JOIN USHow safe is it to use drones?
The safety of drone usage has come under the scanner again after singer Benny Dayal was injured (see box) by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during a performance in Chennai, last week. While he escaped with minor injuries, the consequences could have been worse.
Yashas PS, a photographer, who works with artistes like Sanjit Hedge and Vasuki Vaibhav, takes basic precautions. “I ensure that the drone lands and takes off in a place where there is no one, and I avoid using it indoors. It is dangerous to use drones that are not manufactured by government-regulated companies. People have taken to making their own drones and using unauthorised UAVs. This is when things get problematic,” he says.
Yashas’s current equipment has sensors that keep it from going too close to foreign objects. “So even if I try to manoeuvre it closer to the object, it doesn’t budge,” he explains.
Flying high
Rayees Backer, a wedding photographer, shares that his team keeps the UAV flying at a safe distance. “Weddings are tricky because most clients want drones more for optics than anything else. Most hotels have restrictions on drone usage, but wherever they can be used, a safe height is maintained. It is not easy, because they easily topple over. Once, a drone crashed because of some party poppers,” shares Backer.
Network issues
Factors like the weather, magnetic field and network issues, come into play with regards to safety of drone usage, according to Vaquar Ahmed, digital marketing trainer and entrepreneur. “There have been instances where the wind was too strong for the drone. Once, my drone almost flew into an electric wire, which would have been disastrous. But luckily, it was two inches shy. Another time, while using it at home, it automatically went towards a metal object and crashed into a wall. There have been times when it lost network and for a few minutes, I was clueless about its whereabouts,” recalls Ahmed.
Law and order
Ashwath Salunke, who runs Malleswaram-based Fly India, a company that manufactures and repairs drones, explains that it is imperative to get a piloting licence from a DGCA-approved institute before attempting to fly one. “It’s like getting a driving licence from a driving school,” says Salunke, clarifying that this does not apply to nano drones (weigh less than 250 grams).
“All drones that do not fall under the nano category have to be registered with the DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation) and have to be licensed,” he states. The DGCA has categorised spaces into red, green and yellow zones.
Red zones are prohibited areas, where one needs special permission to fly a drone, while in green zones (up to 400 ft) one can deploy their drone without prior permission.
To fly in yellow zones, individuals are required to get permission from the air traffic control authority, which is applicable for a distance of 200 ft, up to 12 km from the perimeter of an operational airport.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), SD Sharanappa advises citizens to exercise caution when using a drone. “Follow the security guidelines. Stick to the altitude restrictions and take permission from local police, even for weddings and functions. Our advice is that they should be used only by experts who have been licensed,” he says.