South African UAV regulations almost ready

South African UAV regulations almost ready

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South Africa wants to use more unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and is preparing the needed regulations.

South Africa is set to have its new UAV regulations approved in April as the SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) moves forward with efforts to regulate UAVs flying in South African airspace.

According to DefenseWeb, draft regulations were published as a white paper in December and open to public comment until January 5. This week the SACAA will review comments and then make necessary changes.

Hennie Kieser, director and chairman of the Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of South Africa (CUAASA), told DefenseWeb that the regulations will be finalized by the end of January and will then be taken to Transport Minister Dipuo Peters.

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Kieser hopes the regulations will be law by the end of April, allowing people to go to the Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC) and SACAA to get their UAV licenses.

Kieser said that in theory it’s possible for people to be flying with the first licenses in May but he is concerned that the first applications reaching the ASLC will encounter problems and it may only be towards the end of the year that the first pilots will legally be allowed to fly.

The SACAA set March 2015 as the deadline for new regulations to come into effect. At the moment there are no regulations governing the use of remotely piloted aircraft in South Africa, resulting in UAVs being prohibited from flying. As a result, Kieser estimates that commercial UAV operators have lost 50-60% of their revenue since the prohibition. The new regulations do not necessarily affect hobbyists.