SA Civil Aviation Authority set to make an important announcement regarding the flying of drones

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) is set to make an important announcement regarding the flying of remotely piloted aircraft systems, popularly known as drones or unmanned aircraft systems. The announcement will be made by the Director of Civil Aviation, Ms Poppy Khoza, at a media briefing scheduled for Sunday, 17 May 2015.

Remotely piloted aircraft systems are aircraft that can fly without a pilot on board. These aircraft come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can be controlled remotely by an individual on the ground, in another aircraft or through an on-board computer system. These types of aircraft present a relatively new component of the civil aviation framework, one which the SACAA, together with other regulators worldwide and under the guidance of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), are working to understand, define and ultimately integrate into the aviation sector.

Primarily due to the significant safety and security risks these aircraft pose to members of the public, the operation of these aircraft has been prohibited in South Africa. To enable this technology to transfer into a sustainable and safe new economic sector of South African aviation, regulations which take into account the safety and security risks are required. Regrettably, there are reports of some members of the public having operated these aircraft illegally without consideration of the safety of members of the public.

The details of the planned media briefing are as follows:

Date:               Sunday, 17 May 2015

Venue:            SACAA offices

Ikhaya Lokundiza 1

16 Treur Close

Waterfall Park

Bekker Street

Midrand

Time:              09:30h for 09:45

All media are invited to attend. Journalists attending are requested to confirm attendance with Marie Bray via email at braym@caa.co.za or on 082 814 5188.