Authorities need to re-think law on civil aviation as drones gain increasing popularity

The popularity of drones, formerly used almost exclusively by the military, has reached new heights and as this state of the art technology becomes more easily affordable hundreds of them are flying over the Czech Republic –with or without the required license.

Photo: Czech Television

They are light, compact and fit easily into the boot of your car – the wide variety of drones now available on the Czech market are attracting increasing attention. A few years ago the drone opened up new horizons in news reporting, and in 2013 provided coverage of the floods that was beyond compare. What was originally state of the art technology affordable to a select group of people, has now become more widely affordable. The cheapest models are available for 8,000 crowns, quality models sought by aspiring photographers and hobbyists are sold for 30,000 to 40,000 crowns.

The drone was advertised as one of the Christmas hits in 2014 and according to salespeople over 1,000 items have been sold of the most popular model on the market which weighs just 1.3 kilos.

Current legislation governing this field is exceptionally benevolent. Basically people can fly drones of up to 20 kilograms without a special license if they steer clear of inhabited areas and airports.

Drones for professional use and drones weighing over 20 kilos require an operating license. 240 people have so far requested a license to use the drone for professional purposes and ten of these licenses have reportedly been issued. How many people are flying one without a license –professionally or otherwise -is not clear.

This has naturally opened debate on safety and privacy issues. David Balhar from the Office for Civil Aviation says that with the increasing popularity of drones the authorities are taking a tougher line with offenders.

Photo: Martin Melichar

“We have received many complaints in this field – I would say hundreds of complaints -and gradually we are looking into them and imposing fines for unlicensed operations. Individuals are often fined tens of thousands of crowns.”

However with growing interest in drones from amateurs and with Go Pro unveiling plans for a cheaper model with a high quality camera it is clear that the present legislation will need to be amended to take into consideration both safety and privacy issues. The present law on civil aviation dates back to 1997 when the drone was only just taking off in the US military.