What Farmers Should Expect from a Professional Drone Operator

Hiring someone to spray your farm by drone should involve more than a pilot arriving with an aircraft and pressing “start.”

A spray drone is both an aircraft and chemical-application equipment. Farmers should expect the operator to be properly licensed, insured, organised and able to provide clear records of the work completed.

The correct licences

For professional drone spraying in Victoria, several aviation and chemical-application licences are required.

The pilot should hold a CASA Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) covering the type and weight category of the drone being operated. The business must also hold a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator’s Certificate (ReOC) or operate under one.

For aerial chemical application in Victoria, the business must hold an RPA Agricultural Aircraft Operator Licence (RPA AAOL), while the person flying and spraying must hold an RPA Pilot Chemical Rating Licence (RPA PCRL). An Agricultural Chemical User Permit may also be required where certain restricted-use chemicals are involved.

A professional operator should be comfortable showing you evidence of their licences.

Swift Drone Solutions operates with the required aviation and Victorian aerial chemical-application licences. Maintaining these licences, training and operating standards is an essential part of how we protect our customers, neighbouring properties and the wider community.

Planning before the drone arrives

A professional operator should ask questions well before the day of spraying.

This may include requesting:

• A property map and clearly marked treatment areas

• The chemical and application plan

• Nearby houses, roads, livestock and sensitive crops

• Powerlines, trees and other flight hazards

• Safe locations for the pilot, batch tank and generator

The operator should also confirm that the proposed application complies with the product label, permits and any relevant restrictions.

Swift Drone Solutions does not provide agronomic advice. Chemical selection and application rates remain the responsibility of the farmer and their agronomist or chemical professional. Where support is needed, we can help guide you and connect customers with a trusted expert for free chemical recommendations.

Weather and spray-drift management

Weather conditions should be measured at the property—not judged solely from a phone forecast.

Before and during spraying, the operator should monitor factors such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature and humidity. They must also consider nearby sensitive areas, buffer requirements, droplet settings and the possibility of unsuitable conditions.

Sometimes the professional decision is to delay or stop spraying rather than force the job into the wrong weather.

Detailed records after every job

Victorian chemical-use records must include information such as the product used, application date and rate, treated area, exact location, wind speed and direction, and the details of the applicator and customer. These records must be prepared within 48 hours and retained for at least two years.

At Swift Drone Solutions, record keeping is not treated as an afterthought.

Following each spraying job, we provide the farmer with a detailed application report for their farm records. This includes:

• A map showing the drone’s spraying flight records

• The areas treated

• Chemicals and application rates recorded for the job

• Weather conditions measured on the property

• The date and relevant operational details

This gives the farmer a clear record of what was applied, where it was applied and under what conditions.

Appropriate insurance

A professional drone operator should also carry insurance suitable for commercial agricultural work, including aviation liability and chemical-application activities.

Swift Drone Solutions maintains appropriate insurance for our drone operations and chemical application work. Customers can request evidence of licensing and insurance before a job proceeds.

More than owning a spray drone

Owning an agricultural drone does not automatically make someone a professional aerial applicator.

Farmers should expect the right licences, suitable insurance, thorough planning, active weather monitoring, spray-drift controls and detailed records.

These responsibilities are extremely important to Swift Drone Solutions. Our aim is not simply to spray the paddock—it is to complete the work professionally and leave the farmer with confidence in how the entire operation was planned, performed and recorded.

Airborne precision. Ground-level results.

Contact Josh 0493 043 795 for all your drone spraying needs