Drone Aerial Photography – Be Responsible!
Are you looking at adding this exciting “new” aspect of photography to your business or maybe you are already using a drone? (RPAS – Remotely Piloted Aircraft System)
From the get go, let me say this, if nothing else. An RPAS is NOT a TOY and using one comes with great responsibility! They are capable of flying up to seven kilometers away from takeoff. Would you pilot an airplane with a blindfold on, with no training? NO of course you wouldn’t, you wouldn’t be that dam stupid now, would you? Drones can easily bring down a full sized aircraft, I bet you would not like to be responsible for that?
Unfortunately just about anyone can fly a drone out of the box with no previous experience and this is a huge problem and advantage at the same time. They are also very easy to purchase, no restrictions at all, like purchasing a sweet over the counter. They come in all sizes with a range of price tags from the cheap to the professional. We all know what professional photography equipment costs… plus some.
It is a huge responsibility to operate an RPAS safely! If you do not have an RPL (Remote Pilots Licence) and your ROC (Remote Operations Certificate) you should not be using an RPAS professionally (Earning money from supplying drone services to the public or businesses) The fines for this in SA are R 50,000.00 or up to 10 years imprisonment and the possibility of having all your equipment confiscated. (This has already happened in two cases, to my knowledge, in the Cape)
I have recently done a lot of research into this field of photography. If you would like to find out more about obtaining an ROC and RPL, Dylan Kemlo is the man to speak to, he works closely with the CAA, has a great team and they will gladly assist you. [email protected] or you may contact me [email protected]
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