CAA - Drone / UAV contact person

[isoexcite]

Hi all,

Does anybody have a name or contact person of the person in charge of drones and UAV operations at the CAA?

Much appreciated!

[Triaan]

... Can of worms. Though some get lucky, perhaps you'd be one of them.

[Blackwing]

Clint
071 804 3566

He was very helpful in giving me some pointers.

[edwoodza]

1-800-RPASIZSCREWED

[zander]

[apollo11]

With all the drama re drone operation (RPAS) related to the CAA inducing ridiculous rules and laws and effectively killing the industry, why do all the drone schools and operators not band together and take the CAA to court.

Off the top of my head I'm sure it can be proven that the CAA are preventing ones constitutional right to exercise employment whilst following reasonable rules and law if I understand the situation correctly.

Speaking to a few drone folk that told me the CAA have effectively forced hundreds of operator to operate illegally, and more are operating illegally every month due to the absolutely suffocating and myopic CAA implementation of part 101.

[edwoodza]

The reality is 101 is not crazy or bad. I am a aircraft pilot and its inline with everything else and as part of the greater picture its responsible.
granted CAA execution of it may suck majorly
the other thing one learns in aviation (10 years for us) is piss off CAA and they will victimize you and effectively shut you down as they have the power to do so. so best not to get upity with them.

as i sayd everyone complains about drone laws. BUT if your loved one was on a plane that hit a drone and crashed what would your response be with CAA then? 180 from current for most.

UK and USA are actually following ZA drone rules as they are well though out. (granted poorly executed)

[apollo11]

I appreciate this, but it's not what I have heard so you are saying that a qualified RPAS holder is able to work in the industry without too much fuss.

Oh I am absolutely aware of responsible flying, I have been flying for over 30 years without incident or accident in SA and elsewhere and completely agree that drone operations must be within the context of the rules and law. I certainly do not want a drone ramming through my windscreen whilst on an final approach into an airfield/airport.

However from what I understand it has become become extremely difficult for operators in the real world due to prohibitive costs and unnecessarily restrictive legislation. Apparently the CAA are considering the Australian commercial model which is a far more practical implementation.

Please do tell me more you posted that you have your RPAS, how difficult and expensive was it to operate commercially?

[edwoodza]

once you have processed 3 rain forests of paperwork with CAA you can work easily as long as you keep CAA fed with more rain forests of paperwork and compliance.
Key is when you make your OM keep it simple dont make your life harder than it needs to be. thats were many shoot themselves in the foot.
Reality is its "welcome to aviation" its not going to change, its here to stay we can either moan and shout its not fair and lawyer up (and make lawyers richer) but its all going to come out the same way.
if you want to work and oporate RPAS suck it up, die a little inside and get going.

i will be the 1st to say i dont like it but we have to live with it like SARS and other government viruses.

The other big thing to be aware of ref work for drone pilots is understand the reaility before paying for the course and geting dissapointed.
FACT 20 or so legal RPAS operators now
assuming each employes 2 pilots (which is optimistic as many are owner operated)
that's work for 40 RPL's
now there are over 600 in the country (RPL's) most with Zero hours logged and seem to think they entitled to work.
RPAS work for RPL will be for the cream of the crop only. Those who dont work hard to buidl hours legally and log them will fall to the bottom as hte cream rises. RPL pilots which will you be CREAM or the stuff sinking to the bottom?

[apollo11]

Thank you for your posts, appreciate, it's obvious to me there is indeed a problem with CAA's implementation of part 101.

[zander]

The reality is 101 is not crazy or bad. I am a aircraft pilot and its inline with everything else and as part of the greater picture its responsible.

Totally agree

granted CAA execution of it may suck majorly
the other thing one learns in aviation (10 years for us) is piss off CAA and they will victimize you and effectively shut you down as they have the power to do so. so best not to get upity with them.

Because of this (their attitude) They are causing outlaw situations, which will have no end in sight, the more the supposed "outlaw situation" is "curbed" as per their monopolistic rules and implementations the more fuel to the fire they throw at the outlaws, it will never ever work as this is a recipe for utter disaster and here i thought the CAA is all about encouraging safety by granting a fair playing field with fair safe rules.

as i sayd everyone complains about drone laws. BUT if your loved one was on a plane that hit a drone and crashed what would your response be with CAA then? 180 from current for most.

So implement drone laws not ban everyone from flying which is what sa's drone laws come down to.
Overseas they have drone laws that work, and get this, they are hundreds of millions of people more than our sorry little country and there have been no drones taking out anyone. What does that tell me ? It tells me their fair regulations are working superbly ! All the while encouraging the evolution of this Massively growing field

UK and USA are actually following ZA drone rules as they are well though out. (granted poorly executed)

Again just showing how utterly ridiculous SA drone laws are, of course it will be poorly executed overseas in fact so poorly executed it won't be executed at all, it's a poorly pathetic set of rules aimed at shooting everyone but a few in the foot, totally discouraging the evolution of the industry in South Africa. And here everyone raves about souf effrika's "forward thinking shoot ourselves in the foot drone regulations"

Clowns running a circus and puppets drinking the cool aid, that's all it is, drone evolution and expansion are foreign language in this puppet show.

[Trevor Duane]

With all the drama re drone operation (RPAS) related to the CAA inducing ridiculous rules and laws and effectively killing the industry, why do all the drone schools and operators not band together and take the CAA to court.

Off the top of my head I'm sure it can be proven that the CAA are preventing ones constitutional right to exercise employment whilst following reasonable rules and law if I understand the situation correctly.

Speaking to a few drone folk that told me the CAA have effectively forced hundreds of operator to operate illegally, and more are operating illegally every month due to the absolutely suffocating and myopic CAA implementation of part 101.

There is a body Cuaasa which has been tackling these issues with CAA on a legal level. They are making headway.

[apollo11]

That sounds encouraging...lets hope some common sense can prevail at CAA as a result.

[Trevor Duane]

That sounds encouraging...lets hope some common sense can prevail at CAA as a result.

Very recently as in days CAA had publicly admitted that they "got it wrong" so yes it looks as though things are going to get better. But please don't listen to the few negative souls out there who for what ever reason can't make it. There is far more opportunity than what is made out to be.

[apollo11]

Thank you for the information

What I heard is that it costs almost the same to get an SA drone setup for commercial use as it does a light aircraft, and with an equal amount of paperwork? ? Is that true?

ASL – Air Service Licence
ROC – RPAS Operators Certificate
RLA – RPAS Letter of Approval
RPL – Remote Pilot Licence
CofR – Certificate of Registration