How to Fly Drone in Switzerland
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/27th July 2016, DRONE MARKET WATCHTM/ Main stakeholder responsible for drone (UAV) flight regulation in Switzerland is Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). Main document affecting drone (UAV) flight regulations in Switzerland is DETEC Ordinance on Special Category Aircraft (OSCA). With effect from 1 August 2014, for safety reasons drones may no longer be operated above gatherings of people (several dozen people standing in close proximity to one another) or within a radius of 100 meters from gatherings of people.
And the operation of a drone without direct eye contact (i.e. including the use of binoculars, video glasses, etc.) has been prohibited for quite some time already. Under certain circumstances, however, the FOCA may nonetheless grant exemptions from both these bans. In such cases, a comprehensive safety assessment has to be carried out. The costs for obtaining a permit may vary from 50 to 700 Swiss francs, depending on the amount of work required for processing the application.
Drone (UAV) with more than 30 kg. MTOM may only be flown with authorization from FOCA. The FOCA shall specify the requirements for authorization and the operating conditions on a case-by-case basis.
For drone (UAV) with more than 30 kg. MTOM apply the following restrictions:
- Any person who flies a model aircraft weighing up to 30 kg must always maintain direct eye contact with the aircraft;
- Flying model aircraft weighing between 0.5 and 30 kg is prohibited:
- in control zones (CTR) if the aircraft may exceed an altitude of 150 m above the ground;
- within a radius of 100 meters from groups of people in the open, unless the flight takes place at a public air show under Article 4.
Furthermore the cantons (districts)in Switzerland may issue regulations for unmanned aircraft that weigh less than 30 kg on the reduction of environmental pollution and on the risk to persons and property on the ground. Third party liability claims made by third parties on the ground must be covered by the proprietor of drone (UAV) in a third party liability insurance policy with guaranteed cover of at least one million francs. This requirement is in force for drones (UAVs) more than 0.5 kg. MTOM. In order for the FOCA to be able to grant a permit for the operation of a drone (UAV) above a gathering of people or without direct eye contact, it first has to carry out a comprehensive safety assessment of the system. The drone’s degree of reliability has to be tested in accordance with the applicable civil aviation directives and standards.
The most important safety precautions that have to be taken are as follows:
- In the event of a technical defect, the system must be able to prevent the drone from falling out of control and injuring or killing people;
- In the event of loss of contact with the remote control device (data link or control link), functions must be activated automatically that ensure that the drone cannot endanger third parties either on the ground or in the air.
- Detailed description of the intended flight (nature of operation, location, date and time, duration) and detailed description of the technical system (drone, control station, data link, etc.);
- An analysis of the risks associated with the planned flight for both people and property on the ground (including any potential harm to the environment);
- An analysis of the risks associated with the operation of the drone for other aircraft that could be in the vicinity and detailed description of how any risks are to be prevented;
- If technical solutions are to be used, an analysis must be made of what would happen if the technical solution should fail, as well as of the reliability of the technical solution in question;
- Description of the applicable emergency procedure.
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