Council has say on new drone rules
New rules for drone operators could have a positive impact on aviation safety in Whanganui, according to a Whanganui District Council spokesperson.
The Ministry of Transport is proposing new regulations on drone usage, including a basic pilot qualification, drone registration, changes to consent provisions, remote identification and geoawareness.
The council will be making a submission to the ministry’s public consultation, with senior policy analyst Justin Walters saying consent provisions will affect the way drones are currently managed on council land.
“This has the potential to have impacts on health and safety and visitor experience,” he said.
The basic pilot qualification would be gained with an online test and would license the operator to fly drones up to 25kg as well as supervise unqualified operators.
Drone registration would identify drones and their owners in order to ensure that important information can be communicated to operators and improve enforcement. Operators with drones that weigh 250 grams or over would have to register them.
Registration would apply to individuals who are 14 years old and over, and businesses or organisations who would be issued with a unique number to be displayed on the drone.
The ministry is proposing the changes in order to reduce the number of illegal airspace incursions and reduce incidents of injury and property damage.
The changes would enable more effective and timely enforcement, resulting in lower investigation costs.
Drone usage rules introduced in 2015 were hard to enforce as there is not enough information as to “who is flying what”.
Walters said the draft submission would be circulated to councillors for comment before the closure date on May 21.