Thriving South African drone community under threat from regs

http://vimeo.com/86266916

Video from SteadiDrone, whose APM-powered QU4D we fly all the time and love

Robohub has a good report on South African drone community, which had enjoyed light regulation but is now facing strict rules:

A couple of years ago, while I was living in Cape Town, I met a group of people who were so into drones and aerial filming that they managed to initiate me into the world of UAVs. It turns out that South African soil is fertile ground for UAV enthusiasm and businesses. Therefore, I will dedicate this post to the thriving drone community of the Republic of South Africa.

Let’s start with the legislation: there is none. SACAA, the South African Civil Aviation Authority created confusion some two months ago, when it firstly declared a ban on the use of drones for aerial filming, and then issued this statement, which basically says that SACAA doesn’t ban something that is illegal already. The only problem is that it is not illegal, since there is no legislation covering the issue. Meanwhile, the Cape Town Film Commission has been in discussion with the SACAA, the Ministry of Transport, the Department of Trade and Industry as well as the Deputy Mayor of Cape Town, and has requested that the SACAA implement their model aircraft policy for use of the drones.

If approved, the policy will require adopting the below guidelines, which are similar to those used in Europe and Australia:

• Flying only under 120m
• No flying within 4.2 nautical miles of an airport
• Flying only in line of sight of the operator (500m)
• No auto pilot flying or night flying
• No flying over public property and roads without permission

Meanwhile, filmmakers are still flocking to Cape Town to take advantage of the breathtaking scenery and skilled local aerial filming production crews.

Where drones are being used for filming, there is no doubt someone catering to their needs and providing them with equipment. SteadiDrone (see video above) is a proudly South African UAV manufacturer, founded in 2012 in the beautiful town of Knysna. Their flagship product is the QU4D, RTF quadcopter, which uses the APM 2.5 autopilot from 3D Robotics and is able to carry a GoPro camera on board.

Read the rest here. 

FONTE:Thriving South African drone community under threat from regs - DIY Drones