Number of drones in SA doubles in a year, worrying aviation authority
Unregistered, unapproved and unlicensed drone users are a concern for authorities
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said on Wednesday that the number of registered drones in SA more than doubled year-on-year in January 2017, raising concerns that there are increasing numbers of unregistered remotely piloted vehicles being operated. A review over the 12-month period showed an increase from 216 registered craft in January 2016 to 465 in January 2017 and, while this was unsurprising, these vehicles still posed a risk to civil airspace, the SACAA said. "The main concern for regulators, such as the SACAA, is the increasing number of unregistered and unapproved [drone] operations that are taking to the skies illegally and that are being potentially operated by unlicensed individuals," SACAA executive for safety operations Simon Segwabe said.
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