Members of the Chamber’s Young Executives Club had a fun and educational afternoon at the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) on 16 July learning about different types of drones and their various applications. They also had the opportunity to try their hand as a pilot, and fly the drones in designated routes.

Flying small unmanned aircraft (SUA), commonly known as drones, has become a popular recreation activity in Hong Kong in recent years – often for photography. But drones are not just for fun and they also have broad commercial uses. Being familiar with SUA technology has also emerged as one of the key “Industry 4.0” future skills, due to the versatility of drones in reindustrialisation. 

To tie in with the evolving development of SUA technology, the HKSAR Government gazetted a new law, known as the SUA Order, on 16 July to safeguard aviation and public safety. 

“Under this new law, drone users are required to register themselves, undergo training and pass tests for flying any aircraft heavier than 250 grams in Hong Kong,” said Samson Suen, General Manager, Smart Manufacturing of HKPC. Also, certain flying zones will be off-limits, except with prior permission by the Civil Aviation Department (CAD), to avoid risks to other aircraft.

To help drone users understand these safety oversight requirements and other SUA operations, HKPC has been working with CAD to develop a five-day training course that will pave the way to applying for CAD’s more advanced SUA pilot courses.