Commercial · Government · Strata — Gold Coast, Brisbane & South East Queensland
Commercial · Government · Strata — Gold Coast, Brisbane & South East Queensland
CASA requires every drone used for business to be registered, whatever its weight, and flying an unregistered drone for a commercial purpose is an offence. Ask for proof of registration for the aircraft that will be used on your site.
A remote pilot licence (RePL) shows the type and weight category of drone the pilot may fly. Cleaning drones are far heavier than camera drones, so check that the licence covers the aircraft actually being used, not just a smaller one. You can ask to see the paper or digital licence.
Licensed pilots flying commercially must operate for a business that holds a remotely piloted aircraft operator's certificate (ReOC). CASA publishes a directory of ReOC holders, so you can confirm the certificate and the operations it covers.
Some sites need a specific CASA authorisation before work can start. Flying within 5.5 kilometres of a controlled airport, for example, needs an approval to fly in controlled airspace. On the Gold Coast that affects parts of the southern suburbs near Gold Coast Airport; in Brisbane, areas around Brisbane Airport and Archerfield.
An approval lists the operations allowed, the conditions and the approved period. Ask to see any approval the job relies on, and check that it has not expired.
Ask for certificates of currency for public liability and for aviation liability. General liability policies often exclude aircraft, so a public liability certificate on its own may not respond to a drone incident. Check that the cover applies to the services being provided.
Under CASA's standard operating conditions, a drone must stay at least 30 metres from people who are not part of the operation, and must never fly over a person. An operator working under a ReOC may fly between 30 and 15 metres from a person who consents, with documented procedures in place. Anything closer needs a specific CASA approval.
Flying a drone that is not certified over a populous area, which includes residential areas, roads, footpaths and city areas, needs an exemption that ReOC holders can apply to CASA for. In practice, this is why a professional drone clean comes with a ground exclusion zone, notice to occupants before each elevation and, where needed, site-specific approvals. A contractor proposing to fly above a busy footpath with none of that in place is a warning sign.
CASA covers the aviation side. Your site rules and workplace health and safety duties still apply, so expect the same documents you would ask of any contractor: a site-specific SWMS and risk assessment, Safety Data Sheets for the cleaning products, and an agreed approach to runoff where the site drains to stormwater.
Altitude supplies its credentials, insurance certificates and site documentation with tender responses or on request. Our compliance page sets out what we hold.
Sources: CASA, Hiring a drone operator, Registration requirements, Get your ReOC, Flying over and near people and Flying in populous areas. CASA's rules change from time to time, so check its website for the current position.
Yes, when it is done by an operator with the right CASA credentials: a registered drone, a remote pilot licence covering that drone, a ReOC, and any approvals the specific site needs.
Only within limits. The standard rule is 30 metres from anyone not involved in the operation, and never over a person. ReOC operators can work between 30 and 15 metres from people who consent, and closer only with a CASA approval. That is why the area below the work is kept clear.
The drone operator. Approvals are issued to the operator, so the contractor should identify what the site needs at scoping and hold the approval before works start.
Ask for our credentials and certificates of currency with your proposal, or ahead of a tender.
