Drone owners in Australia will soon need to register their aircrafts under laws first introduced back in 2019.
With drones increasing in popularity in recent years, Australia’s aviation regulator, Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), has introduced new measures designed to keep budding drone flyers, and any people they’re flying near, safe.
The news laws mean anyone using a drone for commercial use, research, training and community service will need to register their crafts and be accredited by CASA.
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The registration and accreditation portals will open from September 30 but a deadline of January 28, 2021 means you’ll be able to continue flying without them for a few more months.
If you’re just flying your drone for fun or on your own land, there’s good news. You’ll eventually also need to register but it’s a few years off — that registration portal opens March 2022 and is only a requirement by 30 May 2022.
For everyone else, registration is free for now, thankfully, and lasts for 12 months so it seems a fair ask given anyone can purchase themselves a chunky flying object.
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The only exemption CASA will provide once those deadlines pass are for drones weighing under 250 grams or those only operated within the house.
How to register your drone
If the new rules apply to you and your little flying machine, registration and accreditation is relatively simple.
You’ll first need to get yourself an aviation reference number (ARN) through CASA, which requires 100 points of identification.
Once you’ve linked it to your CASA account, you’ll have to undertake a short safety video and online quiz about the new drone rules covering safety and the law.
For those using drones larger than two kilograms for commercial purposes, you’ll need to apply for a remote pilot licence (RePL). In order to get this licence, you’ll need to go through a certified training provider for specialist training but won’t need to bother with accreditation.
With more drones zipping through our skies, the rules ultimately provide a few more assurances. After all, you don’t want a 12-year-old kid flinging a one-kilogram drone around your backyard without a care in the world.
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