Weather and labour disruptions might delay flights out of Victoria International Airport from time to time. But your flight off the Island shouldn’t be held up by an irresponsible person flying a drone.
The federal government is bringing in new rules to clamp down on those who fly the small machines for business or pleasure, with recent incidents still fresh in the public mind.
Just before Christmas, someone flew drones over London’s Gatwick Airport for three days, forcing the cancellation of 1,000 flights and leaving 140,000 travellers stranded. During recent forest-fire seasons, firefighting planes were grounded because of drones in the area.
It should be obvious that flying drones near airplanes is dangerous, but apparently not obvious enough to some.
The new regulations will apply to drones that weigh 250 grams or more, which will now have to be registered. Pilots will have to pass an online exam in order to get a licence. Kids under 14 won’t be allowed to operate them.
The rules also come with possible jail time and fines up to $25,000 for anyone who flouts them.
Regulations, of course, go only so far.
Sidney and other populated areas are well within the 5.6-kilometre exclusion zone around Victoria’s airport. A hobbyist flying a drone over the Sidney waterfront for some breathtaking aerial photos is right off the end of the main runway, in the path of planes landing and taking off.
Airports need some way to intercept drones and get them out of the air before they can cause harm. The new regulations are just the first step.
