Drone needs to be registered and certified – Civil Aviation

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KOTA KINABALU: There is vast potential for drone technology, said Director General of Civil Aviation Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Azharuddin Abd Rahman.

This is because it has been proven in certain countries that it can be used as good tools, however studies must be done to regulate it in Malaysia.

Azharuddin said the regulation was not discouraging the potential of drones, but it was to tackle some issues after a number of incidents that these drones could endanger public safety, and even situations where privacy and security were breached.

“Under the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016 Section 140-144, unmanned aircraft such as drone below 20kg are not allowed to be flown over any designated area, around airport and other zones that are protected under the law. It also cannot go higher than 400 feet. However, drones above 20kgs need to get a permit.

“Since we do not want drones operated by wrong hands, I think every drone needs to be registered and certified, and operators should be certified,” he said at the Inaugural Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Sabah 2017 Symposium, held at Nexus Karambunai yesterday.

“It is good to have symposium like this so that we know the feedback from the industry and also enthusiasts. We want to know their concerns and ideas before making any call to regulate it.

“The popularity of drone technology is not only in Malaysia, but it also currently used globally by various industries for monitoring. Even in Dubai recently, they already started testing to carry passengers. So, this is something that the world is looking at.

“A year ago, China used drones to monitor the explosions in Tianjin. Even during the flood in Kelantan, we used drones to survey the area that cannot be reached by road because even a helicopter cannot go to the area as it should be flying low,” he added.

In his speech for the symposium,  Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman called on the relevant government bodies to promote the growth of drone technology as it has many benefits that will help Sabah steer its economy to the next level.

“Manned aircraft has served as the traditional mode of air transportation and now we are seeing drone technology rapidly transforming industries. I understand that there is enormous growth in drone sales and this can be seen as an encouraging technological development as manufacturing entities start to harness the almost limitless use of drones.

“This technology has already made its mark in various fields such as agriculture, filming and forestry, just to name a few. It is foreseen that drones will soon have an impact on delivery systems and will be used to distribute goods and eventually even serve as a mode of transportation,” he said.

Musa added: “There is a heavy task for the Department of Civil Aviation to accommodate drones into the airspace of traditional manned aircraft.”

Maintaining safety, he said, was the top priority in aviation and the same safety standards would apply to drone operations too.

“We are looking at an industry that is going to have a great impact on the economic growth of the country. While maintaining safety, a balance should be struck so that new rules and regulations pertaining to drones do not impede the growth of the industry,” he said.

Musa also hoped that the relevant agencies would continue the initiative and in the future to hold more round table discussions with stakeholders, arrange conferences on legislation and create awareness programmes to explain the safety aspects as well as the potential for business development.

“The Sabah government is willing and ready to support this industry and will take the necessary steps to promote its progress. The Ministry of Resource Development and Information Technology Sabah is working towards developing human capital that will be able to develop this new field to sustain economic growth.

“The Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority will be able to draw up plans to cater for the Sabah entrepreneurs to venture into this field,” he concluded.

Musa’s speech was read by the Assistant Minister to Chief Minister, Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah.

The symposium was co-hosted by Layang Layang Helicopter Academy Sdn Bhd and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Asia.

Also present was Director General of Civil Aviation Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Azharuddin Abd Rahman.

There were four sessions of talk organized for the event.

The four sessions talked about four different topics nemely “Harmonizing Legislation to accommodate the evolving UAS scenario”, followed by “Threats to the state emerging from UAS technologies”, “Generating competent and safe operators” and “Usage of UAS for service.”