{"id":"F2024L01057","name":"CASA EX51/24 — Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operations Beyond Visual Line of Sight Exemption 2024","slug":"casa-ex51-24-remotely-piloted-aircraft-operations-beyond-visual-line-of-sight-exemption-2024","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":105338,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2024L01057-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"CASA EX51/24 — Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operations Beyond Visual Line of Sight Exemption 2024","content":"Instrument number CASA EX51/24\n\nI, Daniel bernard o’hagan, Manager, Legislative Drafting, Legal, International & Regulatory Affairs Division, a delegate of CASA, make this instrument under regulations 11.160 and 11.205 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998.\n\n\\[Signed D.B. O’Hagan\\]\n\nDanny O’Hagan  \nManager, Legislative Drafting  \nLegal, International & Regulatory Affairs Division\n\n26 August 2024\n\nCASA EX51/24 — Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operations Beyond Visual Line of Sight Exemption 2024\n\n1 Name\n\nThis instrument is CASA EX51/24 — Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operations Beyond Visual Line of Sight Exemption 2024.\n\n2 Duration\n\nThis instrument:\n\n(a) commences on 1 September 2024; and\n\n(b) is repealed at the end of 31 August 2026.\n\n3 Interpretation\n\n> Note In this instrument, certain terms and expressions have the same meaning as they have in the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and the regulations. These include: operated within the visual line of sight, remote pilot licence and RPA.\n\n(1) In this instrument:\n\n> documented practices and procedures has the meaning given by subsection 1.04(2) of the Part 101 Manual of Standards.\n\n> enclosed operation means an RPA operation in which an RPA is operated within a building or other structure, or a naturally occurring or manufactured space underground, in circumstances where:\n\n(a) it is physically impossible for the RPA to escape and fly away from the building, structure or space if the RPA is no longer under the control of the remote pilot operating the RPA; and\n\n(b) if the RPA collides with any part of the building, structure or periphery of the space, no material from the RPA, or building, structure or periphery of the space, can move or escape and cause injury to a person outside the building, structure or space.\n\n> EVLOS operation has the meaning given by section 5.04 of the Part 101 Manual of Standards.\n\n> exempted flight means a flight of an RPA that is operated beyond visual line of sight of the person operating the RPA at any time during the flight.\n\n> remote pilot means:\n\n(a) the holder of a remote pilot licence; or\n\n(b) a person who is taken to hold a remote pilot licence under subregulation 202.461(3) of CASR.\n\n> RPA operator means a person who is certified as an RPA operator under regulation 101.335 of CASR.\n\n> supervising remote pilot, for an RPA operation, means a remote pilot who:\n\n(a) meets the requirements of subregulation 101.300(4) of CASR for operating an RPA beyond visual line of sight; and\n\n(b) either:\n\n(i) is the RPA operator of the RPA being operated during the RPA operation; or\n\n(ii) if the remote pilot is not the RPA operator of the RPA — has been appointed by the RPA operator to supervise the person operating the RPA during the RPA operation.\n\n(2) In this instrument, an RPA is operated beyond visual line of sight of the person operating the RPA if it is not operated within the visual line of sight of the person.\n\n4 Exemptions\n\n(1) A remote pilot who, as an RPA operator or member of an RPA operator’s personnel, operates an RPA for an exempted flight is exempt from compliance with paragraph 101.300(4)(a) of CASR.\n\n(2) Subject to subsection (3), a remote pilot who, as a member of an RPA operator’s personnel, operates an RPA for an exempted flight is exempt from compliance with subregulation 101.073(1) of CASR.\n\n(3) The exemption granted under subsection (2) only applies if the RPA operator holds an approval, under regulation 101.029 of CASR, for the operator’s personnel to operate the RPA beyond visual line of sight.\n\n(4) The exemptions are subject to the conditions stated in section 5.\n\n5 Conditions\n\n(1) The remote pilot must ensure the RPA operation complies with the documented practices and procedures for operating the RPA for an exempted flight.\n\n(2) Subject to subsection (4), the remote pilot must operate the RPA under the immediate supervision of the supervising remote pilot, for the RPA operation, who is:\n\n(a) at the place where the remote pilot is located; and\n\n(b) readily accessible to the remote pilot; and\n\n(c) immediately available to advise, and direct, the remote pilot.\n\n> Note This subsection does not limit the supervising remote pilot observing multiple flights of RPAs, for the RPA operator, at the same time.\n\n(3) Subject to subsection (4), the remote pilot must comply with the directions, in relation to the RPA operation, of the supervising remote pilot for the RPA operation.\n\n(4) Subsections (2) and (3) do not apply if the RPA operation is an enclosed operation or EVLOS operation.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument appears tightly scoped to its original purpose. It creates a time-limited, conditional exemption specifically for BVLOS operations by supervised remote pilots. The scope has not expanded beyond this narrow operational relief; the enclosed operation and EVLOS carve-outs are logical safety exceptions rather than scope creep. The two-year sunset clause (section 2) reinforces that this is a targeted, temporary measure rather than an expansion of permanent regulatory authority."},"complexity_factors":["Moderate cross-referencing: cites 6 external regulatory provisions (Civil Aviation Act 1988, CASR regulations 11.160, 11.205, 101.300, 101.073, 101.029, 101.335, and subregulation 202.461(3))","Defined terms rely on external documents: 'documented practices and procedures' and 'EVLOS operation' are defined by reference to the Part 101 Manual of Standards (separate document not included in this instrument)","Nested conditional logic: exemption in section 4(2) is subject to subsection (3), which itself requires a separate approval under regulation 101.029","Exception to conditions: subsections 5(2) and 5(3) (supervision requirements) do not apply if the operation is an 'enclosed operation' or 'EVLOS operation' — creating two parallel regulatory pathways","7 defined terms in section 3, including a complex multi-part definition of 'supervising remote pilot' with alternative limbs (i) and (ii)","Relatively short length (approximately 1,500 words) and clear structure mitigates complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThis instrument creates a **temporary exemption** that lets certain drone (RPA — Remotely Piloted Aircraft) operators fly **beyond visual line of sight** (BVLOS) without meeting the usual strict licensing requirements.\n\nNormally, to fly a drone where you can't see it with your naked eye, you need specific qualifications under regulation 101.300(4)(a) of the aviation safety rules. This exemption lets **less-qualified remote pilots** do BVLOS flights **if** they work for a certified drone operator and follow strict conditions.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Remote pilots** who hold a basic drone licence but lack the advanced BVLOS endorsement\n- **Certified RPA operators** (drone businesses) who hold special approval for BVLOS operations\n- **Supervising remote pilots** — experienced pilots who must oversee the less-qualified pilots\n\n**Key conditions:**\n- The drone business must already have CASA approval for BVLOS operations\n- The junior pilot must follow written procedures\n- They must be supervised by a fully qualified pilot who is physically present and immediately available\n- **Two exceptions** where supervision isn't needed: flying entirely inside buildings/enclosed spaces (**enclosed operation**), or flying with extended visual line of sight using special equipment (**EVLOS operation**)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis creates a **training pathway** and **workforce flexibility** for the drone industry. It lets businesses use less-experienced pilots for BVLOS work (like inspections, surveying, or delivery) while maintaining safety through supervision. Without this exemption, only fully endorsed pilots could do these flights, creating a bottleneck for commercial drone operations.\n\nThe exemption runs from **1 September 2024 to 31 August 2026** — a two-year window that likely allows CASA to assess whether this relaxed approach works safely before making permanent rules."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument provides a time-limited exemption from specific visual line of sight and pilot qualification rules for remotely piloted aircraft, strictly subject to documented procedures and, in most cases, direct supervision by a qualified supervising pilot."},"complexity_factors":["Temporary exemption instrument","Applies only to licensed remote pilots working for certified RPA operators","Relies on operator-held BVLOS approval and documented procedures","Distinguishes between enclosed operations, EVLOS, and other BVLOS scenarios","Subject to immediate supervision and direction conditions"],"plain_english_summary":"This temporary CASA instrument (1 Sep 2024–31 Aug 2026) exempts licensed remote pilots from certain CASR BVLOS competency and prohibition rules when the RPA operator already holds a CASA BVLOS personnel approval.  \n\nIt lets certified operators and their licensed pilots lawfully conduct supervised BVLOS flights under the operator’s approved procedures (unless enclosed or EVLOS), enabling training, supervised experience-building, and greater operational flexibility until mid‑2026."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":5,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument establishes targeted, temporary exemptions permitting BVLOS operations under specified conditions. The text does not itself assert a widening or narrowing of the original CASR regime; determining whether the net regulatory scope has changed requires a side‑by‑side comparison with the baseline CASR provisions referenced in the instrument (e.g. regs 101.300, 101.073 and 101.029)."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple cross-references to CASR provisions (e.g. 101.300(4)(a), 101.073(1), approval under 101.029) create dependency on external rules.","Definitions rely on Part 101 Manual of Standards (documented practices and procedures, EVLOS meaning), adding operational detail outside the instrument.","Layered conditional exemptions: different tests for operators versus operator personnel (section 4(1)–(3)).","Supervision requirements specify location, accessibility and availability of a supervising remote pilot, with a carve‑out for enclosed operations and EVLOS (section 5(2)–(4)).","Detailed technical definition of 'enclosed operation' imposes specific risk containment conditions that affect applicability.","Temporal limitation (commencement and automatic repeal) creates a fixed implementation window (section 2).","Notes and permission for a supervising pilot to observe multiple flights adds practical operational discretion.","Compliance duty to follow documented practices and procedures centralises operational control with the RPA operator (section 5(1))."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument creates a time‑limited (1 Sept 2024–31 Aug 2026) exemption allowing certain remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) flights to be conducted beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) by remote pilots who are RPA operators or members of an operator’s personnel, subject to conditions. It requires operators and pilots to follow documented practices and procedures, to have immediate supervision by a qualifying supervising remote pilot (unless the flight is enclosed or EVLOS), and ties personnel exemptions to an operator approval under CASR reg 101.029 (see sections 4–5)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/casa-ex51-24-remotely-piloted-aircraft-operations-beyond-visual-line-of-sight-exemption-2024","history":"/api/acts/casa-ex51-24-remotely-piloted-aircraft-operations-beyond-visual-line-of-sight-exemption-2024/history","analysis":"/api/acts/casa-ex51-24-remotely-piloted-aircraft-operations-beyond-visual-line-of-sight-exemption-2024/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/casa-ex51-24-remotely-piloted-aircraft-operations-beyond-visual-line-of-sight-exemption-2024/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/casa-ex51-24-remotely-piloted-aircraft-operations-beyond-visual-line-of-sight-exemption-2024/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/casa-ex51-24-remotely-piloted-aircraft-operations-beyond-visual-line-of-sight-exemption-2024/documents"}}