‘Safety and privacy are paramount’

EYE IN THE SKY: Drone operator Ian Ruru hovers his DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone on Kaiti Hill before he flies it remotely across the bay to capture aerial images of Gisborne. Clearance is always requested from air traffic control and Ian says it is important for people with drones to learn the rules.

IAN Ruru launches his $3000 drone in a light breeze from the top of Kaiti Hill. The conditions are perfect, he says. He controls the machine from a hand-held device, similar to an Xbox or Playstation console, as it lifts vertically from the ground then flies off over the bay to transmit real-time video directly back to Ian’s smart phone.

It sounds like a very large bee. Ian’s advice for anyone who wants to operate one is simple: learn the rules. Over the past two years more than 5000 drone flights have been recorded around New Zealand on the country’s “drone directory” www.airshare.co.nz.

It is where people log their flights and request access to controlled air space. You don’t have to be licensed to use one and anyone can buy a drone over the internet.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) class them as aircraft and accordingly drones, or RPAS (remotely piloted aircraft systems), come under their radar.

From August 1, new rules came into play for drone users. You do have to get consent from anyone you want to fly above, and you cannot fly closer than four kilometres from any aerodrome (unless certain conditions are met).

Considering most places in Gisborne are within a four-kilometre radius of the airport, you will need permission.

“Safety and privacy are paramount. I always request air traffic control clearance. They OK your location and stipulate how high you can fly,” Ian said.

Away from airport zones this is 400 feet, even though some recreational drones do have the capacity to go to 1000 feet.

What started off as a hobby less than a year ago has literally taken off for Ian. He now owns five drones, his aerial videos have amassed a huge following with more than half a million views on Facebook, and TV One News has him on speed dial.

Ian and his drones are now a regular sight around the Coast providing photographic and video footage for the Gisborne District Council.

He travels to launch areas in his distinctive black Ford ute personalised with RIF RAF plates (a nod to his former life as guitar player in a heavy metal band) and wears a custom-made shirt with answers printed on the back to the top six questions he gets asked.

a dronevery expensivevery high and very farthe interneteasy to fly, easier to crashno!His Marae-in-a-Minute series is probably one of the most popular and well-known sequences. Using drones, he captures cultural time capsules of whanau and their marae that are connecting people all over the world.

“The series touches a cord with Coasties living overseas.

Homesickness guaranteed is the mantra.”He edits the footage himself and adds music at no cost to each marae.

“It’s a labour of love and I enjoy the creative process. It offsets the boring scientific side of my real job. It is also important for our children to know their marae, where they come from and have pride in their identity.”

He likes to keep the segments short — like video appetisers — which are perfect for this day and age where people haven’t got much time but still like to click on a minute or two of footage as they scroll through a Facebook news feed.

His first official drone gig was a video for the C-Company 28 Maori Battalion at Poho- o-Rawiri Marae.

“I believe it may have been the first haka ever droned. I was incredibly nervous that I might have got a growling from the uncles and aunties for being a nuisance.”

Reaching Coasties worldwideLuckily the opposite was the case and that video clip went viral, reaching Coasties around the globe. It is the cultural footage and story-telling that Ian is most proud of.

But he initially got a drone as an environmental monitoring tool to help him with his day job as an environmental fisheries scientist.

Ian, 45, is a self-confessed “techy-geek”. He still has the first computer he owned from 1981, before Pac Man was even available as a game, and has been developing games for Apple and Android for the past five years.

The integrity of drone users is important to maintain as the footage is used for news, event promotion, farming and forestry work and 3D mapping.

Other drone operators in Gisborne who have a public presence include David Drummond and The Cinema East Project. The Cinema East Project is a production company run by Brodie Murrell and Canaan Akuhata-Brown and is based here in Gisborne.

They provide photography, video production and editing services for all sorts of projects including film making, events and promotional work.

“When we capture our drone footage we mainly use the Dji Phantom 3 Professional,” Brodie said.

“We prefer this drone because the smaller form factor means it’s a lot easier to transport it is also much more discreet when used in public places. Drones are a small but vital part of our business. They are wonderful tools for adding production value to all our projects.”

There are also plenty of other recreational users out there who need to be made aware of the rules. Some say drones allow people who are naturally nosy a way to do it legally, spying on your neighbours so to speak.

Regional councils and the Civil Aviation Authority are creating rules and regulations around privacy and safety fast to keep up with the increased use of drones in public spaces.

The Gisborne District Council is working on a policy for flying drones over council-owned land. Regulatory services manager Sarwan Kumar says a draft policy will be presented to the council for consideration in December.

But interim guidelines are already in place that Sarwan says are pragmatic for users as well as addressing the privacy concerns of residents and public place users at the same time.