Ultralight aerial vehicle flyers are petitioning the government to relax altitude restrictions and allow them to fly higher.
The nation’s number of certified ultralight aerial vehicles has grown from 22 in 2015 to 65 this year, while the number of certificates issued increased from 181 to 280, marking a steady growth in ultralight aerial vehicle operators, the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said.
Operators of ultralight aerial vehicles must be a part of legal groups and have a certificate of operation, the CAA said.
Photo courtesy of the Civil Aviation Administration
Those who contravene regulations can be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 (US$1,870 and US$9,351), it said, adding that it has recorded 54 contraventions and more than NT$5 million in fines over the past decade.
There are 21 locations nationwide capable of hosting ultralight vehicle flights, 10 of which have been approved for operating ultralight aerial vehicles, CAA Flight Standards Division director-general Wang Fu-min (王富民) said.
The CAA is collaborating with local governments to police unauthorized viable locations, Wang said.
Chinese Taipei Aerosports Federation Director-General Hsu Wen-chih (許文志) said the federation welcomed the government’s efforts to crack down on those flying in unauthorized areas, but hoped the government would reduce altitude restrictions from 2,000 feet to 3,000 feet .
Flying ultralight aerial devices below 1,000 feet in the US do not require a permit or certification, nor do state governments regulate them, Hsu said.
The federation only has approval to operate flights in Pingtung County’s Baolai Township (寶來) to Sandimen (三地門) region, and that many have complained that the restricted space “felt like a cage,” he added.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications Ultralight Aerial Vehicle Act (超輕型載具管理辦法), promulgated on March 22, 2004, and amended on Dec 12, 2022, defined ultralight aerial vehicles as fix-winged vehicles, paragliders, gyroplanes, paramotors and trikes.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS