CAA - Drone / UAV contact person

[zander]

To the highest standard possible for safe viable operation, and by the quality of their work.
It's extremely simple, either you can prove your ability, or you cannot.

SA regulation makes it almost impossible to carry out the work, limiting your ability to provide a service, that's why rookies can get in, they are limited to being mainly grounded anyway. it's a we will shoot you in the foot so that you can shoot yourself in the foot situation.

You cannot say everyone is new to the industry clearly it does not help to try and let you see that so not going to waste my time with that.

[edwoodza]

FACT IS everyone IS new to the industry since the FORMALIZED RPAS industry is an infant still.
and with all new born there are growing pains.
We can bitch and moan or get on with things. Cause fighting the machine will only waste your time.

[apollo11]

The CAA have in fact admitted to failings in the practical implementation of part 101, agreed like the constitution great on paper, in practice...

Apparently they are looking at how the Aussies have implemented their drone operations.

I'm curious, what was the approximate financial figure and time frame to get yourself setup?

[edwoodza]

Time frames are the issue for sure, which is generally 2 years or so.
BUT about to get wore since appears CAA has "lost" most applicants files and paperwork.

Regarding costs. It depends how you "value" your personal time spent.
WE used consultants who then closed up shop after taking our money.
NET result
I had to then do the job myself. Having basic aviation experience was able to do op's and procedures well inline with all law requirements
for the Safety and Quality Management since 1 person cant do it all for for a ROC i farmed this out to an aviation QM /SM specialist so they had stuff written already to add to our OM.

For me money wasted on the consultant became dumb tax for paying someone else to do something they not qualified to do.

In the end when i DIY myself drawing from aviation experience my OM was approved 1st time round, vs others who used the same consultants who are still waiting for their second review.

If i write off the loss paying the consultants. The costs for me to do it was the CAA fees, forms
and then a good chunk of hours going through 101 as well as the rest of airlaw to see areas even remotely applicable and including that in the OM and referencing it (when caa see you referencing things to the section of law they get happy)

DIY not for faint hearted and if you don't know how aviation works its a cluster of epic proportion. BUT not impossible, IF you willing to learn fast, ask pilots and others for help and input and dig in and study airlaw and 101 in detail, get people who are in aviation to read and take their feedback and start applying all again.

Other than a big chunk of your time its not very costly at all. UNLESS you have to pay school fees to learn

[GaryMortimer]

I am hearing that two former SACAA employees would help folks with their paperwork on the weekends for a fee and then run them through the system afterwards.

Seems a little irregular to me, anybody heard similar?

[Trevor Duane]

I am hearing that two former SACAA employees would help folks with their paperwork on the weekends for a fee

That is a fact Gary, two very high ranking previous CAA employees who basically drafted part 101. And who were responsible for pulling off the now infamous ABSA branding event in the JHB CBD. They parted ways with the CAA end of last year to pursue their own agenda's together.

Their next potential move is going to really make heads turn 360 deg.

[GaryMortimer]

Thanks, I shall watch with interest. Corruption at it's finest! I feel very sorry for all the folks that have been let down by a regulator that does not have a clue about RPAS, to this day.