The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (SHGM) of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has prepared a draft “Instruction for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems” on UAVs, the number and use of which has increased recently.
The draft, submitted for general comment, re-regulates the safety and technical procedures and principles for the design, production, marketing and operation of UAVs in Turkish airspace.
Accordingly, UAV operations are divided into three categories depending on risk: open, private and certified.
Those in the certified category can fly over crowded crowds and be used to transport people and dangerous goods.
For UAVs registered abroad, a flight permit is required 20 days in advance.
The application of plant protection products approved by UAV systems licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is not taken into account in the context of the transport of dangerous goods.
A certificate of airworthiness is issued by the DGCA for UAVs in the certified category.
Control is improved with the UAV tracking and traffic management system
SHGM, the authority authorized to carry out the registration, recording, inspection and authorization processes for UAV systems in Turkey, will establish and operate IHATTYS.
With the system being established to monitor and manage UAV traffic, instant location tracking and flight safety regulations will be possible centrally.
The General Directorate will manage the system's design and operational efforts to monitor the real-time location and flight status information of registered UAVs, publish and update in real time geographic area data in machine-readable digital format for operators, record flight permit applications, approvals and cancellations in an online and documentable format, and alert operators by detecting conflicts between multiple UAVs requesting the same airspace at the same time.
For agricultural operations carried out in free zones (green zone) and outside residential areas using UAV systems licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, notification through IHATTYS is sufficient and no additional operating license is required.
Administrative penalties for those who violate the instructions
The relevant criminal provisions of the Turkish Civil Aviation Law No. 2920 and the provisions of the Regulation on Administrative Penalties to be imposed by the DGCA shall be applied to those who violate the procedures and principles established in the Instruction.
The General Directorate may limit, suspend or cancel the operating licenses, light UAV operator certificate and pilot certificates of operators if, based on safety inspections, they are found not to comply with training requirements.
In the case of flights carried out without obtaining the necessary authorizations from the establishment or outside the designated areas, administrative sanctions will be initiated against the persons and companies concerned and a criminal complaint will be filed with the General Prosecutor's Office in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure for crimes.
Terrorism and privacy sensitivity
The operator and the pilot are obliged to take precautions against terrorist and illegal use of the UAV, and in the event of a violation of privacy, the provisions of the Turkish Penal Code apply.
The age limit for long-distance pilots operating UAVs in the open and private categories is 16 years. However, no minimum age limit is required for the operation of “C0 class” UAVs, for the use of UAVs with a maximum take-off weight of less than 500 grams and for flights under the direct control of a competent pilot over 16 years of age.
UAV operations registered abroad
If a UAV operator registered in another country wants to operate in Turkish airspace, he must provide the valid operating license from the authority of the country in which he is registered, as well as the risk analyzes requested by the General Directorate.
The General Directorate or the institutions and organizations commissioned by it confirm the suitability of the submitted permit for the planned location and the planned operating conditions and inform the operator about local location restrictions.
For all operations to be carried out in Turkish airspace by foreign-registered UAVs, an application must be submitted to the General Directorate and approval must be obtained at least 20 days in advance. In unforeseen situations such as emergencies, public security, press and media activities and disaster relief, the General Directorate may shorten the application period or issue a temporary flight permit without requiring this condition.
The recognition of foreign pilot licenses is assessed by the General Directorate within the framework of the principle of reciprocity and international agreements.
Registration requirement
Anyone operating in the private or certified category and those operating open category UAVs with a maximum take-off weight of 500 grams or more or with sensors for recording personal data such as cameras and microphones will be registered in the General Directorate system.
UAVs of the certified category and those with a maximum take-off weight of 150 kilograms and more are registered in the Aircraft Register of the General Directorate and receive an appropriate mark.
Registration and registration applications will be completed by the General Directorate no later than 15 working days after the completion of other relevant institutions.
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