New rules allowing agricultural drone operators to spray and topdress without prior Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) certification have blindsided parts of the aviation sector.
Announced last month by Associate Transport Minister James Meager to reduce red tape, the changes would require operators of lower-risk, routine drone work only to notify the CAA before starting. Aviation Industry Association head Simon Wallace said removing licensing carried many risks, with the Association arguing operators should still complete training and competency assessments. He said drones would not replace helicopters or aeroplanes in the near to mid term, but would over time.
At the Association’s recent annual meeting, Meager suggested concerns were overstated, saying most operations would be basic and confined to existing farm boundaries. He said existing health and safety, workplace and spraying rules would still apply, and the time spent on certification was not proportionate to the risk posed by very small operators.
Tony Michelle, executive officer of the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA), has encouraged members to adopt drones to avoid becoming obsolete, noting they could work alongside helicopters near waterways. However, he said the minister had missed the mark, as spraying agrochemicals was not routine.
Fenix UAS managing director Andrew Shelley said CAA certification currently took eight months, but remained important because chemicals behaved differently when sprayed from the air. He said terrain, wind and cables created hazards, and the economics still favoured aircraft and helicopters for larger-scale work.
Details of the new rules are expected to be worked out over the next few months.