The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Government was yesterday urged to “not sit too long” on proposed legislation to regulate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones, a prominent aviation attorney warning that the industry was evolving at a “rapid pace”.

Llewellyn Boyer-Cartwright, the Callenders & Co partner, and Lance Knowles, co-founder of Sky High Media, an aerial cinematography company that specialises in creating footage through the use of UAVs, said that while the proposed regulations were a “step in the right direction”, the Government should not prolong implementation as the industry was “constantly moving”.

“You have to consider the rapid pace with which the industry is constantly moving. You can’t sit on this for too long,” Mr Knowles told Tribune Business.

“Things may go fully autonomous really quickly. We know a lot of inside information in the industry; of what’s coming next as far as technology goes, and everyone is pushing towards ‘follow me’ technology where a person no longer needs to pilot their craft. They put a GPS tracker on something and it will follow it.

“Now you’re kind of taking the pilot out of the equation and you have gone to fully autonomous, and that’s what I define as  a drone.”

The proposed for Aerial Work Operations  and Unmanned Aircraft regulations 2015, drawn up by the Department of Civil Aviation, outline the necessary requirements and certifications for the use UAVs, as well as restrictions.

The use of UAVs or drones has sparked serious debate in the US, and local  experts have called on the Government to ensure the emerging industry is regulated in the Bahamas.

Both Mr Boyer-Cartwright and Mr Knowles said privacy concerns, insurance stipulations, weight restrictions and defining what is a drone are among the issues that need to be addressed further in the regulations.

Mr Knowles said: “They made these requirements that recreational and hobbyists must have insurance when they are flying anything over 15 kilograms or 33 pounds.

“Thirty-three pounds is a big unit, and if you have a unit that big you’re probably not just doing it for fun. Ten pounds falling from 400 feet is going to do a lot of damage, so I feel the insurance should be for anything over 10 pounds; that’s heavy and its dangerous.

“Most recreational drones are no more than five pounds. There also needs to be a categorisation of what the insurance requirement needs to be per usage. A realtor most likely will be flying a really small unit, and maybe he knocks out a window; he’s not going to need a $500,000 policy for that.”

Under the proposed regulations that apply to drones 55 pounds or less, operators would have to be licensed, stay under 500 feet, and remain five miles from the nearest airport and within line of sight.

“If you’re filming in the western area of New Providence that is going to be kind of difficult. Lyford Cay, Albany, Old Fort Bay, Love Beach, that whole area is well within five miles of the airport,” said Mr Boyer-Cartwright.

“Anyone would get the picture that that won’t be appropriate in this case. It could be that even if that remains, what may have to be stipulated is that if you are operating on the island from a certain point west, you’re going to have to file a flight plan or notify the control tower, whomever.”

  Mr Knowles said his company, which develops its own Monster X line of multi-rotors, has been building and designing drones just under 55 pounds, although he noted that the weight requirement was a hindrance.

“We are building and designing our own UAVs for cine,” he added. “These are heavy lift units that are still just under the 55 pounds category. We have requests for much bigger units and we have the capability of going beyond 55 pounds.

“Limiting it to 55 pounds is also a hindrance, I think, to the growth ability of UAV testing because we can’t see what are the capabilities. I want to fly a human being. Thats kind of our goal right now.”

As to the 500 foot height restriction, Mr Knowles added: “Five hundred feet is the FAA regulations but I would think in the Bahamas it would probably be better to keep it at 300 feet just because I have seen pilots come through at that level before, especially in the Out Islands where there is no air traffic control.

“Nassau is a little more controlled, but even around Nassau there is a helicopter coming through from time to time, and those guys are blow 500 feet.  Working on it daily, very rarely are we over 300 feet.”