Drones leaving the law for dead

They count game, scope out crops and even suss out security breaches in fences, but existing restrictions are preventing drones from becoming more accessible in South Africa.

Last week in Auckland, New Zealand, a drone made the first trial pizza drop, a precursor for a new type of delivery service.

Across the world countries are battling to regulate the use of unmanned vehicles and it is no different here.

"Regulations for operating drones are so rigid and to bring changes takes such a long time," said Dean Polley, president of the Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of SA.

He said last year the Civil Aviation Authority promulgated regulations related to the use of drones.

Rules included the need for a remote pilot's licence and an operating licence if the drone was for commercial purposes. Other rules follow international guidelines that limit remote-piloted aircraft from being flown within 50m of a group of people or road. They cannot be flown on property without the owner's permission. Nothing may be dropped from a drone.

"The problem is that only eight [local] operators have been approved in over a year," said Polley, meaning that many drone operators were using them illegally.

He said to become compliant with flight training could cost between R200,000 and R500,000. In the U S new legislation required a basic operator to pay a $ 5 fee and complete a course online.

Drone manufacturer Adam Rosman said the legislation was too heavily borrowed from piloted aircraft. He said the need for a medical certificate excluded certain people with disabilities.

"You are excluding people who are deaf or in wheelchairs and depriving them from possibly making a living out of it," Rosman said.

Spokes man for the CAA Phindiwe Gwebu said regulations would in future be improved to deal with areas not previously covered.

Aviation industry expert Linden Birns said the problem with drones was that the operators were not in contact with other aircraft or aircraft controllers and that was what the regulations attempted to cover.

But while regulations may be lagging, drones are increasingly being used for new applications. Mines use them for geological surveys and to check security fences. Farmers use them to count game and evaluate crop quality.

Polley said drones could be used to handle securityissues on farms. A drone could be launched at night to see if there were intruders on the farm. He said farmers welcomed the idea but legislation prevented drones from being operated at night.