The importance of having drone insurance

A brand new episode is here!

On the new episode we're shifting our focus towards the importance of drone insurance for both recreational or hobby flying as well as commercial purposes. Our guest is Daniel Blomerus from Unicorn Insurance Brokers. The following points are discussed.

- So I bought myself a brand new drone. How do I get it insured?

- Difference between Recreational and Commercial drone insurance.

- Requirements for commercial drone insurance.

For more info on drone insurance visit their website on: https://www.unicorninsurance.co.za/

Aerial Drone Solutions is a fully licensed and insured drone operator and for more info and pricing on drone solutions you can visit our website on: http://www.aerialdronesolutions.co.za

Ruben

Hi guys, it's Ruben here from Aerial Drone Solutions, and man did we have a good response on our previous videos regarding the drone regulations in South Africa. And we had a great chat to Dean Polley from CUAASA regarding that, so if you missed it, please go check it out on our social media pages on YouTube, Facebook, and also on our website. It's www.aerialdronesolutions.co.ca. Please also make sure to join us on LinkedIn. For this episode, we're going to be focusing a little bit more on the insurance side of drones in South Africa and we've got the expert here to tell us a little bit more Daniel Blomerus from Unicorn Insurance Brokers, Daniel, are you well?

Daniel

Thank you very much for inviting us for this vlog, it's a real pleasure to be here

Ruben

Tell us, how's business

Daniel

Busy! As a drone insurer, drone broker, you can just imagine the type of industry that we're in, it's very fast moving, but we're very happy.

Ruben

Let's dive straight in and let's talk about the drone insurance. So let's say for instance, I went out and I bought myself a brand new drone, and I want to get insurance for my drone. What is the process?

Daniel

So firstly, Ruben will have to see what type of use the clients going to use it for. Is he going to use it for recreational or hobby use? Or is it going to be full on commercial scale?

Ruben

Yeah, so let's start off with hobby or recreational flying. How does one get insured for that?

Daniel

So with recreational flying, there's a lot of insurance companies out there that claim that they do hobby pilots and will ensure a hobby pilot. The biggest concern that clients need to be aware of is they need to look at the types of cover that you get. So for recreational pilots, there arei rules that you need to abide by and the drone insurers that actually ensure recreational pilots will cover you while on the ground as well as in the air. The normal rules that you explained in your previous interview, 50 metres away from any object, person, road, you can't fly at night, all of those will still apply. The rules that you explained on your previous episode will still apply for recreational drone pilots. And the insurance company will work with that.

Ruben

Absolutely. And if you missed that, please go check it out on our previous episodes, all the rules are stipulated out there. And also in Part 101 on the CAA website, you'll find all of those rules. Let's move over to commercial because this is this becomes quite a different animal when it gets to insurance and getting covered on there explained to us the different types of cover and why it's so important.

Daniel

So Ruben on commercial it is not as easy as people think if you fly for any client or you charge any client a fee to do work for him. The CAA classifies it as commercial uses. So for commercial pilots, it's not just buying a drone and taking out insurance and flying. There's a lot of licencing there's a lot of rules and regulation that they need to abide by. Firstly, we will have to start with each pilot will have to go and do an RPL course which is a remote pilot's licence, they will have to go through an accredited trainer in South Africa we are we are four of them currently. Then the company that you would fly under or the company that you would do your work in will have to have a valid ROC. This is a registered RPAS operator's certificate. For a ROC, you will need an air service licence, the air service licence will be given to you from the CAA. And then after all of that being done each air craft each RPAS you have will have to be registered under that ROC and we call that RPAS letter of approval or RLA.

Ruben

And it's interesting that you mention that because I think it's really important to note as well doesn't mean if you've got your RPL that you can still go out and fly commercially. You still need have the ROC in place don't need to have the air service licences and all those accre and certifications in place to be able to fly commercially in South Africa. So Daniel explaine to us the type of cover that I would need to take out as a commercial drone operator.

Daniel

So again, it depends on each pilot, each company and how they operate. We've got farmers that we work with that have crop sprayers and agricultural drones. We've got surveyors that have more your LIDAR equipment, your big M600 RPAS. The biggest thing that you need to look at firstly is you need to decide if you want to insure your equipment. If you want to insure your equipment we can cover the hull itself so that will be the the UAV or the RPAS. In a situation where you have, for instance, a Matrice 600. This is a it's a big boy and it can carry a lot of payload. In our industry, we've got a lot of clients that actually work in the survey industry, where they work with LIDAR equipment. So LIDAR scanner is not R5, it's not R50, we're talking about from 1.5 million to 3.8 million, depending on what you've got. So you need to make sure that the cover that you've got is actually correct. So that will be your hull, which would be your aircraft and then you will have your payload that will be attached to the craft. Further than that we also cover the guys for third party liability, which in this case is one of the most important things in South Africa for an ROC operation for ROC company. If you've got any aircraft listed on your ROC you have to have a minimum of 2.5 million third party liability. So it's very easy to say that I'm a commercial operator but the the way they need to manage that operation is very intemse. And then there's a lot of rules and regulation that that go with it.

Ruben

Let's move over to a possible case study of a drone incident or accident that took place and what happened towards the claiming process.

Daniel

So I'm going to tell you about a story we had on a commercial operation. They were scanning power lines, big power lines, and it wasn't a standard plain Phantom 4, which we all know is the, I call it the Hilux 2.4 of the drone industry. The pilot was flying, something went wrong. He hit the powerlines, the powerline actually came down. The drone exploded, caught on fire and burn the farmer's field. There was a lot of damage to this farmer's field. And that is where third party claim actually came in. We paid for the the craft itself, which was a R30 000 replacement, but the biggest thing out of this time was actually the third party that had a result in that

Ruben

And that is why it's so important to have the third party liability insurance in place.

Daniel

Definitely that is one of the biggest points that commercial operators have to look at.

Ruben

Right Stuff. Thank you, Daniel. So contact details if people would like to find out more about drone insurance Where can they get ahold of you?

Daniel

They can please visit our website at www.unicorninsurance.co.za

Ruben

So that's it for this episode. We'll be back next time to focus a little bit more about getting into specifically flying abroad with your drones and what type of insurance you will need for that. Also the claiming process, it's very important to understand that so all of that will be available on the next episode, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, also on Facebook and on Instagram. And now also on LinkedIn. We'll see you next time. Cheers. Transcribed by https://otter.ai

The consequences of using illegal drone operators

In this video, the last of three videos on drone rules and regulations in South-Africa, we will keep our focus on the commercial operation of drones in SA. What does the South African Civil Aviation Authority - SACAA regulations say about commercial flying in SA? Our guest is Dean Polley from Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of Southern Africa to answer a few questions such as:

- How companies should select a drone service provider and what to ask for.

- consequences of making use of Illegal drone operators.

- How to report Illegal drone operators etc.

All these and more will be answered right here.

Aerial Drone Solutions: http://www.aerialdronesolutions.co.za

SACAA drone regulations (part 101): http://www.caa.co.za/Documents/RPAS/P...

Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of South Africa: https://www.caasa.co.za

To report Illegal drone pilot/operators visit any one of the following websites and get in touch: https://www.caasa.co.za/cuaasa/ or https://www.safuas.co.za/

We would like to thank Percy Rudman Snr and his amazing team at Eagle Air - PTYLtd at Wonderboom National Airport for making their facilities available for us to record our videos. http://www.eagleair.co.za

Ruben Delmage  

Hi guys, Ruben here from Aerial Drone Solutions. So last time we spoke about the regulatory requirements regarding commercial operations of drones and unmanned aircraft in South Africa, and this week we'll be educating the companies specifically and also the general public on making use of commercial drone pilots and companies in South Africa. And I've got the expert here again this morning. We've got Dean Polley from CUAASA, also known as the Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of South Africa to tell us a little bit more. So Dean, on this episode, we would like to educate the companies and also the public on making use of commercial drone companies or pilots for commercial gain. What are the some of the stuff that the companies needs to look out for and maybe ask before deciding on which company to hire for the commercial OPS?

Dean Polley

The very first thing that you need to establish is the person who's representing the service to be presented is representing a company that holds an ROC or remote operating certificate, that's number one. So they need to, they need to ask for a copy of the ROC. And they also need to check the validity date, because I think they're only valid for a year or two years, and then they have to be renewed. So they're going to check that it's valid, and then need to ask for a copy of the Air Services License. And then they need to request what drone is going to be flown. And they need a copy of the RLA. And then lastly, the person that's going to be operating the drone needs to give them a copy of the RPL.

Ruben Delmage  

And that's very important for you to make note of so as a company, please make sure that you ask these questions before you even request a quotation from a drone company to make sure that you've got all the certifications and all the licensing in place before even making use of this commercial company. So let's say for instance, that as a drone pilot that is not licensed that does not have an ROC, they come out and they quote a company, for instance to do a commercial operation. What can happen to that drone pilot? If he's not licensed?

Dean Polley 

Well, he'll be operating illegally. So according to regulations, he can be subject to a fine of R50,000 or he can face prison time. Now that is if he gets caught. The other thing that seriously needs to be considered as if something goes wrong.  What if the drone crashes into a vehicle traveling on a road and it causes an accident and the worst case scenario it causes the death of somebody or it flies into controlled airspace and it brings down an aircraft, well, then you not only are you going to be hammered, as far as the regulations are concerned, you're going to face civil damages, which could run into the millions or you could face charges like culpable homicide, which is even more serious, which could land you in some serious jail time.

Ruben Delmage  

And I think what people might not know, especially if they just go out and purchase a drone for the first time, let's speak about because you mentioned earlier that let's say you fly into controlled airspace, and a drone gets what they call a fly away. Not everybody knows about that. Maybe just explain briefly on that. What is a flyaway?

Dean Polley 

So a lot of these drones that come into the country are manufactured in China, in other parts of the world. And they have been calibrated according to the GPS locations in those geographical regions. So when they come into South Africa, usually they need to be recalibrated. And if they not, the system, if I could put it in a very simple term is it gets confused. So if it initiate a return to home, it's not necessarily the place we took off. It could be Hong Kong, and what it's doing is now flying to predetermine GPS location that may be stored in his memory. Or it just gets confused and it just takes off and flies in direction. So that's typically some of the reasons of how you'd get a fly away.

Ruben Delmage  

And that's where the a lot of trouble can come in and that’s where liability insurance comes in. 

Dean Polley 

Then you've got no control over where that aircraft is going. Depending on where it is, if it's in built-up areas, when it eventually runs out of battery is going to crash. Or it will do a controlled landing. In other cases, at least it's not gonna fly too far. You're looking at a maximum of sort of 25 minutes flight-time.

Ruben Delmage  

Dean, let's say for is off, I've heard a lot of people saying, it doesn't matter. I'm going to buy drone, they'll never catch me. How will they possibly catch me? What do you make of that?

Dean Polley 

I think it's a rather irresponsible attitude to have and it's the same as saying, you know, I'm going to buy a car, and I'm not going to license it. Or I'm going to get on the highway and I'm going to say If I can push it to 200 kilometers an hour, where you get caught, there's a big chance that you won't if you get caught, there's going to be severe consequences.

Ruben Delmage 

So Dean earlier we spoke about illegal pilots and what can happen to them possibly if they get caught flying for commercial gain illegally without being licensed. Let's say a company makes use of an illegal drone pilot or an illegal drone operator or business, what can happen to the company hiring these illegal pilots or drone companies?

Dean Polley 

In simplistic terms, if they hire somebody to do an illegal operation, they complete the operation and nothing happens, nothing will happen. So there can't be any sort of law enforcement against the company that's hired the drone operator. However, if illegal operation is taking place, because the company is hired that pilot or a company that is standing as ROC holder and again, when something happens, and it causes it causes an accident or death or whatever they're going to be party to that whole illegal operation. So if you think about if it's a large company, and there’s legal action that's going to be taken against the company, they're obviously going to bring in attorneys. And they're going to argue the merits of the case on a case by case basis. They could plead ignorance that they honestly didn't know that it was an illegal operation. But there are going to be legal consequences to that.

Ruben Delmage  

In terms of reporting, illegal drone operation or a drone pilot, how does that get done?

Dean Polley 

So there is a there's a formal process to report illegal drone operations to CIA directly at CUASSA, we've started to take on reports from the general public as well. So we record that and we pass that on to CAA as well. This is another organization called SAFU, the South African Federation of Unmanned Systems. And I think that also make provision for the reporting of illegal operations.

Ruben Delmage  

Right. And we'll make all of those links available in the link below. So be sure to check that out as well. Lastly, do I think we would like to ask about more regulations specifically commercially in South Africa? Where can people find out more info on that?

Dean Polley 

So the number one place to go to is the Civil Aviation Authority website. Download Part 101 regulations read through them carefully. Also, you can contact CUAASA through their email address at info@cuassa.org and the link is at the bottom, or you can go to the website cuaasa.org.

Ruben Delmage 

That's it for this week. We'll be back next time. Cheers.

Commercial drone operation and the law

In this video, the second of three videos on drone rules and regulations in South-Africa, we will shift our focus more towards the commercial operation of drones in SA. What does the South African Civil Aviation Authority - SACAA regulations say about commercial flying in SA? Our guest is Dean Polley from Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of Southern Africa to answer a few questions such as:

- What is a RPL

- What is a ROC

- The process to start flying commercially etc.

All these and more will be answered right here. Aerial Drone Solutions: http://www.aerialdronesolutions.co.za

SACAA drone regulations (part 101): http://www.caa.co.za/Documents/RPAS/P...

Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of South Africa: https://www.caasa.co.za

We would like to thank Percy Rudman Snr and his amazing team at Eagle Air - PTYLtd based at Wonderboom National Airport for making their facilities available for us to record our videos. http://www.eagleair.co.za

Ruben Delmage  

Hi guys, my name is Ruben Delmage from Aerial Drone Solutions and last time we spoke about the recreational flying or hobby flying of drones in South Africa. And in this episode, we'll be focusing on the commercial side of drones in South Africa, specifically relating to licensing and the certifications of drone regulations in South Africa. And we've got the expert here this morning. His name is  Dean Polley from CUAASA, also known as the commercial unmanned aircraft association of South Africa to tell us a little bit more. Dean, Good day, are you well.

Dean Polley 

Morning Ruben, and thank you for inviting me back on your show.

Ruben Delmage  

So the last time we spoke about recreational and also hobby flying of drones in South Africa. But let's dive into the commercial side of drones in South Africa and let's start off with the licensing. Tell us a little bit more about the license and RPL. What exactly is an RPL?

Dean Polley  

So an RPL is the equivalent of a PPL. There is a formal curriculum that stands for remote pilot license. So to license that you do in order to legally fly a drone, or an unmanned system for commercial gain.

Ruben Delmage  

So let's say I've done my RPL. And I've got my drone license, I've gone through the whole thing, the whole the theory as well as the practical. Can I now go out and fly commercially in South Africa.

Dean Polley 

So strictly speaking, no, just having an RPL on its own is not going to enable you to do that. You need to operate within a company that's the holder of what's called an ROC RPAS operating certificate. That’s the equivalent of an AOC in manned aviation. So an aircraft operating certificate. So you need to have a formal company established. You need to apply for a services license with a services licensing counsel from the Department of transport. And then once you've got your ASL you can then apply for an ROC. And that's quite a long and complex process. So you need the ROC. The pilot that then operates the drone needs to have an RPL. But you need to operate under with under an operating company that has got an ROC.

Ruben Delmage

Exactly. And that is also not all. You mentioned earlier, that RPL is pretty much equivalent to or very close to a PPL. And I do believe you need to go through the medical you need to do your restricted radio maybe just elaborate on on that.

Dean Polley  

So yeah, so the RPL curriculum, is it's about a week of theory and you go through pretty much what you'd go through for a PPL, you need to do a restricted radio license. You need to do an English proficiency test. You need to get a class three medical certificate. You do air law. You do things like climate and weather. So it's it's quite comprehensive. And then from there you do, I think it's about another week of actual practical flying.

Ruben Delmage 

Yeah. And also what you also need to do further on when you've got the RPL. You've got your ROC in place, you've got your restricted radio, you've got your medical in place, there's still a lot of stuff that needs to get bought in it you need to use for your commercial operations. I'm thinking about stuff like your fire extinguisher, you'll need to have cones to mark off and all that stuff. And that's very important for commercial operations in South Africa.

Dean Polley  

Correct. So, one of the key documents that are ROC would have is an ops spec, and an ops spec it will describe the nature of the operations and the equipment that is required. The equipment is required to operate is quite standard and that's actually listed in Part 101, so you can go and see what is needed. Reflected jackets, cones, cordoned off areas, fire extinguishers etc. The other thing that ROC holder needs to hold is a third party liability insurance that needs to be in place as well. And then the last thing which is also very important is every single drone or aircraft that is to be operated under an ROC needs to have what's called an RLA .The RLA is really the air worthiness of the aircraft and that is a letter of approval that's issued from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Ruben Delmage  

And that's also important for the people making use of commercial pilots, please make sure that the drone has been RLA’d and the way you can see that is, the drone will have what's called a Zulu Tango registration number on the drone itself, so make sure that you check out for that as well. Lastly, Dean just before you wrap up, I think it's also important to make mention of even though you've got your RPL and also your RLA’d drone and also the ROC you need to have what's called controlled airspace on your radio as well to be able to fly in controlled airspace.

Dean Polley  

So yes, the flying of a drone and controlled airspace is very clearly defined as well in the regulations. Currently, you need to have your drone fitted with a transponder. And it needs to be at least a mode c slash Mode S transponder. The new transponders that on the market today is also kind of conforming to the new ADSB standard. And then you need to put a what's called a camu application in, so a camu that's with ATNS it's a central airspace management application. So it's a standard form that you get from them. And you pretty much define the parameters of your operation, and the stakeholders will review it and sign it off. It typically takes about two days to get something done

Ruben Delmage  

And very important. You need to have communication with the tower, either via telephone or like we with the VHF radio radio, and you need to have that clearly stipulated on your ops spec as well, they are allowed to do that. And again, all the info will be available on the CAA website. You're more than welcome to click on the link below. We'll have everything available there for you. Dean, thank you. That's it for this episode, we’ll will be back on the next episode and we'll focus a little bit more about what can happen to you. If you make use as a company make use of an illegal drone pilot. What is the regulations say about that and the laws in South Africa state about that.