Being Romantic Leads To A Fine Of IDR53 million, Violates The Rules Of Flying A Drone When Taking Pictures Of The Lover

Illustration (Photo by Mael BALLAND on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - His intention was only to take pictures of his lover in an unusual way. But this student was instead ordered to pay a fine of up to IDR53 million for violating the rules.

A student who flew a drone at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to take photos of his girlfriend and friend, was fined S$5,000 by a court Monday 10 October. He was proven to have violated drone regulations, as quoted from Channel News Asia.

Xu Zi Zhou (25 years) pleaded guilty to operating a drone without a valid activity permit within 5 km of Central airport. Two other charges relating to drone operation regulations were also considered.

Xu purchased a DJI Mavic Air 2 drone from the online shopping platform Shopee on May 28, 2021. This Chinese student with a student card picked up a 568.5g drone and made several test flights around the National University of Singapore, where he is studying.

On June 1, 2021, Xu met his girlfriend and one of his friends and continued his trip to Yunnan Park at NTU.

Xu used drones to take photos and videos of his girlfriend and friends there.

At around 16:30 that day, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) detected the drone flying at a maximum altitude of 518.37 feet (158m) above mean sea level and within 5 km of Central airport.

The CAAS officer sent to Yunnan Park saw Xu operating the drone and asked him to land it.

Based on the drone's flight record, Xu had flown it five times that day for a total flight time of 18 minutes.

According to CAAS regulations, a Class 2 activity permit is required for drone activities carried out outdoors under various conditions. This includes: If the drone will be used for recreational purposes and its total weight is 25kg or less, if the flight is within 5km of a civil aerodrome or military air base, and if the drone is being flown at an altitude of more than 200 feet above sea level.

If Xu applies for such a permit, CAAS will ask him to operate the drone in accordance with safe operating conditions.

For operating a drone within 5 km of Central airport without a valid activity permit, Xu could be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$50,000, or both.