Govt Set to Review Drone Regulation Amid Agricultural Push

[webfact]

File photo courtesy: Wikipedia

 

Today, the government has announced plans to review and potentially revise the current regulations surrounding the use of drones, particularly focusing on enhancing access for farmers.

 

During a Senate meeting on Monday, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Economy and Society Minister, Prasert Jantararuangtong, highlighted the potential benefits drones could bring to the agricultural sector, as well as areas like disaster mitigation and logistics.

 

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are valued by the government as a powerful tool for monitoring natural disasters and managing the country’s vast expanses of arable land. Presently, over 500 drones are deployed, overseeing four million rai of land nationwide, providing indispensable data for diverse applications including emergency response and weather forecasting.

 

Minister Prasert assured the government's commitment to supporting Thai drone manufacturers. He emphasised reliance on locally-developed drones to bolster national security.

 

Moreover, the ministry has proposed standard pricing and minimum quality benchmarks for drones used by government entities. Efforts are also underway to establish drone repair centres and launch drone flight training in agricultural zones.

 

While central funding for drones is not directly provided to local agencies, Minister Prasert mentioned that agencies are encouraged to allocate their own budgets for drone procurement.

 

He also recognised the necessity to amend existing regulations to ease public ownership and usage of drones legally, following concerns raised by Senator Premsak Piayura.

 

Acknowledging these concerns, Minister Prasert pledged to evaluate the current rules with an aim to streamline the permit process, particularly to benefit the farming community.

 

The prospect of facilitating farmer access to drone technology is seen as a significant step towards modernising agricultural practices and enhancing productivity across the nation, reported Bangkok Post.

 

-- 2024-10-29

 

 

[johng]

Do I need a license ,gps tracker and submit flight plans for a model RC aircraft too ?

[KhunLA]

18 minutes ago, johng said:

Do I need a license ,gps tracker and submit flight plans for a model RC aircraft too ?

Yes, sort of (needs registration), no and no.  If having camera, need to register with 2 authorities; local PoPo (all) & CAAT (w/camera)

 

To the OP, that's good news all around.  Especially minimum specs & repair centers.

[johng]

Thanks for the answer @KhunLA   my model RC aircraft has never actually flown due to my extremely bad hand to eye coordination  revealed by the

computer simulator trainer  never once landed it successfully in simulation..thought it would be so easy..not !!!

So have been very reluctant to  find an open space big enough

and without registration.. private enough..for a maiden (crash) flight 

[KhunLA]

19 minutes ago, johng said:

Thanks for the answer @KhunLA   my model RC aircraft has never actually flown due to my extremely bad hand to eye coordination  revealed by the

computer simulator trainer  never once landed it successfully in simulation..thought it would be so easy..not !!!

So have been very reluctant to  find an open space big enough

and without registration.. private enough..for a maiden (crash) flight 

Wish I had that common sense in the beginning, as crashed my first drone on first day, ignored that little tidbit of advice; practice in open area.

 

Does it have GPS ?  Though actually better to learn operating if it doesn't.  Crashing mine on day one, cracked the GPS module, so I had to learn to operate with any electronic assistance.

 

Just find a open area, and practice at very low altitude, take off, point A to B, the sort of play baseball with it (square flight path), go to point C then D then back to A.   Repeat till it's second nature.  Flying back is the killer, as everything/controls are reversed.  Never use 'headless' mode, as will never learn anything using that.

 

Practice practice practice on entry level, till it's 2nd nature.

 

[0ffshore360]

Have seen a few  large units applying fertilizer to crops . Have they been operating illegally? They have cameras .

 

[john donson]

can they use drone to SPOT FIRES And FINE the people who owns the land?

 

[Asquith Production]

44 minutes ago, john donson said:

can they use drone to SPOT FIRES And FINE the people who owns the land?

 

Many Police forces, mountain rescue etc use drones with  thermal imaging but as yet they haven't been fitted with printers to issue tickets. But never say never.

[cowellandrew]

24 minutes ago, Asquith Production said:

Many Police forces, mountain rescue etc use drones with  thermal imaging but as yet they haven't been fitted with printers to issue tickets. But never say never.

 

[hotchilli]

22 hours ago, johng said:

Do I need a license ,gps tracker and submit flight plans for a model RC aircraft too ?

Depends on your location and flight altitude.

[realfunster]

21 hours ago, 0ffshore360 said:

Have seen a few  large units applying fertilizer to crops . Have they been operating illegally? They have cameras .

 

I was about the say the same, can’t remember where but I was minding my business upcountry somewhere when some Skynet-looking giant drone suddenly appeared crop-spraying in the field next door. Quite impressive it was. 
 

Maybe one of these https://ag.dji.com/t50

 

I can imagine Somchai and friends behind a tree having a good chuckle at my bemused expression. 

[johng]

On 10/29/2024 at 9:34 AM, KhunLA said:

Does it have GPS ?  Though actually better to learn operating if it doesn't.  Crashing mine on day one, cracked the GPS module, so I had to learn to operate with any electronic assistance.

 

No mine does not have a GPS  or camera .

 

[Gknrd]

Drones and the new Chinese submarine. Sounds like a plan.

[kickstart]

12 hours ago, realfunster said:

I was about the say the same, can’t remember where but I was minding my business upcountry somewhere when some Skynet-looking giant drone suddenly appeared crop-spraying in the field next door. Quite impressive it was. 
 

Maybe one of these https://ag.dji.com/t50

 

I can imagine Somchai and friends behind a tree having a good chuckle at my bemused expression. 

In my area Drons are very common used for spraying corn, Fall Army Worm is now a big problem in corn crops, also applying fertilizer to crops. spraying fungicides in rice crops, been about for 3  the price for hire has come down too, now about 80baht/Rie, almost cheaper than using a tractor ,and  you do not get the crop damage with drones.

Photo of a drone in a corn crop. 

[johng]

8 minutes ago, kickstart said:

now about 80baht/Rie, almost cheaper than using a tractor ,and  you do not get the crop damage with drones.

They used to do the same thing with airplanes  in the US  not sure it ever was a thing in Thailand   but drones  are probably a much cheaper option

even with the silly government red tape  ( could only be a sticky as a crop spraying aircraft regulations)

[kickstart]

1 minute ago, johng said:

They used to do the same thing with airplanes  in the US  not sure it ever was a thing in Thailand   but drones  are probably a much cheaper option

even with the silly government red tape  ( could only be a sticky as a crop spraying aircraft regulations)

As for red tape, have never asked a drone operator if he has a license or anything.

I would say this being Thailand, no one has a license.

One thing a drone, the battery packs, generator, and charger for the batteries can cost 350 000 baht, not cheap. 

The fields in Thailand would have been too small for an airplane.