IN-DEPTH
Costly, clunky aviation rules clip our wings, say drone operators
Various licences are required and some of the technical classifications are confusing, writes Michael Schmidt
Felicia Mphamu, 25, of Pretoria, qualified under the new rules of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as a drone pilot for her father’s aerial inspection company and is one of the future faces of the burgeoning drone industry in SA. But although the industry’s global worth is predicted by PricewaterhouseCoopers to skyrocket over the next three years from $2bn to $127bn, the new CAA regulations, introduced on July 1 last year, were shot down at SA’s first drone conference last Thursday for being prohibitively expensive, tangled in red tape and inhibiting business innovation. Mphamu’s father, William Morule, founded Mowiti Construction and Projects in 2006. The small company specialises in aerial powerline, pipeline and stockpile inspections and uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — or drones — mounted with cameras as a cost-effective alternative to helicopters. Once the preserve of the military, drones have become relatively inexpensive and accessible to civilian fliers, opening up s...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.