DJI Drone Pilots will Now be Forced to Take a Knowledge Quiz

Regulation of drone usage is not a new concept for many hobbyists.

For the past few years, as the popularity of drones has skyrocketed, governments, and regulatory bodies around the globe have tried to regulate and limit its use. In their latest crackdown, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has announced that as of today (February 14), pilots of DJI drones will be forced to take a ‘knowledge quiz’ and pass the test in order to fly their drones. It should be noted that this is not the first time the company has used this concept. DJI has already tested this regulation in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The short quiz, of only 9 questions, is enforced by disabling the mobile phone app, which also controls the drone until successfully completed. However, there is no limit to the number of times a pilot can attempt the quiz. In a statement made to the ABC, Peter Gibson, communication manager at CASA, stated “The questions cover some of the essential drone safety requirements, things like how far you have to stay from other people, the maximum altitude you can take your drone to, how far you have to stay from airports”. Adam Welsh, head of DJI’s Asia Pacific Public Policy, was not opposed to the sentiments made by Mr. Gibson. Welsh added that "The quiz was designed to give drone pilots up to four chances to skip, so that pilots who use their drones for emergency response or public safety applications, for example, won't get hindered during use in emergency situations.” Despite Australia not being the first market that DJI has tested this requirement on, it is expected that there may be ‘some kind of resistance, due to the fact that at the point of sale, the conditions under which they purchased the product didn’t require a quiz” said Joe Urli, president of Association of Australian Certified UAV Operators (ACUO). Many are speculating that this may have a knock-on effect for drone operators. However, the magnitude of the change on both drone manufacturers and users is at this point unclear. Do you think it will have a negative impact on drone users? Have your say in the comment box below.

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