aviation sector.
It should be noted that under normal circumstances ICAO would take the lead in terms of developing standards and recommended practices, and regulators would then translate the prescribed standards and recommended practices into legally-enforceable local civil aviation regulations.
In the absence of guiding documents from ICAO, regulators such as the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) have had to swiftly derive measures to address the regulation deficiency in response to a growing demand to regulate this sector.
The SACAA, together with the Department of Transport and other key industry role players, rose to the occasion and collectively worked tirelessly to develop these new regulations.
The SACAA sourced and received valuable input from relevant State entities as well as industry role players, including operators, manufacturers, and other airspace users.
