Flying drones to be legal in India from Dec 1

NEW DELHI: You will have to wait longer for a drone to deliver your package or meal ordered on an e-commerce site. The aviation ministry on Monday issued the drone policy which allows commercial use of this technology from December subject to the condition that the drone remains in line of sight of the person using it. However, the government says this condition may possibly be relaxed at a future date.
Drones have been categorised into five categories, depending on their weight. The smallest is nano category which includes drones weighing up to 250 grams and going up to large that can be as heavy as 150 kg. Apart from the first two categories of nano and micro (over 250 grams to 2 kg) which are mostly used by children as toys, all other drone users need to be registered and have a unique identification number (UIN). People seeking such drone licences will need to be over 18 years of age and be at least tenth pass with knowledge of English.
“Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP) shall be required for Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) operators except for nano RPAS operating below 50 feet, micro RPAS operating below 200 feet, and those owned by (security and central intelligence agencies…. As of now, RPAS to operate within visual line of sight, during day time only, and upto maximum 400 feet altitude,” the policy says.
Also, some areas have been identified as no fly zones for drones. These include: around airports; near international border, Vijay Chowk in Delhi; state secretariats in capitals and strategic locations/vital and military installations.
“We will allow use of drones within the line of sight for now. We have a task force that would in the future works towards allowing use of drones for beyond the line of sight,” said aviation minister Jayant Sinha.

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from Times of India https://ift.tt/2BSF7TK