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Time to address the lunacy

Readers will be aware that last week I received a letter from the CAA in respect to some drone footage that appeared in a video on Facebook.

I responded with a video on YouTube in which I called into questoin exactly how CAA spends its limited resources and pondered whether our local council had any involvement in this situation.

Right now I'm also challenging CAA's proposal to require me (and anyone else who wants to fly a tiny drone indoors) to undergo formal training before I can use a 24g FPV drone within the walls of my own house.

In fact, the nonsensical nature of the whole drone regulation situation in New Zealand has prompted me to further highlight the craziness of the rules that are currently in place.

It surprises a lot of people to know that a single piece of paper and a grassy field is all that's required to breach New Zealand's civil aviation regulations and potentially risk a stiff fine.

If you want to see what I'm talking about, and if you want to see me taking this huge risk on behalf of drone and RC model flyers across the country then watch my latest YouTube video:

As you can see, our drone regulations are ridiculous and many of them are clearly unfit for purpose. The CAA has effectively made it very risky to throw a paper aeroplane in a local park (or anywhere within 4Km of an airfield) and they simply do not come close to addressing the situation with the massive advances in technology over the past 10 years.

Instead of addressing the woefully outdated restrictions they represent on something as simple as throwing a small balsawood glider while miles from anywhere on a warm spring day and classifying a folded A4 sheet of paper as a threat to aviation, person and property, the CAA has chosen instead to add further complication and restriction to what we are allowed to do within the four walls of our own homes.

Despite often touting the phrase "risk based" in respect to its regulations, CAA has presented no evidence to support the vilification of paper aeroplanes, tiny balsawood gliders or 24g drones being flown inside someone's own home.

Is it any wonder therefore, that many of the commenters on these recent videos have echoed the belief that the rules are a joke so there's no point in even trying to comply with them. Since regulations like these require the buy-in of those they apply to, the growing contempt of that group means that those regulations become increasingly ineffective as a way of preserving safety.

I believe that all regulators should have to undertake a course in human behaviour so that they understand the simple facts that overstepping the mark risks damaging your reputation and the levels of compliance you can achieve.

This latest video was meant as a reminder to CAA that they really ought not poke *this* bear with a stick. If you want to act foolishly then I will not hesitate to show the world that you are doing so.

Regular readers will recall that during the CV19 lockdowns, CAA investigated a number of reports in respect to my drone flying. Many months and goodness knows how many dollars later, I was not fined or censured. The results of those investigations were that there was either insufficient evidence or that they felt prosecution wasn't in the public interest.

I know that right now there's an investigation underway into drone footage that appeared in one of my videos which appears to show a tiny 24g drone flying harmlessly over a grassy field, below the level of the tree-tops. Is this really the best use of CAA's resources?

Perhaps they believe it is but myself, and thousands of others believe it is not.

What I find interesting is that when the last director of CAA, Keith Manch took up the role, one of the first statements he made was that CAA would not be focusing on "technical breaches" of the regulations but instead be working on things that were truly a safety issue. I found it very interesting that his words have since been "deleted" from the internet and I can now find no record of that statement.

In a briefing to the incoming Transport Minister in 2022, the CAA also stated:

Three years later, nothing has changed -- hence the need for me to make it very clear to all involved that this tardiness is totally unsatisfactory.

If they're having problems, give me a call. I'll gladly work (for free) to help them come up with some far more satisfactory regulations that are more aligned with the risks, the technology and those who use these craft for leisure or profit.

Driving a desk does not translate into driving a drone and the CAA has lost huge credibility within the ranks of both recreational and commercial drone users here in New Zealand. If they are truly focused on safety then to do nothing to correct this situation would be a grave mistake.

Meanwhile, I await my notice of prosecution for my outrageous breach of CAA's regulations as depicted in the above video.

Carpe Diem folks!

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