Highly Dangerous To Fly Drones In Vicinity Of Airports, Warn Experts

By Norshazlina Nor'azman KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Bernama) -- Of late, it has become a fad for many hobbyists to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones to take photographs or record videos of panoramic landscapes. These drones, which are equipped with cameras, are easily available in the local market or can be ordered online, with their price tags ranging from as low as US$54 (RM200) to more than US$548 (RM2000), depending on the specifications. Originally, the UAVs were only used by the airforce and during wars, but its technology has evolved to pave the way for drones to be used for commercial purposes, as well as by hobbyists, some of whom are throwing caution to the wind by flying their gadgets in high-risk and prohibited areas like the vicinity of airports. Recently, images of AirAsia and Saudi Airlines aircraft approaching the runway at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), believed to be taken by aerial drones, went viral after they were uploaded in the Instagram photo-sharing site by a user named Yengnasir. The posts received harsh comments from many netizens, who said the presence of drones at KLIA compromised the safety of the aircraft. SECURITY THREAT Ismail Ibrahim, a trainer at the government-run skills training institute Advanced Technology Training Centre's Aircraft Maintenance Department, made it clear that flying drones at the vicinity of airports was a threat to security and could lead to disastrous consequences. "A drone flying high up in the air can inadvertently be sucked into an aircraft engine and damage it. Now this is very dangerous as it can cause the aircraft to crash. "Drones cannot be flown near an airport or flight path... sometimes even birds can cause damage to an engine, what more drones," he said, when contacted by Bernama. He said an airport's control tower was equipped with sophisticated technology to detect any intrusion into its space. "I'm quite sure the control tower at KLIA would have detected any dangerous activity if there had been any. It's possible that the position of the drone (which captured images of the commercial aircraft) didn't endanger the approaching aircraft. Nevertheless, the use of drones in areas near airports should be banned," he said. GOVERNMENT MUST BE FIRM Ismail said the government should make it compulsory for all owners of drones to obtain a licence before they were allowed to operate the gadgets. Ahmad Maulan Bardai, principal specialist at the Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology at Universiti Kuala Lumpur, said although drones used by the public were amateur models and did not have the specifications of a UAV, flying them in high-risk zones was akin to courting danger. He said while the basic drone used by hobbyists was controlled with a hand-held remote control, the UAV was manoeuvred via a computer programme as it has more complicated features. "By right, you need a licence because a drone is considered a flying object... so in order to fly a drone, especially if it is within the airport parameters, you need to get permission from the authority concerned. "It's very dangerous to fly a drone within or outside the vicinity of an airport, because if there's no proper coordination, the drone may collide with an aircraft while it is in the midst of landing," he said. COMPROMISING AIRPORT SECURITY Ahmad Maulan said amateur drones could be used safely in open areas that were situated far away from flight paths. "These amateur drones usually can only fly up to a certain height and can't go up too high, so they don't pose a problem. "The United States, for example, is coming up new rules to allow drones to be flown with the aerospace, but they have to comply with lots of requirements to prevent accidents," he said. The owner of a drone, who only wanted to be identified as Shahrul, condemned the actions of the person who used his drone to snap pictures of the aircraft at KLIA, saying that the user had compromised the security of the airport for the sake of producing some great images. "Looking at the pictures that were uploaded, it's clear that the drone was positioned quite close to the runway and the aircraft itself. "What if the user had lost control of his drone and it flew towards the direction of the aircraft? Drone operators should refrain from flying their gadgets in high-risk areas," said the 29-year-old photographer. DCA'S APPROVAL NEEDED Tuesday, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) Director-General, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said in a statement that flying drones or UAVs within an airport's "bubble" or space was an offence under the Civil Aviation Act 1969. Expressing his department's concern over the recent development of drone operations for recreational or commercial purposes, he stressed that those intending to fly their drones or UAVs in Malaysian airspace must first secure the approval of the DCA. Singapore bans the flying of model aircraft within five kilometres of an airport or airbase; to fly within the five-km limit or above 61 metres, permission from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore is needed. In Thailand, under new civil aviation laws, the flying of drones fitted with cameras will be banned starting this month, as they are considered a threat to the national security. Drones carrying cameras will only be permitted for use by the mass media or filmmaking industry and anyone wanting to fly a drone in Thailand must seek permission from the Transport Ministry. In the United Kingdom, drones are currently regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority. One does not need a certificate or permit to fly drones weighing 20kg or less; permits are only needed for drones weighing more than 20kg. -- BERNAMA