CASA has released a set of changes to the CASR Part 101 Manual of Standards (MOS) that aim to better suit the ever-growing drone industry based on feedback from pilots and companies in the Australian drone space.
The consultation was open from 15 December 2021 to 21 February 2022 and received over 250 responses from individuals and operators. An initial light summary has been published to the CASA Consultation Hub with a detailed summary of consultation to be published in the coming months.
Aerodrome no-fly zone boundary calculations
A more accurate way of measuring the no-fly zone boundaries around Australian aerodromes will come into effect. This new method measures 3NM from a point along the runway centreline removing any second guessing.
The measurement point concept brings precision, certainty, comprehensiveness, and predictability to measurements.
Tethered operations
Rules for tethered operations have been simplified with amendments being made to provisions and associated diagrams in Chapters 4 and 9 of the Part 101 MOS for tethered operations in the no-fly zone of a controlled and non-controlled aerodrome.
RePL enhanced qualifications
CASA has decided to defer the date RePL training operators are required to hold enhanced qualifications due to the impact COVID has had on the industry through lockdowns and restrictions.
The requirement date has been moved from 10 April 2022 to 10 April 2024, giving RePL training operators an extra two years.
RPAs and model aircrafts used in test flights
Aircraft used exclusively for test flights, developmental, manufacturing, or maintenance and repair, no longer need to be registered with CASA.
CASA has shared that there will be many more amendments made to the CASR Part 101 and MOS during 2022, so stay tuned.
Response breakdown
A total of 255 responses were recorded broken down into the following categories:
- RePL holder 74
- ReOC holder 71
- Drone/ Model aircraft retailer 1
- Model aircraft flyer 18
- Model aircraft association member 2
- Emergency services employee or volunteer 9
- Excluded category operator 26
- FPV pilot/ enthusiast 12
- RPAS training organisation 6
- Education and/or research organisation 3
- Other 33
Source: CASA
