Author Archives: The Editor

South African CAA Approval Not Necessary for UAS at Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition

AAD

South African defence industry companies such as Denel and Paramount Group along with foreign manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), wanting to fly them at Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) later this year will only have to obtain military permission. Continue reading →

Curtiss H75-C1 Hawk

The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, was an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of both the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design making extensive use of metal in its construction and powered by a powerful radial engine. Continue reading →

CAA Gets First UK Conviction for Dangerous UAS Flying


A TV-repair shop owner who has become the first person convicted in the UK for “dangerously” flying a UAS says the fine and legal costs will bankrupt him. Robert Knowles, 46, of Barrow-in-Furness, was fined £800 and ordered to pay costs of £3,500 at the Furness and District Magistrate court on Tuesday after being prosecuted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Continue reading →

South African Civil Aviation Authority to Crackdown on Illegal UAS Flying

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) is set to clampdown on the illegal flying, in civil airspace of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV), as normally referred to. The move was prompted by recent reports that purported that there are individuals and/or organisations that are already operating or intending to operate UAS in the South African civil aviation airspace. Continue reading →