![]() UA (MULTICOPTER 7 KG) OPR OVER WATER IN R405B WI 300M OF PSN S33 51.7 E151 13.2 Note that, in the logic of NOTAMS, it’s listed under Melbourne flight information region. ![]() If you’re a heli pilot or performing GA joy flights, you occupy the main sector of aircraft at risk and need to monitor NOTAMS for drones operating in your area. There are a few locations to be aware of. It doesn’t take much to see the overlap and potential for an incident. The drone’s maximum altitude would be legal at 600 feet AMSL. Now consider the drone that has just taken off from raised terrain at what its pilot assumes is zero feet, which is your 200 feet AMSL. There is nothing below us, it’s non-populous and we can drop down to 500 feet, no problem. As a rule, manned aircraft crews tend to relax just a little once we’re above water. It’s usual for a coastal area to have terrain that is up to 200 feet higher than the ocean or harbour it adjoins, and as it makes for great scenic flying there are generally loads of general aviation aircraft flying up, down, over and all around the place. These conditions are more common than you think. The main problem occurs because drone operators measure their operating height with reference to ground level (AGL) where the rest of aviation measures altitude above mean sea level (AMSL).ĭrones are allowed to operate from 0–400 AGL, resulting in an overlap occurring at any location with headlands, hills or any other terrain near or next to water. These are places where the potential for a collision with light aircraft, helicopters and even some RPT aircraft is increased. There are some locations that throw up red flags as danger zones. Technology is helping, with the latest DJI smart drones identifying airspace and automatically restricting take off near towered airports, and smart phone apps such as ‘Can I fly there?’ (free on iOS or Android) showing drone pilots where they can and can’t fly. ![]() Safe procedures and practices are commonplace now, with highly professional standards appearing throughout the commercial drone industry, and indeed these practices have filtered down to the recreational pilots as well. Two years ago, I began publishing Drone Magazine as a way of helping instil aviation standards into a community of people that needed to understand how their remotely piloted aircraft becomes a small cog in a very big wheel, whenever it’s being flown. I became a remote operator certificate (ReOC) holder and chief remote pilot when there were fewer than 90 companies in Australia. My background: I’m a fixed wing multi-engine instrument rated pilot who moved into unmanned aviation five years ago. As a remote pilot, this is always at the front of my mind. The downside? With all that extra activity the skies are becoming a busy shared airspace, with the increased chance for an incident or near miss. The upside? With over 1000 CASA Remotely Piloted Aerial Vehicle (RPAV) or Remote Piloted Aerial System (RPAS) operators now offering services all around Australia, it means there are more professionally trained remote drone pilots than ever before, flying responsibly under the aviation regulations and following CASR Part 101 (F). This trend presents an upside and a downside. Contributor and licensed remote pilot Craig Newlyn tracks down some places where drones and manned aircraft need to take particular careĭrones are everywhere and here to stay.
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