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Guidelines for Drone Operations

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August 31, 2018

Why in news?

Directorate General of Civil Aviation has recently published the final guidelines for operating drones by ordinary citizens.

What are drones?

  • Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the civil aviation regulator in the country.
  • As defined by DGCA, drones are remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).
  • RPA is an unmanned aircraft piloted from a remote pilot station.
  • The RPA, its associated remote pilot station(s), command and control links and any other components forms a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS).
  • The guidelines for operating them come into effect on December 1, 2018.
  • It is the date from when civilian use of drones becomes legal in India.

Image result for drones

What are the highlights?

  • Drone types - DGCA has identified multiple categories of drones, broadly classified as:
  1. Nano (weighing up to 250 g)
  2. Micro (more than 250 g but less than 2 kg)
  3. Small and above (weighing 2 kg or more)
  • Before flying - Every drone bigger than Nano must obtain a unique identification number (UIN) from the aviation regulator.
  • This must be displayed on the aircraft, similar to the registration number of vehicles.
  • A UIN will be issued once, against a fee of Rs 1,000.
  • It will not be issued to a foreign citizen or entity.
  • Users of bigger drones will be required to obtain a Unique Air Operator’s Permit (UAOP).
  • This is similar to a driver’s licence for normal vehicles.
  • The permit will cost Rs 25,000 and will be valid for five years, and renewals will cost Rs 10,000.
  • The UIN and UAOP can be obtained from the online platform Digital Sky that will go live on December 1.
  • The permits will reportedly be issued in less than a week.
  • Flying conditions - All drones, other than the Nano ones, must meet mandatory equipment requirements.
  • These include GPS, anti-collision light, ID plate, radio-frequency identification (RFID) and SIM facilities.
  • Software that ensures ‘no-permission, no-takeoff’, among other features, is must.
  • Before flying a Small or bigger drone, an operator has to file a flight plan, and inform the local police.
  • This is for the machine to reach a height of 400 ft or more, and use both controlled and uncontrolled airspace.
  • Micro drones will be required to submit a flight plan only if using controlled airspace.
  • The operator must, however, inform the local police in all cases.
  • Many drones used for amateur photography fall in this category.
  • These aircraft will need a UIN but no UAOP, and will be allowed to climb only to a height of 200 ft.
  • Nano drones will be able to operate freely, without any registration or permit.
  • But their operations will be restricted to 50 ft above the ground.
  • It is also limited to uncontrolled airspaces and enclosed premises.
  • Training - All those requiring a UAOP must undertake a five-day training programme.
  • This will expose them to regulations, basic principles of flight, and air traffic control procedures.
  • They will also be taught on weather and meteorology, emergency identification and handling, etc.
  • These operators will also have to take written tests and flight simulator tests before they are issued permits.
  • Time - All categories of drones must be flown in the visual line of sight, and only during daytime.
  • But photography using drones is allowed in well-lit enclosed premises.
  • It would still be mandatory to inform the local police before flying.
  • No-fly zones - DGCA has listed 12 categories of “no-drone zones”.
  • These include the area up to 5 km from the perimeters of the high-traffic airports of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
  • For other airports, the no-drone zone extends up to 3 km.
  • Drones cannot fly closer than 25 km of international borders, including the Line of Control and Line of Actual Control.
  • The area within a 5-km radius of New Delhi’s Vijay Chowk is a no-drone zone.
  • This, however, is subject to any additional conditions/restrictions of local law enforcement agencies/authorities for security reasons.
  • The Ministry of Home Affairs can notify the perimeter of strategic locations and vital installations.
  • A drone cannot be flown within 2 km from the perimeter of such areas, unless cleared by the Ministry.
  • A drone can also not be flown
  1. within a 3 km radius of secretariat complexes in state capitals
  2. from a mobile platform such as a moving vehicle, ship or aircraft

 

Source: Indian Express

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