Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is seeking feedback on drone operations and remote pilot standards. The authority is proposing three updates that it says would support more targeted and efficient use of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), align an existing regulation with current record-keeping requirements, and create consistent national examination standards for remote pilots.
Currently, some drone and rocket operations in Australia need CASA approval to use a specific area. CASA then publishes each area approval in a NOTAM. The proposal is to remove this requirement, only calling for a NOTAM when it provides a safety benefit. CASA believes this change would reduce unnecessary NOTAMs, make approvals more efficient for operators and help airspace users focus on relevant safety information.
Under another new proposal, CASA would set and manage knowledge examinations for remote pilot licences (RePL) and beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations. CASA-approved providers would deliver the examinations. RePL training providers would continue training and preparing candidates. The goal is to ensure that candidates are assessed to the same standard wherever they sit the exam. It would also enable the authority to update exam content as operations and rules change.
In addition, CASA is proposing moving an existing regulation about record keeping to make the rules clearer without changing any existing requirements for operators.
Feedback is invited via CASA’s Consultation Hub by 3 September.
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Image: CASA