Annex 1
Applying for Approvals in Fiji and Tonga for October 2017 UAV Field Testing
Fiji
CAA Fiji outlined the following path to obtaining necessary approvals for UAV operation:
- Submit completed Form OP138 to CAA, accompanied by the following documents:
- Proposed pilots’ remote pilot licenses
- Letter of intent from the sponsoring organization, such as the World Bank
- UAV operations manual
- Third-party liability insurance cover letter
- Obtain permission from the operator of the airspace—i.e., Nadi Airport Tower (the air services provider at Nadi Airport for Airports Fiji Ltd.)—to operate up to 400 ft AGL via a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) request. [^16]
- File a TAF2000 form to obtain an import permit from the Telecommunications Authority of Fiji for all transmitting devices.[^17]
After processing submitted materials, CAA Fiji granted the approval to operate up to 200 ft AGL. However, for permission to operate up to 400 ft AGL, Airports Fiji Ltd. required submission of a NOTAM and provided the standard NOTAM request form to be filled out.
Table 7 presents the time needed for obtaining approvals in Fiji. The durations are based on the experience of an Australia-based firm with experience working and training with CAA Fiji and should thus be considered best-case scenarios.
Table 13. Time Needed for Obtaining Approvals in Fiji
The following list provides a breakdown of the documents that are required to be completed and submitted to obtain the Part 102 Exposition under the New Zealand CAA regulations which is valid for Tonga;
- RePL’s and Police checks of the proposed pilot’s
- Letter of intent from the World Bank
- Insurance cover letter
- Part 102 Exposition*
- Part 101 Compliance Matrix*
- Part 102 Compliance Matrix outlining the element by element compliance with the Part 102 Rules*
- UAV Operators Safety Management System
- UAV Operators Maintenance System Manual
- Aircraft/ Platform Flight Manuals
- Aircraft/ Platform Maintenance Manuals
- Fit and Proper Persons tests for key personnel.