According to The Age and the EFTM blog, Civil Aviation Safety Authority is investigating after a video showing a man piloting a drone to a Sunbury Bunnings carpark for a sausage while he sat in his home.
The man faces fines of up to $9000 for breaching CASA regulations for drone flights which state that:
- You should only fly in visual line-of-sight and be able to see the aircraft with your own eyes (rather than through first-person-view [FPV, binoculars, telescopes]) at all times, (unless you operate under the procedures of an approved model flying association.
- You must not fly closer than 30 metres to vehicles, boats, buildings or people.
- You must not fly over populous areas such as beaches, heavily populated parks, or sports ovals while they are in use.
- In controlled airspace, which covers most Australian cities, you must not fly higher than 120 metres (400 feet) above the ground.
- You must not fly in a way that creates a hazard to other aircraft, so you should keep at least 5.5 km away from airfields, aerodromes and helicopter landing sites.
The Age reported that the drone, crossed a four-lane road before hovering over the Bunnings, dropping a note in the carpark saying “Please buy snag and put in bag, here’s $10”. An alleged accomplice then placed a snag into a receptacle connected to the drone by a string and the drone returns to a suburban backyard to a man sitting in his spa.
It is unclear if the man asked for onions.
Story sources The Age