NATIONAL NEWS - South African rules on flying drones have owners in a spin.
On Sunday, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced regulations on who and where drones may be flown.
The announcement came just days after the appearance of a drone at a park near the White House, in the United States.
Rather than drafting a new law, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would incorporate rules on flying drones into an existing act.
The regulations will be available to the public on the CAA website from 19 May 2015, SA CAA director Poppy Khoza said in Midrand on Sunday.
Most of the rules applied to operators flying drones for commercial purposes, but private drone owners would also be bound by some of the regulations.
The regulations do not apply to toy aircraft, which the CAA define as aircraft "designed or intended for use in play by children".
According to part 101 of the Civil Aviation Act, private drone owners:
- May not operate a drone in weather conditions in which view of the drone is obstructed.
- May not use a public road as a landing or take-off point for a drone.
- May not operate in controlled airspace.
- May not release, dispense, drop, deliver or deploy an object or substance from a drone.May not carry dangerous goods as cargo on a drone.
