The Drone Industry is a rapidly changing, exponentially expanding market. As the technology becomes more available, cost viable and easier to operate, the number of people interested in flying these amazing aircraft continues to grow, and with this growth comes a multitude of use cases for those who wish to pursue professional, commercial opportunities in the unmanned aircraft world.
It’s important that we as professional drone service providers educate and inform the general public as to what our rights and responsibilities are to the public, and likewise what their rights and responsibilities are to us and more importantly, where to find the rules, regulations and legislation pertaining to recreational and commercial Drone & Model Aircraft use.
We’re not all here to spy on you or case out your yard
In fact, we’re probably so focused on the job we’re being paid to do, to even notice your back yard. Drone Photography and Videography is employed by a plethora of industries, one popular use case being Real Estate. This means that we may be flying close to your property to capture those stunning views so your neighbors home can be showcased for sale.
As a courtesy, we’ll have the real estate notify you prior to the day of shooting, if practicable and time permits. We have a duty of care to ensure we’re not operating our aircraft any closer than 30 metres to another person, so we’ll work with you respectfully to ensure our legal responsibilities are met.
If you notice a drone hovering over your yard or property and we’ve not been speaking to you – you can rest assured that it isn’t us. We respect others privacy, and as such have no inclination to hover over, photograph or record other people’s private property. If you’re concerned, you should:
| Do’s | Don’ts |
| Take as many photographs of the drone or aircraft as you possibly can, getting all angles and any identifying markers | Don’t threaten the drone operator – this is a criminal offense. Threatening, Intimidating, Stalking is an indictable offense and the drone operator can take legal action against you. |
| Report it to the Police Assistance Line (PAL) by phoning 131 444 | Don’t do anything that will interfere with the operation of the aircraft. This includes throwing an object at, hosing, burning, striking or shooting the aircraft. It also includes interfering with the drone operator’s controls or telemetry. Interfering with an aircraft is a serious indictable offense and can lead to significant fines and gaol sentences. |
| Report it to CASA, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority – more information on how to do this can be found here. |
Some of us are allowed to fly at night
If we’re a licenced Remote Pilot operating commercially under a Remote Operators Certificate, we’re allowed to fly at night. We’re not doing this to be sneaky or hidden – we’re more then likely just doing our job. If you see a drone flying around at night, you have every right to photograph it and report it to Police or CASA should they choose to investigate it.