Drones soon to be banned from flying over private property

From August 1, operators will be required to gain consent from a property owner if they wish to fly a drone above private property. Photo / Supplied

Operators must seek permission if flying over private property in rule to apply from August

Drone operators will soon be unable to fly their aircraft over private property without permission.

Under the Civil Aviation Act anyone can operate a drone as long as they observe simple safety precautions. These include flying below 120m, operating only during daylight, operating within line of sight and not within 4km of an airfield.

But from August 1, operators will also be required to gain consent from a property owner if they wish to fly a drone above private property.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the rule did not "specifically consider privacy", and was created to aid safety.

But the authority was aware privacy remained a concern and continued to work with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to promote law that applied to drones and privacy.

But the availability of drones and the fact that operators were remote could make it hard for authorities to investigate breaches of the law.

Drones are used in several sectors ranging from agriculture and film and video production to real estate.

They can be bought across the counter or over the internet for as little as $300.

In February, a drone was seen hovering over a pool in Featherston during a swimming event that involved several primary schools. The man operating it later came forward and said he used it to photograph the event, as his children were taking part. Other parents remained outraged their children were photographed without permission.

On its website, the Privacy Commission said the rapidly growing availability of drones, as well as use by agencies and hobbyists, had triggered fears about their impact on privacy and aviation safety.

While drones were an emerging technology, the threat to privacy was consistent with the use of any camera, including cellphones or automated CCTV systems.

But the commission said it had had only one complaint about a drone breaching privacy.

University of Otago information science lecturer Associate Professor Hank Wolfe said drones were "intrusive" and could be "easily abused".

Requiring operators to get permission to fly over private property was "a step in the right direction".

The CAA said a fine or warning was the likely result of rule breaches.

Incidents involving drones

• In February, a mystery drone was caught

hovering over a swimming pool in Featherston

during a swimming sports event involving several primary schools. A man later came forward and said he used the drone to photograph his children, who were participating in the event.

• In February, a drone owner broke civil aviation rules after crashing his aircraft into a Queenstown hotel after sunset.

• Also in February, a major security alert was sparked when a drone hit a tree and landed on the White House lawn in Washington DC. The drone belonged to a government worker who accidentally flew it on to the property.