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More drone trouble in Godzone

A few weeks ago, a "drone" was flown over a part of Hamilton's commercial district, which also happens to be part of the controlled airspace of Waikato Airport.

The owner of that craft was potted to police/CAA by the owner of one of NZ's leading RC model import/distribution companies, which resulted in a visit from PC Plod and the possibility of further legal action against the offender.

The guy concerned was operating largely out of ignorance of the law and the rules/"policies" of CAA. I had fully expected that as a result of this event (and others), CAA would have placed a big visual graphic of a drone on the homepage of their website and linked to the restrictions that operators of much craft must observe.

Nope... nothing. Not a sausage, not a bean, not even a tiny text link.

Perhaps as a result of this unwillingness to publicise the rules that drone fliers are bound by, another drone incident has been reported this morning, also in Hamilton.

It would not surprise me if the same vigilante was responsible for reporting this infringement of the rules.

More important than who's reporting these incidents is CAA's response.

According to the Stuff article, "Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Mike Richards said an investigation was under way as to who used the name of Superman's alter ego to post the video".

Yes, that's wonderful -- but there is still no bloody information readily available on the CAA website so that people using these craft can quickly and easily discover what they can/can't do and where they can/can't do it.

Come on CAA -- get your act together.

As I have written before, it's time to stop hiding your rules and regulations away and then coming out with a big stick when someone, almost always due to ignorance, infringes them.

Interestingly enough, I figured that CAA's mission would be to ensure the safety of NZ's airspace but I see that it's not. From the CAA website:

"The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates civil aviation in New Zealand"

Hmmm... no mention of safety -- just *regulation*. That's the mission statement of a bureaucracy if ever I heard one.

"We check that these rules are being complied with and have the power to take action if they are not"

Yep... still no mention of safety.

"We monitor safety and security performance throughout the aviation community so that we can direct our safety efforts where they are needed most".

At last -- the word "safety" is used -- but, based on their own statements, CAA's response to the drone issue must be classified as an epic fail. They seem to be putting absolutely zero effort into addressing the issues surrounding the massive rise in consumer-grade drone use. To date, everything they have done seems to be solely reactive.

"We also produce safety publications and run safety seminars for the aviation community"

So where is the most basic information regarding what's allowed and what's not allowed in respect to the use of consumer-grade drones?

There are now more of these little craft operating in New Zealand than there are microlight aircraft -- yet CAA are failing abysmally at educating, informing and establishing good relations with the community who use these drones. So far, their sole interaction appears to be rolling up to a few doors while waving a big stick.

To be brutally honest -- I am very concerned that there will be a tragic incident involving these craft and if/when that happens, CAA ought to be the ones who share the blame due to their bureaucratic stance and apparent total unwillingness to do anything pro-active and positive to address the risks.

Bookmark this column... I suspect I shall be referring to it again, probably after someone gets injured and CAA (in true bureaucratic style) decides that a ban or licensing is require to control these ignorant drone fliers.

To try and avoid a situation like this occurring, I will be posting a few videos and putting up some webpages of the type that CAA should have put up months ago. No doubt I will be criticised by some for daring to be so bold -- but to be honest, I care about the safety of the public a damned sight more than I do about bureaucratic piffle.

Those who can - do; those who can't - regulate.

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