Student who flew drone in NTU to take photos of girlfriend fined $5,000
SINGAPORE — A student wanted to take photos and videos of his girlfriend and her friend at a garden in Nanyang Technological University (NTU) so he decided to use a newly purchased drone.
For flouting regulations on the use of drones, Xu Zi Zhou, 25, was fined $5,000 on Monday (10 October), according to a report by CNA. Xu admitted to one count of using an unmanned aircraft within 5km of Tengah aerodrome without having a relevant permit. Another two charges on flouting rules related to unmanned aircraft operations were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) student from China bought a 568.5g drone from e-commerce platform Shopee on 28 May 2021 and took it for a few test flights at NUS, the report said.
Xu met his girlfriend and one of her friends and they went to Yunnan Garden in NTU. He took photos and videos of them using his drone.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) was alerted to the presence of the drone flying within 5km of Tengah aerodrome at a maximum altitude of 518.37 feet (158 metres).
CAAS officers who were sent to Yunnan Garden saw Xu using the drone and asked him to stop operating it. The drone was found to have been flown by Xu five times that day within 18 minutes.
According to CAAS' rules, a Class 2 activity permit has to be obtained for unmanned aircraft outdoor activities subject to various conditions.
Xu could have been jailed for a maximum of two years, fined up to $50,000, or both for his offence.
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