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DJI Mavic pilots - Australia

What do you mean by no right of privacy??
Just that. You have no right to expect that your yard will not be overlooked. In side the house yes but outside you can be seen and photographed etc. With no law protecting you. There are some laws agsinst stalking but that is all.
 
Hi Everyone,
I live in Port Macquarie - NSW Mid North Coast.
My 1st Drone is a Xiro Xplorer V. I have enjoyed it very much.
I bought it mainly to make travel videos / photos as we travel in our Motorhome.

I am thinking of switching to a Mavic Pro or Air.
Has anyone switched from Xiro to a Pro or Air?
Is it worth the extra expenditure?

Would appreciate your thoughts, Please.
Regards. Wayne.

Gday wayne I to live in Port Macquarie I have a magic air just for the same reason photos/videos as we travel around Australia Iam just learning so far all good maybe we could catch up if you want to have a look at a MA Cheers John
 
Councils do not have the power to regulate drones. All power to regulate aviation was handed over to the Commonwealth by the states.

they might not have the right to control the airspace over their borough, but I'm pretty sure they have the right to say what can and can't be done on the ground. either way, I'm not putting my life savings on the line to challenge them in court.
 
My local council intended to ban drones along with cars and boats in their parks. They did not go ahead with banning drones as they had legal advice that they did not have the powers to do so.

I would love to see the advice and the reasoning.
 
G’day fellow Aussie flyers. I’m in WA, Port Kennedy-Mandurah area. I have the new Mavic Air and really impressed with the capabilities of such a tiny machine. They truly are little flying robots!
 
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anyone see CASA got $2.9 million in the budget last night " to manage safety standards and associated compliance for recreational and commercial drone technologies"?
 
anyone see CASA got $2.9 million in the budget last night " to manage safety standards and associated compliance for recreational and commercial drone technologies"?

[Rant ON]
From what I could find in the media :-

DRONE SAFETY
Mr Morrison’s third Budget also pledged $2.9 million to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for this year to increase the safety supervision of the use of drones in Australia.

The cash splash will be used to increase safety standards and compliance measures for people looking to use drone technologies, whether it be for recreation or for a commercial use.

In short, that means that Australians who look to abide by the rules set by the safety body could soon face stricter regulations in order to fly drones.

That could come in the form of appropriate licences becoming more expensive, or through the tightening of areas in which drones can actually be flown.


This could be a good thing. Some of the current rules are stuck on old technology and the fix/rotary wing fliers.

The Current Rules
  • You must not fly your drone higher than 120 metres (400 ft) above the ground. (yep makes sense - all good)
  • You must not fly your drone over or near an area affecting public safety or where emergency operations are underway (without prior approval). This could include situations such as a car crash, police operations, a fire and associated firefighting efforts, and search and rescue operations.(yep makes sense - all good)
  • You must not fly your drone within 30 metres of people, unless the other person is part of controlling or navigating the drone. (technically you can't film friend/family, even with their consent)
  • You must fly only one drone at a time.(yep makes sense - all good)
  • If your drone weighs more than 100 grams: (yep these makes sense - all good)
    • You must keep your drone at least 5.5km away from controlled aerodromes (usually those with a control tower)
    • You may fly within 5.5km of a non-controlled aerodrome or helicopter landing site (HLS) only if manned aircraft are not operating to or from the aerodrome. If you become aware of manned aircraft operating to or from the aerodrome/ HLS, you must manoeuvre away from the aircraft and land as soon as safely possible. This includes:
      • not operating your drone within the airfield boundary (*without approval)
      • not operating your drone in the approach and departure paths of the aerodrome (*without approval)
  • You must only fly during the day and keep your drone within visual line-of sight.
    • This means being able to orientate, navigate and see the aircraft with your own eyes at all times (rather than through a device; for example, through goggles or on a video screen). (Really! I have the Mavic, I have trouble seeing it at 50 meters. Take my eyes off to look at the screen to record is a technical breach. Who doesn't break this rule?)
  • You must not fly over or above people. This could include festivals, sporting ovals, populated beaches, parks, busy roads and footpaths. (This fits with the 30 meter rule)
  • You must not operate your drone in a way that creates a hazard to another aircraft, person, or property (yep makes sense - all good)
  • You must not operate your drone in prohibited or restricted areas. (yep makes sense - all good)
So my main gripe is with the 30 meter (only if your flying or the spotter), and the Visual Line-of Sight (VLS).

I break the VLS every time I fly.

[Rant OFF]

Cheers
Paul
 
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Hi guys, I’m from toowoomba Queensland, I purchased my mavic through Harvey Norman, no wait time, straight off the shelf, I’ve had one minor crash in the 12 months of owning it, pilot error when I got too cocky, but repaired for $100 under Flexi care insurance.
There some great flying locations here off the great dividing range.
 
That could come in the form of appropriate licences becoming more expensive, or through the tightening of areas in which drones can actually be flown.


I have no doubt that the cost of commercial licences will creep up over time, as governments don't understand the concepts of cost control or efficiency. as long as they don't try licencing recreational pilots.

I also don't see the need to tighten flight areas. the idea is to prevent conflict with full size aircraft, which is fine. the existing rules do this - when the full size pilots obey the law too! I had a light aircraft pass my MP below the 120m I was at the other week, just outside the 5.5km limit from Moorabbin Airport.

I break the VLS every time I fly.

so do I. the VLS rule is ridiculous, if you're in airspace where there should be no conflict with full sized aircraft then it is unnecessary, and with that the "spotter" requirement for VR goggles is redundant.
 

I have no doubt that the cost of commercial licences will creep up over time, as governments don't understand the concepts of cost control or efficiency. as long as they don't try licencing recreational pilots.

I also don't see the need to tighten flight areas. the idea is to prevent conflict with full size aircraft, which is fine. the existing rules do this - when the full size pilots obey the law too! I had a light aircraft pass my MP below the 120m I was at the other week, just outside the 5.5km limit from Moorabbin Airport.



so do I. the VLS rule is ridiculous, if you're in airspace where there should be no conflict with full sized aircraft then it is unnecessary, and with that the "spotter" requirement for VR goggles is redundant.
Welcome to the world of CASA, they have fked up GA flying in Australia, now it’s the general public’s turn.. safe sky’s are empty sky’s as far as CASA is concerned
 
then I can only say they are they going to need a hell of a lot more than they got in the budget for enforcement, because if any regulations enacted are ******** then people will just ignore them.

some years ago I flew fixed-wing glow powered (still in the days of 29KHz AM radio and nicads at that point) in North Queensland, literally right across the road from the local Blackhawk squadron heliport. we had a very cordial relationship with the base boss and the aircrews, if we saw them coming we landed, if not we dropped down to <20m and orbited our strip at cruise speed until they were clear. simple common sense, and never an issue or complaint in many years.

the problem now is that it's too easy for someone to buy a Phantom or whatever from Harvey Norman and put it in the air with no exposure to people who imbue them with the right sort of attitude from the outset, and then we end up with some tool getting the whole hobby into trouble.
 
my understanding was that exceptions were allowed, I got this from http://remoteaviation.com.au/what-are-australias-drone-laws/

So does FPV flying now become an illegal flying activity? Not quite – in some circumstances FPV flying is permitted, provided several conditions are met. At the time of this blog, CASA has provided exemption EX138/16 to allow the use of FPV technology. However, a number of strict conditions apply:

  • The exemption only applies to members of the Model Aeronautical Association of Australia (MAAA); and
  • The member must comply with the MAAA’s “First Person View (FPV) Policy” (MOP066)”. The MAAA’s policy provides many guidelines, including weight, distance and height limitations, approval from the land owner, the use of a second person as an observer, the deployment of race officials and helpers, and failsafe procedures.

although having now read MOP066 with more care, I think you are right, in that outside of racing the pilot is not allowed to use the FPV downlink. another silly rule which technology like Moverios obsoletes.
 
Yeah Bud. Racing is ok in an event environment.
But a common misconception is an operator using FPV is ok with a spotter.

You must only fly during the day and keep your drone within visual line-of sight.
  • This means being able to orientate, navigate and see the aircraft with your own eyes at all times (rather than through a device; for example, through goggles or on a video screen).
 

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