The boom in drones has raised concerns about accidentally entering prohibited and restricted areas. Experts call for strengthening legal promotion and electronic fencing.

Drones have become popular in recent years, and many video creators use drones to shoot aerial shots for richer images. However, as the number of players increases, how to prevent players from accidentally flying into restricted areas? Experts point out that Taiwan’s drone regulations mainly follow international norms and are adjusted on a rolling basis. It is recommended to strengthen players’ awareness of airspace regulations and flight ethics through industry-university cooperation and promotion, or to install electronic fences to prevent accidental entry.

According to statistics from the Civil Aviation Administration, as of the end of June this year, there were 36,066 valid drone licenses and 42,016 registered drones. From last year to the first half of this year, the Civil Aviation Administration of China issued a total of 72 fines worth 16 million yuan for intruding into prohibited and restricted areas. Among them, airports, reservoirs and science parks are the hot spots for fines, and more than 80% of them are in these three areas.

Recalling when he first came into contact with aerial photography, Wu Mingyang, the founder of the SANY Three Anti-Inequality Airspace Alliance, said that he was interested in it at first, thinking that he could take pictures from perspectives that he would not normally see. When he usually goes hiking in the countryside, he would fly a drone to take pictures of the scenery. "The pictures taken by the aerial photography are really beautiful!"

Wu Mingyang said that although the Civil Aviation Administration of China announced the classification of the no-fly zone 15 days ago, it is not enough to rely on government APP promotion, especially for novices, who are prone to mistakenly fly into the no-fly zone. It is recommended that external signs or promotions be posted on the product. He also hopes that legal flights can be allowed 30 minutes after sunset and before sunrise, so that players can capture better pictures.

Mr. Chen, a player, said that after taking aerial photography courses in college, he stepped into the field of aerial photography and obtained a basic operating certificate. Before each aerial photography, he would go to the Civil Aviation Administration website to look at the map to determine whether he could fly aerial photography. Maybe some players do not know the regulations or have a lucky mentality, so they break into the restricted area.

Dai Zuomin, a former associate professor of the Department of Transportation Management Science at National Cheng Kung University, said that Taiwan’s drone regulations mainly follow international norms and are adjusted on a rolling basis. When delineating no-flying and restricted zones, in addition to considering the risk of drones flying in the air, it is also necessary to assess the ground risks such as falling and colliding with buildings. In addition to dividing the no-flying and restricted zones, the current system also divides users into natural persons and legal persons. Natural persons are mostly engaged in leisure and entertainment and can only move in specific open airspace; legal persons can apply to operate in no-flying zones (red zones), which is not completely prohibited.

Lu Yanliang, director of the Department of Flight and Civil Aviation Personnel Technology of Chaoyang University of Science and Technology, suggested that the government should accelerate the promotion of drone electronic fencing and dynamic identification technology so that drones can be warned or automatically blocked before entering prohibited and restricted areas to reduce the chance of accidental entry. The government should also strengthen players' awareness of airspace regulations and flight ethics through industry-university cooperation and promotion.

UAV prohibited and restricted areas are jointly divided and announced by the Civil Aviation Administration and local governments, and are divided into natural persons (general citizens, players) and qualified legal persons (such as agencies, schools or companies approved by the Civil Aviation Administration). The green, yellow and red zones are controlled by the no-fly and restricted zone. The green zone is the most open zone. People and legal persons can fly in the airspace below 120 meters. If you want to fly under certain circumstances such as gatherings and at night, only qualified legal persons can apply for activities. The yellow zone has a height limit of 60 meters, and ordinary people can fly. Qualified legal persons can also apply if they have exceeded the restricted altitude or have other specific flight needs. As for the red zone, which is a no-fly zone, only qualified legal persons are allowed to apply in accordance with regulations, and the general public is not yet open to apply.