CASA Media Release - Friday, 20 December 2002
Australia leads new aviation industry
Australia is set to take an international lead in an emerging sector of the aviation industry.
World first safety regulations and cutting edge research and development is placing Australia at the forefront of the unmanned aerial vehicle industry.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has approved the first operators certificate for a commercial unmanned aerial vehicle aviation business.
Helimetrex has been certified under new rules known as Civil Aviation Safety Regulations part 101, which cover unmanned aerial vehicle operations.
The certificate approves the operation of an RC X-CELL helicopter that has been modified to carry out aerial photography and survey work.
Helimetrex is the first of 12 applications to CASA to operate unmanned aerial vehicles under the new regulations.
According to an article in CASA’s Flight Safety Australia Magazine, the approval heralds an acceleration of activity in unmanned operations.
In the December edition the magazine details the likely future growth in unmanned aviation, as well as the research and development underway in Australia.
Likely areas for unmanned operations include bush fire fighting, coastal surveillance, search and rescue, crop spraying, weather forecasting, mapping, photography and minerals exploration.
Unmanned aerial vehicles range in size from large aircraft as big as a DC3 to miniature aircraft weighing as little as 100 grams.
Australia’s new regulations for unmanned vehicles will cover design, certification, manufacture, operations, training, operating personnel, maintenance, ground control systems and air traffic control.
These rules will ultimately allow appropriately equipped and certified unmanned vehicles to safely share the skies with other aircraft and in some cases fly over populated areas.
Media contact
Peter Gibson
mobile 0419 296 446
Ref: MR0266