CASA No Drone Zone App
 

Casa are spruiking their No Drone Zone App on Facebook.

This area no drone area covers a lot of Sydney suburbia. The question that is being asked is will flying a drone in your backyard land you in trouble. A lot of kids have the cheaper models as toys and fly them within the confines of their backyard, up to about treetop height. Likewise kites are often seen at suburban parks, particularly in the northern suburbs.

Where does a home owners airspace end and CASA's begin. Could this mean that kicking a football in the park mean you are infringing CASA's airspace.

There are a lot of confused people and the CASA publications seem to indicate that CASA's territory begins at ground level.

So should Pauline Hanson have checked the app before allegedly flying from a Townsville balcony? :p

Guptar. I haven't seen the app, but I remain pretty sure that even in controlled airspace, you can fly up to 400', according to the CASA handout I have.

But not if within 5km of an airfield or helipad so guess thats the focus of the app. Ive just downloaded it to have a look.

From CASA:
You must only fly during the day, not at night.
You must only fly by visual line of sight (VLOS)-close enough to see, maintain orientation and achieve accurate flight and tracking.
You must fly no higher than 120 metres (400 feet) above ground level.
You must not fly any closer than 30 metres from other people.
You must not fly in a prohibited area or in a restricted area without the permission of the responsible authority.
You must not fly over populous areas, such as beaches, parks and sporting ovals. The risk to life, safety and property depends not only on the density of people and property in an area but also the flying height and the likelihood of injury or damage should something go wrong with the RPA.
You must not fly within 5.5 kilometres (3 nautical miles) of a controlled aerodrome-one with an operating control tower.
You must not fly in the area of a public safety operation without the approval of a person in charge of the emergency response. This includes situations such as a car crash or any police, firefighting or search and rescue operations.

There are also rules around flying an excluded RPA near smaller aerodromes. When flying near an aerodrome without an operating control tower, you must not fly above runways or taxiways or in the approach or departure paths. See Advisory Circular 101-10 for a depiction of these restricted flying areas.

So I wonder how the real estate agencies legally obtain some of their overhead photos? Or perhaps not legally? :confused:

Yes..you do wonder.
A couple of years ago CAsA threatened at Real Estate company in Adelaide, for operating illegally, commercially They were getting oblique overviews pictures of properties for sale. "Cease and desist."
They used the pics only to advertise their business. They were not selling the pictures for money so there was NO commerce from the photography.

Which just goes to show CAsA really doesnt know whether its gone or here .

Now I see in every town just about every RE agent has suburban house overview pics and I havent yet heard of any fatalities, or that the sky has fallen in.

I see in the press P Gibbon, the CAsA 'Corporate Spindoctor' wanted more info on Ms Hanson ..."with a view to.."....to what ??
And if memory serves, it was Gibbon the same that posed the earlier threat.

I haven't looked through the app in detail, however just this once I'm prepared to give CASA a cautious well done for attempting something proactive and relevant, rather than the usual heavy handed "thou shalt not", on pain of death (or X penalty points, whichever is the lesser)

And there's the commercial gain.

The pix were taken by/for a business for their advertising purposes, the result of which they will gain money i.e. commercial gain.

What makes you think a homeowner has any airspace?

Quite legally, if:

• within CTA, they remain below 400FT AGL, and
• if within CTA and within 3NM of a controlled AD at any level, they obtain permission from the AD controlling authority, and
• they comply with the other basic requirements (keep 30m clear of other people, helipads etc. etc.).

More specific info here:

Unmanned Aerial Systems in controlled airspace | Airservices

or to advertise the houses?

The general principle is:

The Property Rights of Airspace - dummies

If aircraft can't fly below 500' (landing aside), then It would be interesting to see how a drone at 400' would be interfering (in a court argument, that is).

For the real estate agent - I'd like to see CASA prove that the pic was from a drone and not a crane... or a long selfie stick, or a kite, or ...