- No person shall operate an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, irrespective of the dimensions or maximum weight of that aircraft, for the purposes of obtaining, recording, or transmitting information, whether in the visible spectrum or otherwise, unless that person has obtained written authorization from the Authority to obtain, record, or transmit such information.
- A person wishing to use an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for any or all of the activities referenced in Paragraph (1) may submit a request in writing to the Authority, and shall include in the request –
- a) the name and address of the applicant and the name of the company for whom he is working, if applicable;
- b) a drawing or map reference showing the geographical area over which that person intends to operate the aircraft;
- c) details of the aircraft to be used, including the make, model, serial number and dimensions of the aircraft, as well as the type of power plant installed;
- d) the date and time period during which the applicant wishes to operate the aircraft;
- e) the purpose for which the information collected will be used;
- f) proof that the owner has liability insurance pursuant to the Civil Aviation Regulations currently in force;
- g) Security clearance for the applicable operation: and
- e) any other information requested by the Authority.
- Nothing in this Directive shall prevent the prosecution, conviction and punishment of any person for the breach of any other written Law of Guyana for the time being in force including but not limited to…
- a) Criminal Law Acts of Guyana
- b) Customs Act of Guyana
- c) Telecommunications Act of Guyana
21 Guyana
Green with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green. Green represents forest and foliage. Yellow stands for mineral resources and a bright future. White symbolizes Guyana’s rivers. Red signifies zeal and the sacrifice of the people. Black indicates perseverance. Also referred to by its nickname The Golden Arrowhead.
Flag courtesy of the CIA World Factbook
Map courtesy of CIA World Factbook
Kaieteur Falls is the world’s largest single-drop waterfall by volume.
Last updated on December 5, 2024
Government
According to Britannica, Guyana’s current constitution was promulgated on October 6, 1980. The country’s legislative branch consists of a unicameral National Assembly, with 65 elected members (elected by universal adult suffrage for a term of five years) and three non elected members plus the speaker. Forty members of the Assembly are elected from national party lists under a system of proportional representation; the remaining 25 members are elected by the administrative regions of the country. Executive power is vested in the president, who is the nominee of the party whose slate has received the most votes. The president appoints the cabinet, which is responsible to the National Assembly.
Local government is administered principally through the Regional Democratic Councils, each led by a chairman; they are elected for terms of up to five years and four months in each of the country’s 10 regions. Local communities are administered by village or city councils.
Guyana has two legal traditions, British common law and the Roman-Dutch code, the latter now largely relegated to matters of land tenure. The constitution is the supreme law of the land. The court structure consists of magistrate courts for civil claims of small monetary value and minor offenses; the High Court, with original and appellate jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters; and the Court of Appeal, with appellate authority in criminal cases. The Court of Appeal and the High Court together constitute the Supreme Court. In 2009 Guyana adopted the Caribbean Court of Justice as its final court of appeal, replacing the Privy Council.
Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
In March of 2002, the Government of Guyana established the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). This was made possible with the passage of the Civil Aviation Act (2000) in parliament of the same year. Formerly known as the Civil Aviation Department within the former Ministry of Public Works and Communications, now the Ministry of Works, the GCAA is responsible for managing and regulating the aviation sector in Guyana, ensuring their compliance with international standards.
The Minister of Works is responsible for the development of civil aviation in Guyana and has direct oversight of the GCAA. The Authority regulates and manages the aviation sector in accordance with the Civil Aviation Act (2018), and the Civil Aviation (Air Navigation) Regulations 2001, Air Transport (Licensing of Air Transport Services) Regulations 2001, The Civil Aviation (Security) Regulation 2004 and Civil Aviation (Air Traffic Services and Rules of the Air) Regulations 2006 made under the act.
Airspace
SkyVector – Google Maps – ADS-B Exchange
ICAO countries publish an Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). This document is divided into three parts: General (GEN), En Route (ENR) and Aerodromes (AD). ENR 1.4 details the types of airspace classes they chose to adopt from classes A through G. Guyana AIP
Drone Regulations
Applying for a Drone Permit
4 Simple Steps
- Submit a formally written letter addressed to the Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority requesting permission to operate. Email your letter to dronesunit@gcaa-gy.org;
- Attached the UAV Information Sheet along with a copy of your National Identification Card or the Bio Data Page of your passport (Foreign applicants) with the letter;
- A Drone Security Clearance Check will be conducted for each applicant (time span of security clearance is a minimum of 29 days)
- Drone Away
Aerial Surveillance
using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Operating a Drone
- No person shall operate an unmanned aerial vehicle in Guyana airspace without having first received written permission from the Civil Aviation Authority, unless such a vehicle is operating in accordance with Paragraph 13.
- A person who wishes to operate an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, other than in accordance with Paragraph 13, shall apply to the Authority in writing for approval and shall provide the Authority with the details of the intended operation.
- No person shall drop, cause to be dropped, or permit another person to drop any article or animal, whether or not attached to a parachute, from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle so as to endanger persons or property.
- No person shall use an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to tow any object during flight.
- The Pilot-in-Command of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle shall maintain direct, unaided visual contact with that aircraft, while it is in flight, sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft, persons, vehicles, vessels, and structures for the purpose of avoiding collisions, unless specific authorization to the contrary has been granted in writing by the Authority.
- The Pilot in Command of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle shall not fly the aircraft:
- a) within an aerodrome traffic zone unless the permission of the Authority and the permission of the applicable Air Traffic Control unit has first been obtained;
- b) at a height of more than 150 meters above the terrain;
- c) at a distance greater than 500 meters from the point at which he is positioned;
- d) at night or in low visibility conditions;
- e) over or near to private or public property without prior permission from the owner;
- f) in a reckless or unsafe manner; or
- g) over any establishment or zone designated in a Government notice as a prohibited area.
- The Pilot in Command of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle shall not fly the aircraft for the purposes of aerial work except in accordance with a permit granted by the Authority.
- An organization intending to operate an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in aerial work, may apply to the Authority for an Aerial Work Operator Certificate and will be required to present for approval, prior to commencing operations, an operations manual, which shall contain policies and procedures for the operations for which the organization intends to use the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, and which shall contain at least the following information;
- a) company organization;
- b) manual distribution and revision procedures;
- c) persons authorized to act on the organization’s behalf;
- d) staff training program;
- e) area of intended operations;
- f) a plan of intended activities;
- g) briefing of pilots and ground crew;
- h) communications procedures;
- i) accident and incident notification;
- j) record-keeping, including aircraft logbook;
- k) a maintenance program, based on the manufacturer’s instructions for maintaining the aircraft; and
- l) Emergency procedures, including but not limited to, emergency recall, loss of control datalink, or loss of visual contact.
- A Pilot in Command of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle shall not operate that aircraft in any of the circumstances below without first obtaining approval from the Authority:
- a) Over or within 150 meters of any congested area, or organized open-air assembly;
- b) within 100 meters of any vessel, vehicle, or structure, which is not under the control of the person accountable to the Authority for the aircraft, or someone who has contracted the services of the aircraft; or
- c) subject to Paragraph (11), within 50 meters of any person, either vertically or horizontally.
- No person shall operate an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle as the Pilot-in-Command of that vehicle, unless that person has in his possession the necessary Permit issued by the Authority pursuant to Paragraph 14.
- No person shall, during take-off or landing, operate an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle within 30 meters of any person, other than the Pilot or another person assisting in the operation and under the supervision of the pilot.
- No person shall operate an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for commercial operations unless the operator has presented to the Authority proof of possession of the necessary Liability Insurance.
- A person operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, weighing seven (7) kg or less, which is not being used for aerial work or any other commercial activity, and is not carrying any equipment capable of transmitting or receiving any information other than that required to control the vehicle in flight:
- a) Shall not be required to obtain a permit to operate the vehicle, but shall comply with all other restrictions and limitations of these Regulations; and
- b) Shall not operate the vehicle beyond visual range of the operator.
- A person wishing to operate as the Pilot-in-Command of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, as referred to in Paragraph (1), shall apply to the Authority for a permit to do so and the Authority may grant such a permit after –
- a) The person has provided the Authority with a certificate issued by an approved person or organization confirming that the person has been trained, tested, and found to be competent to operate as the pilot of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle; or
- b) has demonstrated to the Authority that he is competent to operate the aircraft safely by carrying out such maneuvers while in control of the aircraft as the Authority may require.
- The Authority may accept a certificate of training from another ICAO member state that has an acceptable framework of Regulations governing UAV operations and the training of pilot operators within their airspace.
- Non-conformity with the conditions of a Permit, operations outside of the limitations specified in this Directive, or failure to comply with the conditions approved in an operations manual, shall lead to the suspension of the Permit and will be considered a breach of the Guyana Civil Aviation Regulations.
Drone Safety
Share the air
GCAA – Promoting safety from the ground up.
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Regulations & Policies
None found by the author.
However, should you, the reader, happen to stumble across something to the contrary, please email the author at FISHE5CA@erau.edu and you may be mentioned in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section of this book by way of thanks for contributing to this free eBook!
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) News
None found by the author.
However, should you, the reader, happen to stumble across something to the contrary, please email the author at FISHE5CA@erau.edu and you may be mentioned in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section of this book by way of thanks for contributing to this free eBook!
Short Essay Questions
Question 1
You have been hired by a Drone Startup Company. Your boss has immediately assigned this job to you.
They need you to prepare a one-page memo detailing the legalities of using a drone to locate missing hikers at Kaieteur Falls, pictured above.
They need you to mention any national laws and local ordinances.
They specifically want to know what airspace (insert pictures) you will be operating in and whether or not you need an airspace authorization.
Does it matter whether or not you are a citizen of the country?
Lastly, there is a bonus for you if, as you scroll through this chapter, you find any typos or broken links!
Question 2
Do you need a certificate to fly UAS?
If so, how do you obtain one?
Are there fees associated with this?
If so, how much?
Question 3
May you operate beyond visual line of sight?
If so, what procedures must you follow?
Question 4
Does the country have UAM/AAM laws? If so, describe, citing the exact law.
Question 5
Are you aware of any new laws or policies not mentioned above? If so, describe, citing the exact law or policy.
