DroneAirspace

DroneAirspace Help Centre

Guides for South African drone pilots — flight planning, airspace, aviation risk, weather, terrain and DroneAirspace Pro.

DroneAirspace helps you understand what is around a planned location, what matters to that flight, and what you should investigate before operating. It is decision support — not regulatory approval or permission to fly.

Browse the categories below or search for a topic. Screen and button names match the app where possible.

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Getting Started

Set up DroneAirspace and plan your first operation with confidence.

What is DroneAirspace? An overview of DroneAirspace for South African drone pilots — flight planning and aviation risk awareness.
What DroneAirspace is not Clear boundaries: DroneAirspace does not approve flights, replace official briefings or guarantee complete data.
Planning your first flight Step-by-step: choose a location, set parameters and read your first briefing.
Selecting a location on the map How to choose and refine the planning point DroneAirspace analyses.
Using My Location Centre the map and plan from your current GPS position.
Setting planned height How planned height affects your briefing and the 400 ft AGL reference.
Setting operation radius Define the horizontal area DroneAirspace evaluates around your planning point.
Understanding the briefing screen Read the aviation risk summary, contributing factors and detail sections.

Airspace & Aviation

Understand South African airspace, aerodromes and official ATNS data on the map.

Understanding airspace on the map How controlled and other airspace appears on the DroneAirspace map.
Controlled airspace What controlled airspace means for drone operations in South Africa.
CTR, ATZ, TMA and CTA explained Plain-language guide to common South African airspace types on the map.
Aerodromes and heliports How airports, airfields and heliports appear in DroneAirspace.
Frequencies and operational contacts Radio frequencies and contact details for coordination (DroneAirspace Pro).
OR Tambo no-fly area Why the OR Tambo International vicinity is highlighted and what to do instead.
What a no-fly result means How to interpret a no-fly aviation risk outcome in DroneAirspace.
What unable to determine means When DroneAirspace cannot complete analysis and how to respond.
Clear airspace is not permission Why a lower-risk airspace picture does not authorise your flight.
Official ATNS aviation data How DroneAirspace uses ATNS-published aeronautical information.

Risk Assessment

How DroneAirspace evaluates aviation and operational risk for your planned operation.

How risk assessment works The logic behind DroneAirspace aviation risk results.
What contributes to aviation risk Airspace, aerodromes, terrain, weather and data confidence.
Risk levels explained What low, elevated and no-fly risk levels indicate.
Contributing factors explained How to read each factor line in your briefing.
Low risk is not authorisation Why a favourable risk result still requires full compliance.
Missing and uncertain data When data gaps affect confidence in your briefing.

Altitude & Terrain

Planned height, AGL, terrain variation and how elevation affects your briefing.

400 ft AGL reference The standard drone height reference used in DroneAirspace planning.
AGL vs AMSL Why above ground level and above mean sea level both matter.
Take-off elevation How ground height at your planning point affects analysis.
Planned height in your briefing How the height you set drives airspace and terrain checks.
Terrain variation in your operation area Why hills and valleys matter across your operation radius.
Terrain data limitations Resolution, accuracy and gaps in elevation models.
Terrain and airspace floors How ground elevation interacts with published airspace lower limits.

Weather

Wind, visibility, cloud base and how weather relates to — but does not replace — aviation risk.

Weather vs aviation risk Separate environmental conditions from airspace and regulatory factors.
Current wind and gusts Reading wind speed and gust information on the map and briefing.
Wind around 400 ft Why surface wind differs from wind at planned operating height.
Visibility and rain How reduced visibility and precipitation affect operational planning.
Cloud base Estimated cloud base height and staying clear of cloud.
Kp and geomagnetic activity What geomagnetic indices mean for drone operations.
Weather data source Open-Meteo and how weather is loaded in DroneAirspace.
When weather is unavailable What to do if weather data fails to load.
Good weather does not mean clear airspace Why fine conditions do not remove aviation risk.

Map & Layers

Map styles, aviation overlays, safety layers and imported KML/KMZ files.

Map styles Switch between standard, satellite and other base maps.
Aviation overlays Controlled airspace and published aviation boundaries on the map.
Aerodrome and heliport layers Show or hide airport and heliport symbols.
Safety layers Additional caution areas and published safety information on the map.
Imported KML and KMZ overlays Bring your own map layers with DroneAirspace Pro.
Official vs imported data Understand the difference between ATNS data and your own overlays.
Layer visibility and map clutter Manage which overlays are active for a clear planning view.

Flight Sites

Save, edit and reuse planned operation locations with DroneAirspace Pro.

Saving a flight site Store a planned location for repeat use (DroneAirspace Pro).
Editing a flight site Update name, parameters or notes for a saved site (Pro).
Deleting a flight site Remove a saved site you no longer need (Pro).
Saved sites after Pro expires What happens to your saved locations when Pro ends.
Repeat operations at saved sites Re-brief efficiently for regular flying locations.

Free vs Pro

What is included free, what Pro adds, and what subscription never changes.

What is included free Core DroneAirspace features available without a subscription.
What DroneAirspace Pro adds Nine Pro features for deeper planning and workflow.
Pro does not unlock permission to fly Subscription adds tools, not authorisation.
Restore purchases Recover DroneAirspace Pro on a new device or after reinstall.
Manage your subscription View, change or cancel DroneAirspace Pro through Apple.
Subscription troubleshooting When Pro features do not appear after purchase.

Data & Reliability

Where DroneAirspace data comes from, its limits and why you must verify before flying.

Data sources overview Where DroneAirspace information comes from at a glance.
ATNS aviation data in detail How official RSA aeronautical data is used and updated.
Open-Meteo weather data Model weather used for wind, visibility and related planning.
Offline and unavailable data What works without connectivity and what does not.
Stale data and updates Why briefings can lag and when to refresh.
Verify before every operation The final checklist DroneAirspace cannot complete for you.

Safety & Responsibility

Decision support, pilot responsibility and official authorisations in South Africa.

Decision support, not approval The core safety principle of DroneAirspace.
Remote pilot responsibility Your obligations under SACAA and good airmanship.
Permissions and authorisations Landowner, SACAA and ATS approvals explained.
Controlled airspace requirements What to arrange before operating near or inside controlled airspace.
Verify official sources Where to check NOTAMs, charts and SACAA guidance.
Planning tools vs legal authority Separate app output from regulatory decisions.

Privacy & Account

Location privacy, Apple subscriptions, local storage and the Privacy Policy.

No account required Use DroneAirspace without creating a Burger Labs login.
Location privacy How DroneAirspace uses your GPS position.
Apple subscriptions How DroneAirspace Pro billing works through Apple.
Privacy Policy Read the full Burger Labs Privacy Policy.
Local data storage What DroneAirspace keeps on your iPhone.

Troubleshooting

Fix common issues with weather, terrain, airspace data, location and subscriptions.

Weather not loading Fix missing or stuck weather in the briefing.
Terrain unavailable When elevation data is missing from your briefing.
Airspace data missing When controlled airspace overlays or briefing sections are empty.
Location permission denied Enable location for My Location and accurate planning.
Map not centring on location When the map does not move to your GPS position.
Subscription not unlocking Pro Pro features still locked after payment.
Unable to determine result Troubleshoot incomplete aviation risk analysis.
Stale planning location When the briefing does not match where the map shows.
Imported layer issues KML/KMZ files not displaying or rendering incorrectly.
Reinstall and update Recover from persistent issues with a clean install.

Contact & Support

How to reach Burger Labs support for DroneAirspace.

Contacting Burger Labs support Email support for DroneAirspace help and bug reports.

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Still need help?

If you cannot find an answer here, contact DroneAirspace support with your app version, device and a short description of what happened.

Contact support Back to DroneAirspace Privacy Policy

DroneAirspace does not grant permission or regulatory approval to fly. Always verify current official aeronautical information and operational requirements before an operation.