Flying a drone near airports in Australia

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of Australia. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Distance restrictionNot resolved
• Aerodrome permissionConditional
• Controlled airspace permissionConditional
• Protected facilitiesNot resolved
• Digital authorisationConditional
• Altitude relationshipNo
• ExceptionsNo

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Action Required Upon Detecting Manned Aircraft

  If a pilot becomes aware of a manned aircraft in the no-fly zone of a non-controlled aerodrome or HLS, they must immediately maneuver the RPA away from the manned aircraft, land as soon as safely possible, or refrain from launching if on the ground.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Aeronautical radio requirements in controlled airspace

  A person must not operate an RPA (other than a very small RPA) in controlled airspace unless they hold a relevant aeronautical radio qualification, maintain a listening watch on the specified frequency, and make broadcasts at specified intervals with specified information.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Compliance with Aerodrome Permission Conditions

  A person must not contravene any safety conditions imposed by CASA or Air Traffic Control on a permission to operate near an aerodrome.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Compliance with CASA aeronautical radio directions for individuals

  A person must comply with any direction issued by CASA prohibiting them from operating an RPA unless they hold a relevant qualification, maintain a listening watch, and make broadcasts as specified in the direction.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Compliance with CASA aeronautical radio directions for specific RPA types

  A person must comply with any direction issued by CASA prohibiting the operation of a particular RPA or type of RPA unless the operator holds a relevant qualification, maintains a listening watch, and makes broadcasts as specified in the direction.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Compliance with CASA directions regarding individual radio use

  A person must comply with any CASA direction prohibiting them from operating an RPA unless they hold a relevant qualification, maintain a listening watch, and make broadcasts on specified frequencies.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Compliance with CASA directions regarding radio use for specific RPA types

  A person must comply with any CASA direction prohibiting the operation of a particular RPA or type of RPA unless the operator holds a relevant qualification, maintains a listening watch, and makes broadcasts on specified frequencies.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Part 101 Manual of Standards 2019 — Chapter 14: Permissible modifications to registered RPA — Civil Aviation Safety AuthorityOpen
• CASR 1998 — Division 101.F.5: Operation of certain RPA for hire or reward — Civil Aviation Safety AuthorityOpen

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on airport_airspace.airport_permission; the binding position is published.
• 2 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in Australia

• Do I need to register my drone in Australia?Registration in Australia depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in Australia?Drone flights in Australia are held to a published general height limit of 121.92 m AGL. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in Australia?BVLOS in Australia runs through a defined authorisation pathway rather than an open permission: the published conditions below set out what that pathway requires.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Australia?Whether an operation in Australia needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in Australia?Remote pilot competency in Australia scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.

All drone laws in Australia