The concern related to a RPA training organisation operating from an airport which is frequented by flying schools during training flights.
The reporter expressed a safety concern relating to [training organisation] conducting Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) training at [location]. This airfield is used on a regular basis by aircraft flight training organisations as a waypoint for navigation training exercises.
The reporter advised that the CASA regulations requires that no RPA operations occur within 3 NM of an aerodrome.
We take concerns of other pilots very seriously.
Can you please advise the reporter that we hold a current UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] Operator Certificate (UOC) which includes training capability. Our pilots conducting the flights or undertaking training all hold Controllers Certificates (licenses) issued by CASA.
We conduct UAV training at [location] under strict CASA imposed conditions which we take very seriously.
We follow the conditions of our CASA approved Area Approval very strictly to ensure safety for all pilots and our participants.
A NOTAM is in place at [location] and we invite calls from inbound pilots (which we receive regularly) to determine our flight activities on a particular day.
CASA has reviewed the REPCON and suggests the reporter may have misunderstood that Civil Aviation Safety Regulation (CASR) 101.070 does not prohibit operations below 400 ft AGL and within 3 NM of an aerodrome.
Under CASR 101.075(2) permission is required from CASA if an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operator wants to operate from a movement area or runway of an aerodrome. In this case the operator has such a permission, and the attendant conditions are there to mitigate any conflict with a manned aircraft that might be using the same aerodrome. These include the condition that a NOTAM is in force, the operator has spotters deployed to observe any aircraft in the airspace in which the UAV is operating and an instruction for the UAV to remain clear by 500 feet or 1500 meters horizontally of any conflicting aircraft. Further, the UAV operator is required to maintain a listening watch on the appropriate radio frequency and will also transmit on that frequency every 15 minutes advising all traffic of the UAV position during operations.
The UAV will not be operating above 400ft and CASA is confident that the conditions on the permission are sufficient to prevent an airspace incident involving manned aircraft using the aerodrome.