Flying a drone? You'll need to get a DGCA operator permit

CHENNAI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will soon regulate the use of drones by civilians.
The regulatory body's recently-released draft civil aviation policy states that civilian usersoperators should register their drones and obtain flying permits. DGCA has circulated the draft policy among stakeholders for comments.
DGCA earlier issued a blanket ban on flying of drones by non-government agencies and individuals who owned drones could use them in public places only with police permission - which remains the procedure.
A senior official of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the civil aviation ministry had set a 21-day deadline for stakeholders to provide feedback.
The new proposal, which aims to frame guidelines and evolve a policy for use of drones/unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by civilians, says the aviation regulator will issue operator permits and unique identification numbers so air traffic controllers (ATCs) can track and identify any drone in the air at a height of 200ft or more. Operators may still require police permission.
Some drones available in the market have the capacity to soar much higher than 200ft, even close to the cruising altitude of narrow-body commercial aircraft. Drones pose a threat to aircraft particularly during takeoff and landing.
Airlines, pilots and Unmanned Systems Association of India (USAI), looking to promote safe, integrated and effective use of unmanned systems in both military and civilian environments, have been demanding that DGCA come up with a policy on civilian use of drones. Though there has been no reported instance of drones flying too close to aircraft in the country, pilots reported a drone flying from a high-rise building in Foreshore Estate close to the approach path of aircraft coming in to land at Chennai airport.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) director Rob Eagles said, “Drones are a threat to any airspace. We are not aware of any particular issue that distinguishes India from other states.“
He said that low mass drones could pose a safety hazard though there is no record of the numbers of drones in the country.
“Many unmanned aircraft operators are new to the field of aviation,“ Eagles said. “We believe that the hazards involving manned and unmanned aircraft operating together in the same airspace requires education of drone operators.We also believe that unmanned aircraft operating in non-segregated airspace need to operate in accordance with the same tried-and-tested concepts as manned aircraft.“ The website of Unmanned Systems Association of India (USAI) says, “Air traffic growth in India puts pressure on available airspace, the country's unmanned aerial vehicle industry is calling for a centralised body to draft regulations and set standards for UAV systems. The need for central planning is increasingly being felt.“