Drone operators and hobbyists have voiced concerns over draft regulations on drone use put forward by the authorities.
During a packed public consultation meeting yesterday, Director General for Civil Aviation George Borg Marks said a number of local incidents involving RPAs (Remotely-Piloted Aircraft) had highlighted the need for regulation.
On one occasion, a drone was reported flying at 3,000 feet directly in the approach path of the airport runway, while another drone had been flown into the airfield boundary.
One hobbyist expressed his fear that the proposed system of “designated areas” would impose an unreasonable amount of bureaucracy on individuals.
Under the proposed legal notice, which is open for public consultation until March 31, drones can only be used within specific designated areas, considering “the proximity of any aerodrome, flight paths of aircraft and any other possible dangers to aviation, persons or property.”
Transport Malta board member Captain Charles Pace, however, told Times of Malta earlier this week that the final application of the law might instead create designated “no-fly zones”, such as around monuments, public gatherings, and strategic locations.
The hobbyist added that many commercial drones already come with built-in firmware restrictions preventing them from being flown in the vicinity of the airport.
Another drone enthusiast argued that the cut-off weight of one kilogramme – below which the regulations do not apply – was overly-restrictive, particularly as most popular models weigh between one and two kilos. In the US and UK, he said, the cut-off was 25kg and 20kg respectively.
It would impose an unreasonable amount of bureaucracy on individuals
The legal notice also provides for registration and airworthiness tests for commercial drones, including a requirement of medical certificates for operators, and could eventually provide for mandatory training.
One commercial operator, who has worked with drones for search and rescue purposes for a number of years, claimed that obtaining insurance, another proposed requirement, was currently “an impossible task”.
He said that although no drone-related injuries have ever been recorded in Malta, insurance companies were reluctant to provide coverage, and called on the authorities to act as a go-between in order to safeguard operators’ reputations.
Dr Stefan Sant, Transport Malta’s legal advisor, said the goal of the regulations was to enable drones to operate with safety and visibility.
He said the authorities were approaching the consultation exercise with an open mind, and had already granted significant discretion to the director general in order to exclude certain categories of drones from the requirements on the basis of performance characteristics and intended use.