An expert in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) says the industry is concerned about untrained operators being subject to different regulations.
Dr Reece Clothier, Deputy Director of the Sir Lawrence Wackett Aerospace Research Centre at RMIT University in Melbourne, told Australian Flying that UAS operators were worried about the impact recreational users could have on the whole industry.
"From all my interactions with UAS industry stakeholders, I think they all realise that an incident or accident could have significant ramifications for the industry, so there is an overwhelming desire to do the right thing and promote a high level of safety and professionalism across the sector," he said.
"Of great concern to the UAS industry are inexperienced hobby users, who operate technology of similar capability but in complete ignorance of the safety regulations. These recreational users are subject to different regulations. Currently, there is actually nothing preventing recreational users operating above 400 ft provided they keep it within visual line of sight."
Dr Clothier's comments come only days after CASA released a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would effectively remove any regulatory oversight of remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA) of under 2 kg weight operated below 400 ft and outside 3 nm of an airport.
When asked about the ability to police these operations, Dr Clothier said there was restricting technology available, but it wasn't reliable.
"There are technologies becoming available that can be used to restrict UAS or model aircraft operations. For example, DGI have recently announced that the autopilot systems released as part of their popular Phantom product line will include software that restricts operations within a certain distance of airports.
"Whilst I think the concept and use of such safety systems is a good idea, it must be noted that they can be disabled, and they aren’t certified, so there is no assurance that the systems will work. The geo-spatial databases used by such systems also need to be kept up to date.
"I am also concerned that relying solely on software-based systems will create a false sense of security for operators, who may fail to do the necessary checks for their operating area.
"To truly tackle this issue, a number of approaches are needed. Technology-based safety systems should be combined with education. CASA has recently undertaken an information campaign to educate recreational users of the technology, which is a great step.
"I would also recommend a review of recreational model aircraft regulations, to ensure safety standards are consistent between UAS and model aircraft and to ensure model aircraft regulations are keeping up with the rapid growth in technology and capability of these aircraft systems."
Pilots concerned about the proposal can comment on the NPRM on the CASA website.