Legal to use drones on private property

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"The regulations governing the use of drones in South Africa are welcome because they bring clarity," says Philip Smerkovitz, MD of TeleEye SA, a distributor of FLIR thermal imaging systems and DJI gimbals designed to be bolted onto drone models.

The imaging systems use infrared technologies that detect infrared radiation, or heat, enabling the drone operator to see in total darkness, and all weather conditions. Power-in and video-out connections, and MAVlink (Micro Air Vehicle link) compatibility, allow for the integration of FLIR Vue thermal imaging systems onto drones.

Smerkovitz explained that the promulgation of the RPA regulations last year means it is now impossible to fly drones near national key points without prior permission. A current list of national key points is available on the web and is maintained by the Right2Know campaign.

Legal use

The good news, according to TeleEye SA, is that it is completely legal to use drones on private property, for search and rescue, firefighting, security, agriculture, roof and solar panel inspections, aerial surveys and photography, and a host of other applications.

Drones cannot, however, be flown within 50m above or close to a person or crowd of people without prior approval. This has obvious implications for crowd control applications and sporting events.

Drone operators should be aware that they need to have a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved remote pilot licence and a letter of approval which is valid for 12 months. Drones furthermore cannot fly more than 120m above the ground, nor within in 10km of an airport. While the rules also stipulate that visual contact must be maintained with the drone, this doesn't apply to night operations.