Hello everyone! Hoping to get some advice from some Aussie drone pilots.
I'm a professional videographer and photographer, and a licensed and insured remote pilot in the US. I'm traveling to Australia over the holidays for vacation and thinking about bringing my Phantom 4 Pro. I'll be in Melbourne and Sydney, with a leisurely drive planned along the coast between the two. I have no real interest in flying in or near the cities, but thought it would be nice to capture some scenery at various spots along the coast. I looked into all the regulations and how to register for the sub 2 Kg exception (I'm not being hired for any footage, but I don't want to foreclose the possibility of selling it someone at some point in the future). I'm actually an Australian citizen (although I grew up and live in the US), so I absolutely would only fly if I know it's legal to do so. I also found the Open Sky Web app to see where flying is allowed, and saw plenty of places that seem like they would work.
But then I started reading about the prohibition on flying in National Parks without approval, and I'm wondering how to even know where the boundaries of the national parks are to know if I need to obtain permission. The Open Sky app doesn't appear to mention National Park boundaries at all, so I'm not sure if that App can even be trusted to show proper information.
Anyway, any advice from some Aussie pilots who have dealt with these things would be greatly appreciated! I have no interest in flying near people or disturbing wildlife of any of that, just want to capture some great footage if I can. Thanks!
-Max
I'm a professional videographer and photographer, and a licensed and insured remote pilot in the US. I'm traveling to Australia over the holidays for vacation and thinking about bringing my Phantom 4 Pro. I'll be in Melbourne and Sydney, with a leisurely drive planned along the coast between the two. I have no real interest in flying in or near the cities, but thought it would be nice to capture some scenery at various spots along the coast. I looked into all the regulations and how to register for the sub 2 Kg exception (I'm not being hired for any footage, but I don't want to foreclose the possibility of selling it someone at some point in the future). I'm actually an Australian citizen (although I grew up and live in the US), so I absolutely would only fly if I know it's legal to do so. I also found the Open Sky Web app to see where flying is allowed, and saw plenty of places that seem like they would work.
But then I started reading about the prohibition on flying in National Parks without approval, and I'm wondering how to even know where the boundaries of the national parks are to know if I need to obtain permission. The Open Sky app doesn't appear to mention National Park boundaries at all, so I'm not sure if that App can even be trusted to show proper information.
Anyway, any advice from some Aussie pilots who have dealt with these things would be greatly appreciated! I have no interest in flying near people or disturbing wildlife of any of that, just want to capture some great footage if I can. Thanks!
-Max