Train drone pilots to avoid insurance risk

sonal risk of exposure,” Du Plessis stressed.

He said that the number of incidents among recreational operators was very high.

“Training at an accredited aviation school also costs around R12 000 per person, which often dissuades recreational pilots. While there are no legal requirements for recreational drone pilots to undergo training, becoming trained and commercially licensed puts the pilot in a position to obtain full cover. Cover would in this case include liability, minimising their personal exposure,” Du Plessis emphasised.

The risks for untrained recreational users are also much higher than they might comprehend. “While drones have been shown to be able to cause significant injury if they collide with individuals, a single drone is also capable of causing much more harm.

“A drone that loses control and veers on to a motorway, for example, has the potential to cause not only damage to property including motor vehicles, but also injuries and deaths,” Du Plessis said.

He also stressed that it was important to keep in mind that the number of drone incidents involved in near misses with passenger jets increases year to year, representing a growing risk of loss of life.

“Untrained and uninsured drone pilots therefore not only open themselves up to millions of rands in civil liabilities resulting from injuries, deaths, and damage property, but also to criminal liability for injuries and deaths, and damage to property,” he warned.

Du Plessis argued that recreational drone pilots should seriously consider training at an accredited aviation school, thereby increasing chances that they are indeed insurable.

“Training may be expensive compared with the cost of a toy drone, but the risk of not being insured far outweighs any cost implications to a recreational drone pilot in this case.”