Hi Acecom, Enjoy your flying while you can mate. In a dew months our fantastic Government will kill the quadcopter hobby with their new laws. Unless you're flying on a sanctioned RC Airfield, flying something under 250 grams or flying indoors, you''ll be expected to pass an on-line exam, register each and every quad you own ($20 each) . You won't even be allowed to fly on private property, even with the owner's consent.
Basically, they will squeeze us so hard the majority of flyers will become overnight criminals or simply walk away from the hobby completely. Anyone using their quads to earn money will face heavy fees and have to sit for a licence to fly. Some commercial flyers have estimated that it will cost up to $20,000 to gain a licence. We'll have line of sight only with severe penalties for flying near people, flying near emergency services whilst attending any emergency. The list goes on and on, when I first read it I could picture a Quadcopter hater writing the new laws.
Can you imagine 100 or more people turning up at a sanctioned RC field and wanting to fly. These new laws effect not only quad flyers, but fixed wing as well. The entire thing is nothing more than yet another money grab and another "tax on fun" by the Government. To see the new laws (notice I didn't say "Proposed Laws" they've already been signed and sealed) are expected to be in place by Christmas 2019 and can be seen on CASA's website.
Who will be responsible for checking the registration and licensing of flyers? Probably our overworked police force. Somebody has to hand out violation fines and investigate all the complaints about those pesky quad flyers, so let's lumber our police with the task. I'm sure the local constabulary will love the idea. I heard a whisper that every item used by a flyer who hasn't registered his quad or doesn't have a licence will be confiscated. This isn't mentioned in the new rules, but I'm betting a lot will be added now that they've got the basics approved.
Can anyone picture Phantom owners throwing their quads in a bin and buy a sub 250 gram toy? So enjoy it while you can Acecom, by the new year Australia will have either a lot less flyers or maybe a lot more criminals.
PS: By the way, I'm in Narrabri North West NSW.