Sphere Drones launches free flight advisory service in Australia 

A new drone flight advisory service is now available for pilots in Australia, and it’s free for all users.

The newly launched Sphere Drones Flight Advisory is powered by Curo, a drone safety app verified by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The service gives users the ability to safely plan drone operations with access to numerous airspace data sources for improved situational awareness.

The platform demarcates flight operations into three categories — ReOC, Excluded, and RPA Recreational — and shows data that is most relevant to the chosen operation. Drone pilots can set parameters such as maximum altitude, date, and time of the planned operation to access even more exact information. The time zone and daylight hours are also displayed, allowing users to check Civil Twilight beginning and end directly in the flight advisory.

Once an operation type, date, and time have been selected, pilots can select an operational area using one of three ways: by selecting a point on the map, drawing a freeform shape, or drawing a circle with an adjustable radius.

Selecting the operational area leads to the app displaying data from a number of external sources, in addition to static data from airspaces, controlled and uncontrolled aerodromes, heliports, marine parks, and power lines. Real-time partner data is also displayed in the flight advisory service, including live incidents such as fires and other emergency responses, and timed advisories for current events, such as Melbourne Cup.

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