Drone Tidbits: Things you must know before flying drones in India

Soma Tah

‘Drones’ or ‘Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’ (UAVs) are purpose-built pilotless aircraft that can be controlled remotely or can be autonomous with a combination of technologies, including computer vision, artificial intelligence, object avoidance tech, among others. Here's some interesting facts for you on drone evolution and flying drones.

Drone Tidbits

→Consumers’ interest in Drones have grown exponentially in the last years, but their roots date back to the first World War, in the early 1900s, and usages were originally focused on military purposes only.

→Drones can be as large as an aircraft or as tiny as a hummingbird and can be flown varying distances and heights, and that’s the reason that they are capable of carrying out some of the complex jobs in the areas, which are hard to access for humans.

→There are 4 broad drone variants based on the type of aerial platform used: Multi Rotor Drones, Fixed Wing Drone, Single Rotor Helicopter, and Fixed Wing Hybrid VTOL.

→Mini drones are the best drones for beginners, because they are small, affordable, and easy to fly, while sophisticated drones are being used for more targeted jobs like aerial photography, surveillance, commercial delivery, disaster and emergency response, etc.

→Drones have very low battery life. Most drones can stay in the air for 10 to 30 minutes only. The flight ranges vary from 80m to 7km. Battery recharging times can be as frustrating as short flight times. It may take  50 minutes to as long as 3 hours to fully charge.

→The longest drone flight recorded so far is for 4.4 hours by a Quaternium’s HYBRiX.20 fuel-electric quadcopter that uses a mixture of gas and electricity for power.

Know the Dos and Don’ts before flying drones in India

Flying drones is legal in India and the government has set up some drone flying guidelines in 2018 along with ‘Digital Sky’-a single-window online platform to handle applications and issue flying permits for commercial usage. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions.

→Every drone operator will have to undergo training at a DGCA-approved flying training organization (FTO). Pilots must be 18 years of age and should have studied up to a minimum of class 10 in English.

→Drone operators must follow Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) issued by DGCA, whether in controlled or independent air spaces.

→A Unique Identification Number (UIN), which is similar to a license plate is required for all drones, except for those in the Nano category.

→Additionally, operators require an Unmanned Aerial Operator Permit (UAOP) or a Remote Pilot license if flying the drone above 200ft.

→Obtain necessary permissions before every single flight. Inform the local police 24 hours before starting drone operations.

→Foreigners are currently not allowed to fly drones in India. For commercial purposes, they need to lease the drone to an Indian entity who in turn will have to obtain a UIN and UAOP from DGCA.

→Follow airspace restrictions and no drone zones

→Fly only during day time.

→Fly in visual line of sight. Drones cannot be flown more than 400ft vertically.

→Operators risk cancellations or suspension of the UIN/UAOP if any of the government regulations are violated and will face penal action under the relevant IPC sections 287, 336, 337, 338, Aircraft Act 194, and Aircraft Rules.

 Know the Drone flying zones:

Red Zone: Flying not permitted in areas near airports, international borders, Vijay Chowk in Delhi, State Secretariat Complex in State Capitals, strategic locations, and military installations, etc.

Yellow Zone: Permission required before flying

Green Zone: Automatic permission is granted

Know the Drone categories: 

A permit is required for commercial drone operations (except for those in the Nano category flown below 50ft and those in the Micro category flown below 200ft).

Nano: Less than or equal to 250gm

Micro: From 250gm to 2kg

Small: From 2kg to 25kg

Medium: From 25kg to 150kg

Large: More than 150kg

Also Read: 

https://www.pcquest.com/indian-drone-startups-turn-force-multipliers-lockdown/