A few moments after learning a guest at the wedding of TV mainstays Peter Stefanovic and Sylvia Jeffreys was fined $900 for piloting a camera-equipped drone during the ceremony, we realised that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) could be sitting on an absolutely wild money-spinner.
Think about it: everyone and their fidget-spinning 14-year-old cousin now has access to a drone, and they’re all probably toey to shoot some aerial footage. That’s all well and good, but CASA rules are pretty strict about when and where you can fly the things.
As it turns out, you’re not allowed to pilot drones within 30 metres of vehicles, buildings, and crucially, people.
So, after The Daily Telegraph revealed that an attendee at the beaut April 1 ceremony was slapped with that infringement, we came a conclusion: hundreds of eager punters have probably uploaded similarly incriminating footage to social media. That’s a lotta dosh just waiting to be collected.
Not everyone will be as unlucky as the Stefanovic-Jeffreys pilot, though. The Tele reports they were snitched out by another social media use, who informed CASA of the footage in question.
Earlier this year, CASA’s Director of Aviation Safety Shane Carmody said they’ll continue to dole out penalties when and where they see fit, in a bid to keep people on the ground safe from potentially dangerous fuckups.
“The rules protect people, property and aircraft from drones,” he said.
“If you fly a drone it is your responsibility to fly by the rules and stay safe at all times.”
Someone oughta let Pauline Hanson know about this one, too.
Source: News.com.au.
Photo: Sylvia Jeffreys / Instagram.
Photo: Sylvia Jeffreys / Instagram.
