Shoppers urged to look for drone safety symbol when buying

Shoppers in Australia have been urged by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to look out for the drone safety advocate symbol when buying a new drone. The symbol indicates that the retailer and manufacturer have pledged to educate customers about when, where, and how they can safely use their drones.

Earlier in the year, CASA began its drone safety advocate program. It allows retailers and manufacturers to join, provided they promote safe usage of drones and include information with the rules in the box.

The CASA-recognized drone safety advocates include DJI, Zero-X, Officeworks, Ted’s Cameras, DVS, JB HI-FI, Sphere Drones, Rise Above, C.R.Kennedy, EE Group Aus, Drone Shop Perth, and more on the growing list.

One of the largest electronics store in Australia had the following to say:

Safety is important to us at JB HiFi, so we are very proud to partner with CASA to provide the information required to safely fly a drone within Australian government guidelines and to ensure that all current rules, regulations, and flying zones are available to our customers.

If you aren’t sure if you know the rules to fly, I highly recommend taking this quiz that goes through the basics you should know when flying. While you’re here, below are the rules you should always follow when flying a drone in Australia and the United States.

You must:

• only fly one drone at a time
• always fly your drone within visual line-of-sight — this means:
  • flying only during the day
  • avoid flying in cloud, fog, or heavy rain
  • you can see your drone with your own eyes at all times — not by using binoculars or watching a video screen
  • not flying behind trees, buildings, or anything else that stops you from seeing your drone at all times.

You must not fly your drone:

• higher than 120 m (400 ft) above ground level — that’s about the height of a 35-story building or the length of a football field
• closer than 30 m to people — other than those helping to fly or navigate your drone
• over or above people at any time or height
• in a way that creates a hazard to another person, aircraft, or property
• near emergency situations
• in prohibited or restricted airspace (use a CASA-verified drone safety app to help you)
• closer than 5.5 km to a controlled aerodrome or airfield (usually those with a control tower), if your drone weighs more than 250 g.

Photo: CASA & Josh Spires