Month: February 2024

SAM IS ....
The Law Commission launches Consultation on Autonomous Flight

The Law Commission has been asked by the Civil Aviation Authority, (CAA) and Department for Transport (DfT) to review the law around autonomous flight, in order to support the safe development of rapidly advancing technology.

The three-year review is partly funded by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) through the Future Flight Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK and the Economic and Social Research Council. It will examine the existing legal framework to identify the challenges and opportunities linked to the introduction of highly automated systems into the aviation sector.

The project reviews existing legislation to identify any legislative blocks, gaps or uncertainties. The Commission will consult with key stakeholders in the aviation and innovation sectors, before proposing a series of law reforms that will ensure the UK is ready to take advantage of oncoming advances in automation.

The Consultation was launched on 26 February 2024 and will close on 27 May 2024.

A second consultation paper will be published in late 2024, followed by a final report in 2025.

For More Information & to take part in the Consultation

27 February 2024

SAM IS ....
PORTAL: Revolutionising Drone Infrastructure through automated launch and landing: webinar 9 May 2024 at 12noon

There are hundreds of eVTOL aircraft concepts currently in development, but what about the development of infrastructure to support these aircraft?

SLiNK-TECH is addressing this with their core technology called PORTAL – a deployable vertiport solution that provides integrated flight management at any location.

This talk, with John Goudie, CEO & Founder at SLiNK-Tech, explores the challenges with infrastructure deployments, discusses SLiNK-TECH’s automation first approach with PORTAL, and will share insights around the scaling challenges slowing widespread adoption of drones and air-taxis.

Also, one of the PORTAL project partners, Cambridge Sensoriis, will be supporting the webinar and Mac Exon-Taylor, Sales Director, will be highlighting the need for ground-to-air surveillance monitoring the airspace surrounding the vertiport, and the benefits of using radar as a sensor to address these requirements.  Sensoriis will also be launching an Air-to-Air-Radar which would be integrated onboard a drone and carry out the detect aspect of Detect-and-Avoid (DAA), for avoiding obstacles while inflight.

REGISTER

About the Speakers:

John Goudie, CEO & Founder at SLiNK-TECH

John holds over 14 years of hands-on development experience in aerospace and drone technology sectors.  He’s been involved with several drone development projects, including Facebook’s HAPS Internet Connectivity drone, Aquila, where he led system development.  Holding a degree from The Ohio State University, he possesses deep insights into UAS systems and automation and is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of drones to revolutionise logistics, seeing it as a key area for growth and innovation

His current company, SLiNK-TECH, provides enabling infrastructure for fully autonomous take-off and landing of future flight use cases, including delivery drones, inspection drones and UAM air taxis. SLiNK-TECH have won two UKRI Future Flight Challenge grants (December 2020, July 2022) and are currently leading Project PORTAL, in a consortia of seven organisations. 

Mac Exon-Taylor, Sales Director at Cambridge Sensoriis

Mac is a veteran of B2B technology-led companies in various sectors, with extensive experience in Sales, Consulting and Senior Management throughout Europe and Asia Pacific.

He is an experienced executive with a highly consultative and articulate style, specialising in taking lead roles in early-stage companies, pioneering new markets, and developing a scalable sales process.

He is an Operational Research graduate from the University of Lancaster and a passionate sportsperson. 

SAM IS ....
UK rejoins Horizon: Funding Opportunities

Horizon Europe Helps Make It Happen

Last Autumn, the UK agreed to join Horizon Europe – giving UK businesses and researchers access to the world’s largest research and development collaboration programme. As part of a push to drive up applications, businesses and researchers are being encouraged to seize the enormous opportunities presented by the programme. The average Horizon Europe grant is worth £450,000 to a UK business.

Horizon Europe is the world’s largest Research and Innovation (R&I) programme, with a budget of over £82bn. The programme runs from 2021 to 2027, and it is open to all types of R&I organisations, including large businesses, SMEs, academia, public institutions and third sector organisations.

The UK has historically been one of the best performers in Horizon Europe, and on average successful UK applicants to Pillar 2 and Pillar 3 receive around £450,000 although this figure could be much higher. A key part of Horizon Europe is building consortia with partners around the world, particularly now that UK entities can lead projects.

Find out More

About Horizon Europe: It is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion. It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.

The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.

It creates jobs, fully engages the EU’s talent pool, boosts economic growth, promotes industrial competitiveness and optimises investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.

Legal entities from the EU and associated countries can participate.

SAM IS ....
Changes Coming at Companies House

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act received royal assent on 26 October 2023.  

The act gives Companies House the power to play a more significant role in tackling economic crime and supporting economic growth. Over time, the measures will lead to improved transparency and more accurate and trusted information on their registers.  

There’ll be new responsibilities for: 

  • all new and existing company directors 
  • people with significant control of a company (PSCs) 
  • anyone who files on behalf of a company 

Companies House is aiming to introduce the first set of changes on 4 March 2024. Find out what’s changing for you and your company, so you can take action at the right time. 

The act will lead to improved transparency and more accurate and trusted information on our registers, driving confidence in the UK economy.

February 2024

SAM IS ....
MOD Defence Drone Strategy

The return of war to Europe has demonstrated the essential requirement for a resilient, robust and agile approach to Defence procurement. The Integrated Review Refresh and Defence Command Paper recognise this challenge and underline the importance of overhauling our acquisition system to ensure operational advantage. The conflict in Ukraine has become a very visible representation of a ‘new way of war’, one characterised by innovation, the proliferation of technology, digitisation of the battlefield and the need to rapidly develop capability fit for the tempo of operations.

There is no clearer example than the development and employment of uncrewed systems, where low-cost solutions are increasingly defeating more exquisite capabilities and delivering disproportionate impact on the battlefield. The UK must learn from the Ukrainian experience, amongst other lessons, to position ourselves as a world leader in uncrewed systems. This will require changes in our processes, culture and relationship with industry. We will need to foster a culture of delivery-focused innovation across Defence, able to rapidly pull research & development (R&D) breakthroughs into the frontline. The UK’s leading manufacturing, robotics and digital sectors will be vital in supporting Defence.

Our approach to uncrewed systems will drive a more deliberate and coherent partnership with our industrial base, ensuring vital onshore resilience and component stockpiles. In close partnership with industry, we will spirally and collaboratively develop platforms and components to keep up with relentless cycles of battlefield adaptation, whilst driving sovereign industrial strength – and the export opportunities necessary to reinforce such resilience. We will also work across Government to foster a pro-innovation regulatory environment, delivering the ability for uncrewed military platforms to be tested as effectively as possible on UK sites, and within our sovereign airspace.

Ultimately, to the perennial procurement question of mass, I am clear that looking ahead it is in the uncrewed space that we will increasingly drive the mass of our forces, whilst in parallel strengthening the lethality and survivability of all our platforms and personnel. If we can deliver the technological and industrial base to drive excellence in our performance and production of uncrewed systems, command and control and software, we will deliver a more potent total military effect in a way that truly strengthens our overall deterrence.

The core objectives are to:

  • expedite the adoption of acquisition reform
  • build a resilient industrial base able to scale in a time of war
  • define digital and integration standards for seamless operational integration
  • foster a culture of innovation to exploit technology at the leading edge and unleash the ingenuity of our people
Read the Paper

James Cartlidge MP

Minister for Defence Procurement

22 February 2024

SAM IS ....
CAA DISCO webpage

In previous consultations, we had advocated (among others)  for a  clearly sign-posted website to get information, and the use of modern ways to communicate. Here are a couple of new useful communications pages you should keep an eye on:

22 February 2024

SAM IS ....
Shadow Busting: How to get Better Images & Data – Webinar Watch Again

Data lost in highlights and shadows can lead to less accurate AT tie points models and meshes. And missed AT and defects.  This Webinar shows you some of things you can do to save a mission or mitigate the effects of sunny day and moving shadows on low lit mornings and evenings, extending the hours you can fly and improving the consistency of your images.

About the Speaker:

Barry Bassnett has been a photogrammetrist cartographer and surveyor for 43 years, working on projects in over 80 countries, and a few planets. He is passionate about improving imagery for digital heritage workflows in photogrammetry, inspection imagery, sub-millimetre large scale metrology and object documentation.

View Barry’s LinkedIn Profile

SAM IS ....
February 16 2024 Drone Related Jobs

Disclaimer: All jobs posted here are from LinkedIn and other job sites including member and non-member organizations.

Dales Surveying Ltd: Trainee Drone Surveyor & Admin Assistant

Skyports Infrastructure: Flight Operations Remote Pilot

Cyberhawk: PHP Laravel Software Engineer

Zeitview (previously DroneBase): Operations and Customer Services Coordinator, Wind Vertical (Drone) Based in EU or UK

Adaptive Surveys: UAV Pilot

Windworkx:

Several roles, incl: Embedded Software/Firmware Engineer, Security Engineer – Cryptography, IOT Security Analyst, Product Manager

Norelo Ltd: Drone Pilot

SAM IS ....
Women in Aviation & Aerospace Charter

With International Women’s Day – 8 March 2024 – on the horizon, we thought this a good opportunity to remind our members and the wider drone industry of who and what the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter is.

The Charter was founded in 2018 at the Farnborough International Airshow with over 200 companies committing to supporting women in a more balanced and fair industry for women. The aviation and aerospace sectors are world-leading, and to sustain this industry we need to ensure that we have access to a diverse range of innovators and leaders of the future. With currently fewer than 5% of commercial pilots, and fewer again in the drone industry, being women, there is a recognised shortage of women in this sector.

The Charter looks to support the progression of women into senior roles in the aviation and aerospace sectors, and aspires to see gender balance at all levels across aviation and aerospace. It recognises that a balanced workforce is good for business – it is good for customers and consumers, for profitability and workplace culture, and is increasingly attractive for investors. In becoming a signatory, organisations are pledging their actions to help make this a reality.

Signatories and supporting organisations from within the drone industry include (abridged): ARPAS-UK, The Civil Aviation Authority, The Department for Transport, Cranfield University, ADS, Draken, NATS, The Royal Aeronautical Society and many more.

Highlights of the organisation are the practical steps that are advocated via the Resource Hub, with a step by step guide on the journey to gender balance. Many of these lessons can be applied to other personnel areas too and are highly recommended reading for diversity and inclusivity of all people in the workforce.

ARPAS-UK signed the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter as a Supporting Signatory in the autumn of 2019 and we recommend other companies in the drone industry to join too. With practical resources and networking events, why not benefit from the knowledge and experience of others in the aviation and aerospace industry?

Contact WiAA for more information

Other resources for supporting women in your company:

SAM IS ....
CAA: BVLOS Within Atypical Air Environments – podcast & consultation

Callum Holland from the Future Safety and Innovation Team discusses the UK CAA’s proposed policy on unlocking beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations using an Atypical Air Environment.

Hear how this could work in practice and how your views can help shape the final policy.

Link to Podcast
Link to Consultation (Closed 2 April 2024)

14 February 2024