The National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) approved on May 2 2017, the regulation for the use of unmanned aircrafts, popularly known as “drones”. The Regulation is supplementary to the rules set in advance by the Airspace Control Department (DECEA) and the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL).
The normative was designed take into consideration the degree of complexity and the risks that involve the operations, type of equipment and security´s maintenance.
Some limits established in this new Regulation followed standards from authorities of international civil aviation such as Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), respectively regulators of the United States, Australia and European Union.
The Regulation of ANAC set forth distinctive rules for operations with remote-control aircraft (unmanned aircrafts for recreation purposes) and RPA – Remotely Piloted Aircraft (unmanned aircrafts for commercial, corporate and experimental purpose), regarding the equipment weight and flight height.
Nevertheless, both of them shall be operated in areas with at least 100 horizontal feet of distance above not involved people with the operation.
The Regulation also requires professional license and qualification granted by ANAC to control equipment with more than 55 pounds. To equipment with less than 55 pounds, it shall be necessary professional license and qualification to operate above then 400 feet.
Those interested will need to register the equipment at ANAC through the System of Unmanned Aircraft (SISANT), available at: sistemas.anac.gov.br/sisant. Only equipment with less than 0,55 pounds will excluded from the procedure requirement. In the case of drones for non-recreational uses (RPAs), the pilot must be over 18 years old, regardless of the weight of the equipment.
The use of drones in conflict with the Regulation might lead to penalties of administrative, civil and criminal nature.
The expectation of ANAC is that the new Regulation will enable the expansion in the drone´s Market in Brazil, encouraging the professionalization in the area and making possible the use of the equipment for deliveries and even rural use. According to assistance of the Agency, around 400 authorizations were already issued – most to bodies of public security.
*By Carolina Garcia Lomba, trainee of the TMT team