After looking at the Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic Pro for some time, I decided on the Mavic Pro which I bought in August 2018, in Windhoek, Namibia through a local dealer.

  
  

In Namibia, the authority that control the airspace is the NCAA, see http://www.ncaa.com.na/sos-fops-rpa.htm

  
  

The application process for a commercial drone/UAV license consist of the following steps:

  
  

1.     Complete the RPAS Application form, downloadable from the website of NCAA. Unfortunately, one cannot apply online through the website.

  

2.     The application for commercial license must be accompanied by an official letter of application, which outlines the purpose of operations for the drone.

  

3.     Payment for the commercial license must be done prior to submitting the application form and letter. The amount is N$ 4,500.00 or about 277.75 EURO, very expensive.

  

4.     Another major requirement is third party liability insurance which is costing another N$ 4,366.56 or 271.65 EURO per year. The insurance cover third party bodily injuries and/or property damage.

  

5.     Also included in the application should be a map indicating the proposed areas of operations and co-ordinates in WGS84 format.

  
  

I got my approval letter from NCAA within 2 weeks after submitting every required document or proof there-off. The whole process is painstakingly time consuming and cumbersome, as well as expensive. There is only one company in Namibia that can provide third party liability insurance for drones, which is expensive also.

  
  

Travelling with the drone might be a problem, which I have not done yet. Inside Namibia, it has also proven to be a cumbersome exercise, because you need approval from authorities like town councils, municipalities and in cases where you want to fly in conservation areas and designated National Parks or Game Reserves you would need approval from the Ministry of Environment. I do have authorization from the Rehoboth Town Council to fly in and around areas under their jurisdiction. As for the City of Windhoek, our capital city, one needs to get approval from NCAA for each planned flight. This must be done 2 weeks in advance on a application form called the FSS-ANSSO-FORM015-18B-FUA or Flexible Use of Airspace Operations form.

  
  

Another tip, is to always get permission from the owners of properties or where ever you need to fly.  

  
  

My current equipment is the Mavic Pro, flymore combo, that included 2 additional batteries and 3 additional blades and the very nice shoulder bag. This makes for easy carrying. I also recently bought 2 additional batteries, which makes live easier in terms of how long I can stay in the air. This is also very useful for when I want to fly for some surveying and mapping projects, which at this stage is very hard to come by in Namibia. I also bought a pack of 4 ND filters, ND4, ND8, ND16 and ND32. These filters proved to be a very good investment because we have very bright sunny days almost all year round in Namibia.

  
  

For safety measures I have the UAV Forecast app installed on my mobile phone and always do a check of the weather, wind, etc. before flying. We are blessed with a lot of sunny weather all year around, sometimes the wind might be an issue, but I normally fly early mornings from 07h00 (GMT+2) and afternoons before sunset, from 17h30 (GMT+2).

  
  

You can view some of my work on my Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/rehobothdrones/

  
  

I have attached the relevant documents and letters of approval for your perusal and information.

Hope that the information is useful and thank you for the opportunity.

  

Thanks for sharing

Nice info!

Great information

HI - I am trying to download the attachment but it doesnt work. Any idea why - it says i do not have the permisson. thanks for your help

This is so useful! Was trying to figure out how to get insurance in Namibia so thank you for sharing. Were they a stickler for all the specs/information on the NCAA RPA application? Its most confusing - any notes are appreciated

Greg_swiss Posted at 2-28 00:40
HI - I am trying to download the attachment but it doesnt work. Any idea why - it says i do not have the permisson. thanks for your help

Hi, my apologies for responding so late. You should be able to download the links, if you're logged in to the forum.  If not let me know then I'll share with Google drive.

mictaylo Posted at 3-6 15:57
This is so useful! Was trying to figure out how to get insurance in Namibia so thank you for sharing. Were they a stickler for all the specs/information on the NCAA RPA application? Its most confusing - any notes are appreciated

Sorry, no really stand-out issues with the application at the moment. Just make sure you include a safety and operational manual, with the application.

Hi there. If I want to download your attachments it says that I am not permitted.
Can you help me out? Much appreciated.
Thanks

I posted this in another forum but those here might also want to take note of this:


So, as an update to this whole drone mess in Namibia....

1: ALL DRONES MUST BE REGISTERED!!!! (REGARDLESS OF WEIGHT!!!!!)
2: YOU WILL NEED 3rd PARTY LIABILITY ALONG WITH REGISTRATION!!!!!
3: IF YOUR DRONE HAS A CAMERA, YOU WILL NEED A CLASS III PILOTS LICENSE.
4: YOU CAN NOT FLY ANY DRONE IN NAMIBIA THAT IS EQUIPPED WITH A CAMERA OR ANY OTHER FORM OF RECORDING DEVICE!!! WITHOUT A CLASS III LICENSE!!!!!!
5: ALL NATIONAL PARKS ARE RESTRICTED NO FLY ZONES!!! THIS INCLUDES THE WHOLE COASTAL LINE IN NAMIBIA YOU WILL NEED SPECIAL WRITTEN AUTHORISATION FROM NCAA AND MET IN NAMIBIA
6: THE ABOVE PRETTY MUCH MEANS UNLESS YOU ARE A PART 107 OR SIMILAR eg. THE NAMIBIAN VERSION OF A CLASS III REGISTERED PILOT WITH A VALID LICENSE THEN THE ANSWER IS NO.

Sorry for the all caps, but it seems this is the only time people read stuff.

This is the long and short of it, conveniently everyone is leaving out this one small little regulation in subpart (2) (d) in the NAMCAR Part 101 regulations for drone operations in Namibia.

It is stated that a drone weighing less than 250g can be used for recreational purposes if :


(2) For the purposes of this regulation a RPA or RPA system is considered to be used in a recreational operation if the RPA is -
(Page 3 of 13)

(a) less than 250 grammes in gross weight;
(b) not powered by any fuel system;
(c) not capable of carrying any payload;
(d) not fitted with a camera or other similar recording device; and
(e) operated at a maximum height of 120 metres above ground level and at a lateral distance of 50 metres from the operator and a maximum speed of 10 knots.

Notice clause (d)...... This one clause will trump ALL the other clauses inside this regulation.
When the NCAA says and I quote: <everything described above is accurate, except for the fact we are getting stricter > I would like to know how exactly they get around clause (d) in section 2?

With this exact clause no drone in Namibia can be flown with a built in camera, and, if you plan to attach a gopro then check your weight WITH the attachments AND GoPro or action camera because I can guarantee you you are over the 250g mark. Not only that but it will bring into effect clause (c) as the action camera can be classed as a payload...

Any infractions are recorded with ALL current gear on the drone, and this one little clause can land you in hot water with the authorities, I wanted to get into this a s a hobby.
But, with that one little clause there is A: nowhere that I can even practice flying a drone other than my living room, and because it has a camera...... Well, you get my drift yes?
Sorry can not post a link here just type in REGULATION NAMCARS and you should be able to find the part 101 regulation  on that page.

Charles_Gibbs Posted at 4-20 08:25
I posted this in another forum but those here might also want to take note of this:

OK THANK YOU FOR THE INFO