Category: Drone / UAV / RPAS Questions

safely in these areas? Low flying aircraft are generally located near airports, in low flying zones used for pilot training or when they are conducting an operation, that requires them to fly below the safe minimum altitudes published in Part 91. That is 1000 feet above congested areas and 500 feet above rural areas.

These occasions include agricultural aviation and helicopter operations including emergency evacuations, search, and rescue, etc. By gaining prior consent to use an area for a flight or series of flight, the operator will have an opportunity to discuss with the landowner if they anticipate any low-level operations above their land by manned aircraft. In all instances, unmanned aircraft must not operate within low flying zones.

Operators should never operate an unmanned aircraft when impaired by drugs or alcohol.

Human control is required for all flights except free flight model aircraft (and even in these cases, human control is carried out to a small degree via pre-flight trimming and fuel quantity measurement). In other cases, the level of human control varies from hands-on flying via control sticks, to pre-programming of a flight plan and then a point and click operation on the control station.

This level of control is considered automatic flight. Fully autonomous operations are those that require no human input at all—in other words, the aircraft makes all the decisions regarding the flight itself. This situation is a possibility for the future.

To prevent fly-away, it is important to follow manufacturers’ pre-flight requirements without deviation. Failing to calibrate the internal compass, for example, can invalidate the “return home”process. It is recommended that operators’ details, including contact details, are placed on the unmanned aircraft in a prominent position, so the aircraft can be returned in the case of a fly-away.

Unmanned aircraft are required to give way to all manned aircraft. It is the operator’s responsibility to ensure that this rule is complied with at all times.

It means you must be able to see and maintain sight of your UAV the entire time you are flying it. This is contained under Rule Part 101, specifically rule 101.209 Visual line of sight operation which is the requirement to ensure that a model aircraft can satisfy rule 101.213 Right of way.

There are different Civil Aviation rules for the operation of a kite versus a UAV.

Under the current Civil Aviation Rules, you require an authorisation if your UAV/RPAS weighs more than 25kg or you need to apply for a Part 102 Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certificate.

The CAA launched the amended Part 101 and new Part 102 operator certification rules on 1 August 2015.

There is no current legal obligation for importers or retailers to provide regulation information. The CAA has developed a leaflet for wholesalers and retailers, which outlines the current rules, provides safety tips and CAA contact details. The CAA is also exploring working with the New Zealand Customs Service and/or Statistics New Zealand for information.