Drone-friendly areas - Cape Town

[bwana]

Unfortunately drone laws exist because idiots like this exist;

He's not suggesting regulations aren't necessary.

I'm pretty sure they violated existing laws and would have done so with SA's [overbearing] regulations as well so what difference would 10km vs 5km vs 1km from an airport make? [Which is basically what he asked.]

 

[Sensorei]

Unfortunately drone laws exist because idiots like this exist;

Drones have come a long way since this DJI Phantom 2. These were terrible to handle with even pretty mild wind compared to modern drones that cost half the money.

But yeah, there are unfortunately idiots everywhere who ruin it for everyone else.

 

[genetic]

He's not suggesting regulations aren't necessary.

I'm pretty sure they violated existing laws and would have done so with SA's [overbearing] regulations as well so what difference would 10km vs 5km vs 1km from an airport make? [Which is basically what he asked.]

100% agreed, but the reason for the 10km radius around airports exists is due to flight paths. Aircraft fly low when lining up with runways, and these flight paths could be many KM away. So the distance is just a blanket rule.

Blouberg Beach towards Ysterplaat AFB here in CPT for instance is a main corridor for low flying light-aircraft traffic, both military and private use. We have a lot of military helicopters flying extremely low all the time. I live about 13km from Ysterplaat AFB, but the entire beach front from Blouberg to Melkbos is a no fly zone.

Do I care? No. Not for personal use, I fly illegally at Blouberg beach. Luckily my drone has ADS-B, so it warns me if other aircraft are near-by. But I watch my bird like a hawk. I'm also situationally aware, so I know I'll never be an issue. I've also hacked my drone to bypass the legal hight, radio transmission power and no-fly restrictions. Call me a proper criminal.

With commercial jobs, I follow the drone laws to the tee, and will always have the documentation and clearance to fly.

 

[semaphore]

The real question is what would an ordinary city-bound resident want with a drone anyway?

Guess you've never heard of FPV racing? That's what I used mine for.

 

[neoprema]

Guess you've never heard of FPV racing? That's what I used mine for.

That's some cool stuff

 

[Swa]

The most illogical part of the rules surrounding drones in SA is the prohibition on flying within 10km of an airport.

Not airport but any landing pad. That makes almost everywhere a no-fly zone.

The real question is what would an ordinary city-bound resident want with a drone anyway? It has zero functional benefit. If it is a sport then presumably, there are venues where the sport can be practiced. What I do know is if I see one flying over my property, I am more than likely to haul out my shotgun for some target practice.

Our drone industry is just starting actually with a lot of potential for aerial photography. Just now there's a drone competition going on if you go on ORMS' website. The irony is there's practically no way to get a legal photo that would win you the competition.

Leave it to the ANC and DA to further stifle opportunity in this country. I understand the concern over populated areas but most people operating these are not your garden variety GWC but serious in what they do and don't want to invade people's privacy or cause a dangerous situation. As usual we have gone overboard and thrown the baby out with the bathwater so you end up with a situation where more people will use them illegally.

 

[neoprema]

Canada was the best. Apart from not being too strict already, just needing registration, with my smallest battery on the DJI is considered a micro drone and almost all the rules fall away.

I flew that that thing everywhere on holiday it was awesome.

Get back home now and it will live another year in its bag due to our stupid drone laws. So much amazing scenery but 9/10 you find yourself within range of something they don’t let you fly over here in South Africa.