The Barbados UAV Association (BUAVA) has been made aware of comments concerning UAV usage in Barbados as it relates to a drone incident at the 2022 Cropover celebrations. We monitor all developments in the UAV sector worldwide but wish to remind all that our island experiences can differ from that of many other countries. Barbados and its citizens have always held the rule of law in high regard and there is little motivation for us to deviate from this tenant.

Drone/UAV usage is a huge industry worldwide, both recreationally and commercially. Drones are used positively in many aspects of daily life and business, from photography and video to industrial uses such as surveying, agriculture and emergency support.

Through consultation with representatives of the Government of Barbados in February 2018, BUAVA advised on a number of regulations governing drone usage. These same regulations are in use in several jurisdictions in the region and across the world with a similar environment to ours. The main proposals include:

• Drones should not fly higher than 400ft
• Drones should not fly within 5km of the airport
• Drones should not be flown over crowds or highways
• Recreational users should not fly over congested areas
• Commercial drone pilots should be trained, insured as well possess an Operations Manual

Added to this is that special permission would be required by trained commercial users for enhanced operations. Two examples of such operations may include special dispensation to fly within 5km of the airport or near crowds evident during events like the Independence Day Parade. In both cases additional notifications, sureties  and precautions would be in place to carry out legitimate business activity.

BUAVA has already facilitated training and testing for multiple local commercial operators who now have worldwide insurance coverage for drone operations. We reiterate that there is absolutely no need to reinvent the wheel or take extremely conservative positions within this sector that has immense foreign exchange earning potential.

The Barbados UAV Association (BUAVA) is a non-profit association comprising of recreational and commercial UAV operators in Barbados who endeavour to be responsible pilots that uphold the objectives of the Association. Further information can be found on our website at https://buava.bb