Drone safety: Can you pass Australia’s new pre-flight drone test from DJI?
THEY’RE easy to buy and easy to fly but Australia’s drone laws are complex. This is the test new drone pilots must pass in order to start flying. TAKE THE TEST.
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YOU might be able to get one in the air but do you really know how to fly a drone?
The panorama-recording unmanned aerial vehicles have never been more popular around Australian beaches but they’re also attracting a record number of fines from the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority for being flown in a dangerous manner.
Australia’s drone laws, updated in October last year, now give recreational pilots more freedom to fly lightweight drones without registration, but there are plenty of rules to heed.
READ MORE: DJI plans to head off strict new drone laws in Australia
CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said the Authority issued 32 fines to drone users doing the wrong thing last year, as well as “hundreds” of warning letters to others suspected of breaking aviation laws.
“Where there’s evidence and we can prove a breach took place, we issue an infringement notice,” Mr Gibson said. “We’re still putting the bulk of our effort into education and information, though.”
Leading drone maker DJI will join that effort today when it launches a pre-flight exam for all Australian drone users in its DJI Go app, which pilots must use to control their drones.
DJI Asia Pacific public policy head Adam Welsh said Australia was the third country to receive the pre-flight exam, which would apply to any DJI drone user lifting off in Australia, regardless of where they bought their drone.
“We’re always looking at ways to increase the margins of safety,” Mr Welsh said.
“It’s just to make sure everyone has that basic awareness of their responsibilities.”
Drone pilots will need to correctly answer all nine multiple choice questions to launch their drone, covering topics such as where it is safe to fly, how far drones must be flown from other people, and how high drones can legally be flown in Australia.
CASA penalties for breaking drone laws range from $900 to $9000.
Could you pass the test? Take it below.
Originally published as Drone safety: Can you pass Australia’s new pre-flight drone test from DJI?
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