Just when I thought it was safe to look skyward again without getting a blob of rain on the lashes, comes a telephone warning from Garda O’Mahony from the local station.
Garda O’Mahony was on duty at Kerry Airport this evening and the people in the tower there had got a complaint from someone in Castleisland about the ‘Drone Film’ we carried here on The Maine Valley Post yesterday morning.
The basis of the complaint was that the Drone is a danger to aircraft and cannot be flown in the vicinity of an airport – or anywhere else for that matter – unless the operator has a license from the Irish Aviation Authority.
Not entirely sure how those two square up. A Drone is about the size of a fat Seagull and, in the case of Michael O’Rourke’s machine, it flew really close to the chimneys of JK’s and the other tall houses in town at dawn that lovely June morning.
I’m doing Garda O’Mahony’s bidding and on behalf of the concerned busybody who rang the airport and warning all owners to take them Drones down out of the skies forthwith.
And ye can be heading for Dublin with your wallet in your fist and you’ll come home with an L-plated license as a drone flying member of the community and there’ll be a fire at The Fountain and a lorry with loudspeakers going mad and then someone will ring the guards and we’ll all be back where we started.
A Drone is only a funny name for a Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) and there are just a few dozen license holders in Ireland at present.
According to the Irish Aviation Authority It is important to differentiate RPAS from model aircraft. ICAO and EASA define RPAS as:
“Any aircraft and its associated elements, other than a balloon, kite or small aircraft which is intended to be operated with no pilot on board”. Whereas model aircraft are defined as: “Any small aircraft which is being used for the sole purpose of recreational flying.
‘Any person who wishes to operate a RPAS for commercial purposes must obtain a permission to fly and an aerial work permit from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), before commencing operations in Irish airspace. The operation of RPAS in Irish airspace is subject to regulation by the IAA as set out in Aeronautical Notice O.63 and supporting guidance material contained in Operations Advisory Memorandum 02/12.” For more on the matter click on the link here. https://www.iaa.ie/media/DRONESQuestionsandAnswersFinal1.pdf
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)
Please refer to our detailed Q&A document concerning the use of drones (RPAS) and model aircraft.
The use of Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) is becoming more and more prevalent in Ireland and prospective operators should be aware of their responsibilities to ensure safety.
It is important to differentiate RPAS from model aircraft. ICAO and EASA define RPAS as: “Any aircraft and its associated elements, other than a balloon, kite or small aircraft which is intended to be operated with no pilot on board”. Whereas model aircraft are defined as: “Any small aircraft which is being used for the sole purpose of recreational flying.”
Any person who wishes to operate a RPAS for commercial purposes must obtain a permission to fly and an aerial work permit from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), before commencing operations in Irish airspace. The operation of RPAS in Irish airspace is subject to regulation by the IAA as set out in Aeronautical Notice O.63 and supporting guidance material contained in Operations Advisory Memorandum 02/12.
When you use your RPAS for recreational purposes, you must follow the same rules that are required for the operation of model aircraft as laid out in Rockets and Small Aircraft Order S.I. 25 of 2000.
Click here to view the list of RPAS Aerial Work Permission Holders.
You may be also interested in reading a recent article the IAA ran in Flying in Ireland magazine.
For further information on the regulations governing the operation of RPAS, please contact rpas.fod@iaa.ie.
– See more at: https://www.iaa.ie/rpas#sthash.n5gL3JeN.dpuf
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)
Please refer to our detailed Q&A document concerning the use of drones (RPAS) and model aircraft.
The use of Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) is becoming more and more prevalent in Ireland and prospective operators should be aware of their responsibilities to ensure safety.
It is important to differentiate RPAS from model aircraft. ICAO and EASA define RPAS as: “Any aircraft and its associated elements, other than a balloon, kite or small aircraft which is intended to be operated with no pilot on board”. Whereas model aircraft are defined as: “Any small aircraft which is being used for the sole purpose of recreational flying.”
Any person who wishes to operate a RPAS for commercial purposes must obtain a permission to fly and an aerial work permit from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), before commencing operations in Irish airspace. The operation of RPAS in Irish airspace is subject to regulation by the IAA as set out in Aeronautical Notice O.63 and supporting guidance material contained in Operations Advisory Memorandum 02/12.
When you use your RPAS for recreational purposes, you must follow the same rules that are required for the operation of model aircraft as laid out in Rockets and Small Aircraft Order S.I. 25 of 2000.
Click here to view the list of RPAS Aerial Work Permission Holders.
You may be also interested in reading a recent article the IAA ran in Flying in Ireland magazine.
For further information on the regulations governing the operation of RPAS, please contact rpas.fod@iaa.ie.
– See more at: https://www.iaa.ie/rpas#sthash.n5gL3JeN.dpuf
