Month: March 2020

SAM IS ....
Flock’s initiatives to help the drone industry

ARPAS-UK Member, Flock has launched a number of initiatives to help support customers, staff and the commercial drone industry during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

  • PLEDGING £10,000 TO THE FIGHT

Flock are committed to provide £10,000 of free insurance to organisations using drones to tackle coronavirus and the issues it is causing. Apply below to find out if you’re eligible.  ‍Learn more and apply

 

  • ADDITIONAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT

To ensure Flock continue to support their customers globally, they’ve extended their office hours and launched an emergency out-of-hours hotline. Reach them on live chat, email or phone at 02039665583.  Contact the team

 

  • FREEZE POLICIES FOR FREE

Many of their customers are having their commercial jobs cancelled due to Coronavirus. So Flock are extending the ability to pause policies to all of their subscription customers. Find out how

 

Ed Leon Klinger, CEO at Flock, has the following message: “As the situation develops, we will continue to listen carefully to our customers. We’re in this together; the Flock team and I are working hard (from home!) to do all we can to help. Please get in touch with me personally with any questions or suggestions.

 

SAM IS ....
SOARIZON by Thales and Iris Automation announce partnership

SOARIZON by Thales, the integrated drone operations technology provider, and Iris Automation, the leading detect-and-avoid (DAA) technology, today announced the formation of a new partnership. Together the companies will provide customers with Iris Automation’s leading DAA technology to enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations paired with SOARIZON’s complete drone operations management platform.

Based in San Francisco, Iris Automation is the market leader in DAA technology for UAS. Its modular system, Casia, is the first commercially available computer vision detect-and-avoid solution to enable BVLOS operations for autonomous vehicles. Casia enables a drone to truly understand and react to the aviation environment around it as if a pilot were on board.

SOARIZON’s partnership with Iris Automation supports the ambitions of both companies to promote safer use of the skies. The alliance will enable innovative testing and safe BVLOS projects, bringing together mission planning, compliance, remote ID and DAA capabilities, unlocking the future of unmanned flight for everyone.

With the SOARIZON ecosystem taking care of all aspects of drone operational planning, compliance and security, this new collaboration will enable organisations to push the boundaries of what’s possible with drones with new and innovative use cases.

Ben Orcan, Partnerships Manager at SOARIZON, said of the partnership: “We are thrilled to work with Iris Automation. The Casia system is the first of its kind and is at the forefront of innovation in unmanned flight. We already have exciting projects planned as part of this partnership and we look forward to demonstrating what our combined expertise and capabilities can achieve to further advance the drone economy.”

Tamiko Sianen, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Iris Automation, said: “SOARIZON is a leader in the drone industry, building the tools to meet the safety needs of operators and the public. Together, we are enabling scaled BVLOS operations by providing tactical deconfliction for customers in support of the services provided by SOARIZON.”

As part of the partnership, the two companies will provide a mutual discount on their products and services. SOARIZON users get a discount to Casia software licenses and Casia customers will get a discount on SOARIZON’s paid plans.

About SOARIZON by Thales:

SOARIZON empowers scaled UAS operations through its secure, compliant and efficient ecosystem. Combining best in class drone operational management capabilities, such as NOTAMs, airspace data and full risk assessment and compliance tools, SOARIZON enables enterprises of all sizes to maintain full visibility and control of drone operations, from planning through to approval and delivery. Find out more and sign up for free at www.SOARIZON.io

About Iris Automation:

Iris Automation is building a computer-vision-based avoidance system that helps drones see the world how pilots do. The company is based in San Francisco and is led by a team with experience at NASA, Boeing, and Nvidia, including PhDs in computer vision. Iris is a key partner on multiple FAA UAS Integration Pilot Programs, a participant of NASA’s Unmanned Traffic Management program and a participant of Transport Canada’s BVLOS Technology Demonstration Program. Learn more at www.irisonboard.com

 

MArch 16th 2020

SAM IS ....
National Covid-19 Drone Capability Taskforce

ARPAS-UK is coordinating a National “COVID-19″ Drone Capability Taskforce for the drone industry.

Behind the scenes we are working hard to push the capabilities of the drone industry and making sure that Government Departments are reminded of the expertise and capabilities of the Drone community in the UK.

Whilst we are considering several areas where drones could be used, we are particularly looking to relieve the current and future stress on resources in the Emergency Services. We are also looking at areas such as delivery of emergency food and medicine to vulnerable people, spraying of disinfectant, collection of imagery & video to help monitor various situations.

There are also current activities which could be expanded in scope because they reduce the risks to deliver vital inspections necessary to keep infrastructure running or maintain safety. These could include monitoring following flood or environmental activity and monitoring gas levels on sites.

It is also worth emphasising that drone operations do not involve large groups and reduce human presence directly on the ground and personal contact.

Note as a part of our GDPR commitment, but balancing the need to help where we can, the secure database created with this information will be destroyed when no longer required. If you could fill out the following, it would be really appreciated.

===========================

So, in preparedness for any possible callout, this is a request to the entire drone industry to ask whether you could help fight the battle against Coronavirus. We are aware there are 1000’s of Commercial Drone Operators out there, we may need your help.

27 March 2020

SAM IS ....
CAA: An update to our UAS operator community re COVID-19

An update to our UAS operator community on COVID-19

Following the recent and unprecedented COVID-19 developments, we thought it would be useful to provide an update to you all in respect of how we in the UAS Unit and the CAA more generally are working under these unprecedented circumstances. Given the measures recently announced by the Government, everyone in the UAS Unit is now working remotely until further notice. During this period, we will working in the following way:

In this issue:

Oversight and audits

We will continue to carry out oversight and audits but this will be carried out remotely using remote video programmes such as Skype or Facetime. If you are selected for an audit you will receive the necessary instructions as to how it will work. If for any reason we cannot obtain evidence this way we may ask that we delay your audit.

Assessments of initial, renewal and variation applications

Our Shared Services Centre’s UAS team will continue to process your applications in the usual way and you should not notice a difference in service.  Similarly the UAS Unit will continue to process OSC applications in the usual way. If for any reason our capacity and therefore time to process is impacted, we will let you all know.

Contact with third parties to inform and obtain control

The current advice from the World Health organisation and Public Health England regarding social distancing should allow you to continue to knock on doors to speak to householders if you need to get them under your control. It would be a matter for you if you think your journey is necessary or not.

Insurance and renewal of approvals

We appreciate that there may be some financial burdens placed on people throughout this unprecedented event. Unfortunately we are not in the position to allow operators to operate without a policy of insurance in place for each flight, and we are unable to renew a Permission without the appropriate fee as this covers the assessment of the operations manual which is required. We will continue to review this and welcome your feedback throughout this time.

NQE training

We have had a number of enquiries regarding attending NQE courses for ground school training and exams. We have contacted all the NQEs with an update on our advice and I would recommend speaking with your NQE if you have any queries.

We hope this communication provides some clarity on our mode of working throughout this period.

We understand the impact this is having on all of you and your ability to work. We are working closely with our colleagues in government on this and reviewing any requests we get from you on a case by case basis as to how we might take measures to make this period easier.

We are looking at this across the industry and as part of this the CAA has decided to delay the implementation of its overall proposed charge increases for three months to assist the UK aviation industry in these difficult times and will then keep this under review. You can see more information at Schemes of Charges

Thank for your ongoing understanding and we wish you all well during this uncertain time.

Regards

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Department

SAM IS ....
Flock interview Hummingbird Technologies

Flock interviewed Hummingbird Technologies’ Vice President Hendrik Knyphausen and Head of Operations Ben Smith on why they use Flock drone insurance.

Ben Smith: “It’s allowed us to be a lot more flexible, and not be worried about how much we’re spending on drone insurance.”

 

Both Flock and Hummingbird Technologies are ARPAS-UK Members.

 

Hummingbird Technologies 

Flock Insurance

 

SAM IS ....
New transport tech to be tested in biggest shake-up of laws in a generation

Making journeys easier, smarter and greener with new technology.

Image of a possible future scene involving people and transport.

 

  • call for evidence on UK transport laws launched to make journeys greener, easier and smarter
  • £90 million to trial tech including medical drone deliveries and e-scooters in 4 areas across UK
  • review will address how people across England can book buses on their phone in the same way as private hire vehicles

The government has today (16 March 2020) launched a consultation to make journeys easier, smarter and greener through new technology as part of the Future of Transport regulatory review.

The review will consider how we make small changes to our everyday travel decisions and whether we could choose to walk, cycle, bus or one day scoot instead of take the car.

Alongside the review, a £90 million funding boost will lead to trials of new transport innovation in 3 new ‘future transport zones’. The zones will provide real-world testing for experts, allowing them to work with a range of local bodies such as councils, hospitals, airports and universities to test innovative ways to transport people and goods.

The 3 new zones set to receive a share of the funding are in Portsmouth and Southampton, the West of England Combined Authority, and Derby and Nottingham – they will all join the existing West Midlands future of transport zone.

One of the projects tested will see drones carrying medical supplies from clinics on the Isle of Wight to hospitals on the mainland. This will help speed up diagnoses by cutting out time spent journeying on ferries and roads. Once trials are complete, the drones could eventually be used to transport chemotherapy kits to save time and potentially lives.

The government will also consult on the use of e-scooters and the impact they may have on UK transport. Requirements for both e-scooters and those using them are being explored to make sure they are safe for use on roads. This includes a minimum age and vehicle standards as well as insurance requirements. The review will also consider if local authorities should have extra powers to manage the impacts of e-scooters on public space, for example where they can be parked.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, said:

We are on the cusp of a transport revolution. Emerging technologies are ripping up the rulebook and changing the way people and goods move forever.

Our groundbreaking future of transport programme marks the biggest review of transport laws in a generation and will pave the way for exciting new transport technology to be tested, cementing the UK’s position as a world-leading innovator.

This review will ensure we understand the potential impacts of a wide range of new transport modes such as e-scooters, helping to properly inform any decisions on legalisation. Funding these new zones across the country will also help us safely test innovative ways to get around, creating a greener future transport system for us all.

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and COP26 President Alok Sharma said:

Decarbonising transport is key to ending our contribution to climate change. This review could drive down transport emissions by making greener ways to travel available to more people. Future Transport Zones will also help to spur low carbon innovation by providing our best and brightest researchers with testing facilities for the clean transport technologies of the future.

The government is also exploring ​how to test emerging technology in bus, taxi and private hire vehicle services, which could make journey planning and payment simpler and more seamless. For example, by reviewing regulations which could make it easier for bus services to operate in a similar way to on-demand taxis or private hire vehicles. The new winning future transport zones in the UK will test a range of innovations and discover new ways to help people and goods move around, including:

West of England Combined Authority will test innovative tech to bring together people, operators and authorities. The aim is to introduce booking platforms, giving people access to book one journey across multiple modes of transport through the click of a button. They will also work to trial self-driving cars to transport people between Bristol airport, central Bath and the Northern Arc.

Portsmouth and Southampton will test how new tech can improve travel in car-dominated areas outside of major cities and provide the ability to plan journeys through smartphone apps. New options for last-mile deliveries for freight will also be trialled including e-cargo bikes in cities, and using drones for medical deliveries.

Derby and Nottingham have been granted more than £15 million to invest in new ‘mobility hubs’ that integrate and encourage more widespread uptake of public transport, bike hire, car clubs and electric vehicles. It will also create a website and an app to improve information about transport choices and simplify payments for people when travelling.

Published 16 March 2020
From:
Department for Transport, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, and The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-transport-tech-to-be-tested-in-biggest-shake-up-of-laws-in-a-generation
SAM IS ....
Moonrock offer No Claims Discounts

ARPAS-UK Member, Moonrock Insurance, have started offering No Claims Discounts on their drone insurance.

This is great news for the future of the drone industry and we are delighted to see this happening.

 

Any commercial pilot with 2 years of no claims can apply for this insurance and will receive a discount.

 

 

www.moonrockinsurance.com

Twitter: @crazy4drones

FB: @moonrockinsurance

Tel: 02039 150555

SAM IS ....
Special Business Readiness Bulletin 

Important Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for businesses and employers

 

Business Support announced in the Budget

 

In today’s Budget the Chancellor announced a package of measures to provide support for public services, individuals and businesses affected by Covid-19.

 

The UK is extremely well prepared for these types of outbreaks and will continue to take all necessary precautions to protect the public, including engaging with key industry partners to discuss their preparedness planning. To ensure the impact on businesses is minimised, in today’s Budget the Chancellor outlined a comprehensive package of support.

 

A new Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, delivered by the British Business Bank, will enable businesses with a turnover of no more than £41m to apply for a loan of up to £1.2m, with the Government covering up to 80% of any losses with no fees. This will unlock up to £1 billion pounds to protect and support small businesses.

 

For businesses with fewer than 250 employees, the cost of providing 14 days of statutory sick pay per employee will be refunded by the Government in full. This will provide 2 million businesses with up to £2bn to cover the costs of large-scale sick leave.

 

A dedicated helpline has been set up to help businesses and self-employed individuals in financial distress and with outstanding tax liabilities to receive support with their tax affairs. Through this, businesses may be able to agree a bespoke Time to Pay arrangement.

 

There will be a £3,000 cash grant to 700,000 of our smallest businesses, delivered by Local Authorities, and worth a total of £2bn.

 

Finally, the Government is temporarily increasing the Business Rates retail discount in England to 100% for 2020-21 for properties below £51,000 rateable value. Nearly half of all business properties will not pay a penny of business rates.

 

 

Bank of England measures to respond to the economic shock from Covid-19

 

The Bank of England have also announced a comprehensive package of measures to help UK businesses and households bridge across the economic disruption that is likely to be associated with COVID-19. Interest rates have been reduced from 0.75% to 0.25% and additional funding will be available for banks to increase lending, especially to SMEs.

 

 

Online resources for businesses and employers

 

For the latest information and advice, employers and business owners should visit guidance for employers and businesses. Check the page regularly for updates and subscribe to receive email alerts.

 

Information includes:

 

Government is also advising businesses to build their own resilience by reviewing their business continuity, developing an understanding on the potential impacts to their supply chains, customers or other factors critical to their operations.

 

Public Health Advice – Business Continuity

 

The Government currently advises businesses to continue to operate as usual. There is presently no reason businesses or individuals should stop carrying out their daily activities as they normally would.

  • There is currently no need to close your workplace, cancel meetings or large-scale events or initiate working from home.
  • There is no need to close your workplace or send other staff home if a suspected case has recently been in your workplace, unless you have been directed to do so by the local Public Health England Health Protection Team.
  • Businesses are not being advised to cancel travel, except to at risk regions. FCO travel advice remains under constant review and the latest guidance can be found here.
  • Employees should continue to follow existing risk assessments and safe systems of work. There is no perceived increase in risk for handling post or freight from specified areas.
  • Sector specific guidance for care professionals, workers in education and other affected sectors is available on GOV.UK and updated regularly.

 

This is a rapidly evolving situation, which we are monitoring carefully. The situation is kept under constant review and any change in guidance will be based on scientific evidence. The Governments approach is clinically led, based on the expert advice of the UK’s Chief Medical Officer for England, the NHS and Public Health England. Businesses should check for daily updates at GOV.UK and subscribe to receive email alerts to ensure they are acting on the most up to date information.

 

 

Request for business intelligence: How is COVID-19 impacting businesses?

 

The Government is closely monitoring developments in relation to potential economic impacts on the UK economy and individual businesses and supply chain and we are keen that businesses feed back any specific concerns.

 

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy seeks business intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting individual businesses and business sectors.  We welcome information on:

  • The impacts across supply, demand and labour markets
  • Actions being taken by firms to address these impacts
  • Any gaps in the Government response from your perspective

 

Please send this information to intel@beis.gov.uk.  We understand that individual company information may be commercially sensitive, and it will be treated accordingly.

 

You can find all updated information produced by the Department for Health and Social Care and Public Health England here.

………

 

The regular bulletin will be sent out next week containing transition information.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

11 March 2020

 

Further information on Gov.uk  

SAM IS ....
Animal Dynamics Joins WeRobotics as Technology Partner

We’re delighted to announce that the cargo drone company Animal Dynamics is now a formal technology partner of WeRobotics and Flying Labs. There are many good reasons to be partnering with Animal Dynamics. Flying Labs in 25+ countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America are increasingly engaged in the use of cargo drones. This is the result of the rising demand for these solutions across the public health sector and beyond. The cargo drones solutions developed by Animal Dynamics will enable Flying Labs to expand the range of services they can offer in the future. To be sure, their platforms provide the kind of safety, range, and payload capacity that will appeal to a more significant number of partners across the Flying Labs network.

The fact that Animal Dynamics shares our commitment to localization is central to our partnership. The company aims to develop technology inspired by nature, with greater endurance, efficiency, and agility. This approach very much appeals to us. Founded in 2015 as a spin-out from The University of Oxford Zoology Department, Animal Dynamics combines insights from evolutionary biomechanics with cutting-edge engineering and software to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (or drones) that are efficient, safe and robust. At present, the company is focused on two key projects, Stork (pictured below) and Skeeter.

Stork is a heavy payload-capacity autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle. By combining paramotor technology with autonomous capability, the Stork system is an economically viable logistics solution. Current vehicles can carry 5kgs of payload over 50km. Vehicles are robust, damage-tolerant, and easily repairable. With short take-off and landing capability, Stork can operate in challenging conditions without the need for extensive ground infrastructure. The Animal Dynamics fleet logistics software package enables the rapid deployment and autonomous management of multiple Stork vehicles. Through inventory control and multiple vehicle launch and tracking, the Stork system offers a complete solution to last-mile logistics. Skeeter is a micro-drone inspired by the biology of dragonflies with high efficiency and endurance compared with rotor-blade models. Animal Dynamics is currently developing use cases for Skeeter in fields such as agriculture and emergency services.

Flying Labs are not new to cargo drones. They have been engaged in cargo drone projects since 2016. Peru Flying Labs, for example, has delivered medicines and blood samples in the Amazon Rainforest with BD; Nepal Flying Labs collected TB samples from remote clinics in Pyuthan with BNMT; Papua New Guinea Flying Labs ran cargo drone demos with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and Cameroon Flying Labs will soon be collecting patient samples for Polio testing with the CDC and World Health Organization. Also, we have worked on cargo drone projects with our partners in Brazil to reduce Zika and in Fiji to reduce Dengue. Last but not least, we offer a professional online course on the use of cargo drones for medical delivery. Participants who complete the course receive a certificate signed by MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, and WeRobotics.

We plan to announce several select cargo drone partners in 2020. These partnerships are vital to providing Flying Labs with the opportunity to select from a range of cargo solutions for their joint public health projects. This diversity in solutions is already true for mapping drones, given our formal partnerships with DJI, senseFly, and Parrot. As such, we expect to bring on three cargo drone partners this year who share our core values and commitment to The Power of Local.

19th February 2020

SAM IS ....
Schiebel CAMCOPTER® S-100 impresses at Sulphur Sniffer Capability Test

Schiebel, together with partner Nordic Unmanned, successfully completed a two-day test of its sniffer capability on board the CAMCOPTER® S-100 UAS in the shipping lane outside Gniben, Denmark.

IMO 2020 regulation

Ships operating in Europe’s busiest sea routes are permitted to emit exhaust fumes with a sulphur oxide content limited to no more than 0.1 percent.

Amongst other solutions that were put in place to enforce this International Maritime Organisation (IMO) 2020 regulation, one option is to use Unmanned Air Systems (UAS), such as the CAMCOPTER® S-100, equipped with a sulphur sniffer. The UAS flies through the ship’s exhaust plume to measure the sulphur emissions and uses its Automatic Identification System (AIS) to identify the ships.

Trial Flights

The CAMCOPTER® S-100 performed two successful flights of about four hours during the trial and provided compliant measurements of sulphur emissions. The certified sniffer provides live readings of the sulphur level in the ship’s exhaust plume.

In addition to the sulphur sniffer and the AIS, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 was equipped with an L3 Harris Wescam MX-10 real-time Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) camera.

CEO at Nordic Unmanned

Knut Roar Wiig, CEO at Nordic Unmanned said: “Due to the extensive operational experience in the maritime area as well as its endurance and ease of deployment, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 is the ideal aircraft to sniff out the polluters. The measurement test scored 10 out of 10 points and we demonstrated our capability as an operator and ability to quickly get the required authorisations to deploy and fly the service. We really look forward to helping maritime authorities in Europe and other parts of the world to enforce the IMO 2020 regulation by deploying our crew and the CAMCOPTER® S-100 to conduct sulphur emission monitoring. If a ship is not following the regulations, we will definitely sniff it out.”

 

From Armada International

March 4th, 2020