drones

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CAA announced the 6 new projects selected for BVLOS drone flight trials in the UK

Six projects have been selected for trials under a new UK Civil Aviation Authority scheme that will test drone use in deliveries, inspections of infrastructure, emergency services and flights to remote locations.

The regulator has chosen the trials to take place that will help safely integrate drones flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of their operator into UK airspace, helping to make this vital extension to drone flying an everyday reality.

BVLOS flights will be carried out at distances beyond the flyer’s ability to see the drone. These flights use advanced technologies for navigation, control and to detect other aircraft.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has selected the projects, including:

  • Amazon Prime Air; (consumer drone deliveries)
  • Airspection; (inspecting offshore windfarms)
  • National Police Air Service; (NPAS) (exploring uncrewed aircraft use in policing)
  • NATS; (BVLOS inspections over the North Sea)
  • Project SATE; (Sustainable Aviation Test Environment) (flights to Orkney)
  • Project Lifeline; (medical deliveries)

The trials will gather key safety data, such as how drones detect and avoid other aircraft, the electronic signals they can send to be able to be visible to other airspace users and air traffic control.

This will support the regulator’s ongoing development of policy and regulations so that drone flights can be fully integrated with other airspace users.

Sophie O’Sullivan, Director of Future of Flight at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:

“These innovative trials mark a significant step forward in integrating drones safely into UK airspace. By supporting projects ranging from consumer deliveries to critical infrastructure inspections, we are gathering essential data to shape future policies and regulations.

“Our goal is to make drone operations beyond visual line of sight a safe and everyday reality, contributing to the modernisation of UK airspace and the incorporation of new technology into our skies.”

The UK Civil Aviation Authority invited organisations to bid to participate in an innovation sandbox to validate and test their concepts, supporting the development of BVLOS capabilities.

Innovation sandboxes are controlled environments where organisations can test and further develop their new technology against the regulatory framework, helping applicants maximise the readiness of their innovation, and also help the UK Civil Aviation Authority better evolve regulations to better support both innovators and existing users.

The BVLOS sandbox is part of a collaboration with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) that is supporting the creation of the aviation ecosystem needed to accelerate the introduction of advanced air mobility (AAM), drones, and electric sub-regional aircraft in the UK.

Simon Masters, Future Flight Challenge Deputy Director at UK Research and Innovation, said:

“The UKRI Future Flight challenge team are excited to be working in partnership with the UK Civil Aviation Authority, working together to accelerate the introduction of drone operations in the UK.

“These have the potential to transform how we deliver goods and provide services, particularly in less well-connected regions. These new sandbox projects are a great step towards realising these ambitions.”

The new trials will also help develop plans for how drones can be safely integrated with other airspace users, as part of the regulator’s wider Airspace Modernisation Strategy.

The projects included in the trial are:

Amazon Prime Air  

  • Prime Air is a delivery system from Amazon designed to safely get small packages to customers in less than an hour using drones.

Airspection

  • The Airspection – Scalable Offshore Wind Project aim to provide safe and reliable drone services for remote infrastructure. Accessing offshore wind turbines is currently a major challenge for the industry. Supported by a world leading offshore wind developer, this project aims to develop scalable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations for offshore wind farms to enhance safety, reliability and environmental impact. The project will be trialled at an offshore wind farm and will serve as the foundation for remote drone services in this industry, reducing the need for vessels, minimising carbon emissions, and supporting the expansion of the UK offshore energy industry.

NPAS 

  • In 2021, the National Police Air Service established its Futures & Innovation Team. The team’s objectives were to investigate Beyond Visual Line of Sight capabilities and its potential adoption as part of a blended fleet.

    NPAS’s ambition is to fly an uncrewed aircraft, beyond visual line of sight, over a six month period, in an environment that is representative of where NPAS crewed aircraft would be tasked. It will look to test, and verify, not only the payload capabilities, which are identical to the performance of our crewed aircraft, but also validate the onboard DAA capabilities. This will allow NPAS to understand better what future air support capabilities it could adopt.

NATS 

  • NATS Services, aligned with the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy, is committed to working towards an airspace that’s safe and integrated for all users. In support of this ambition, we are delighted to be working with the CAA, Flylogix and wider partners to enable this pioneering project over the North Sea.
  • This is a chance for us to introduce and evaluate our early BVLOS approval services, something we hope will support and encourage the development of beyond visual line of sight drone operations across the UK.

Project SATE 

  • The Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) intends to develop a trial airspace test environment, the Trial Orkney Test Zone, and will test integrated manned and unmanned aircraft operations from Kirkwall Airport. The test zone will be specifically designed to enable a wide range of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platforms to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) trials and operations in unsegregated Class G airspace. It will demonstrate the feasibility of operating a drone Hub-and-Spoke route network within unsegregated airspace based on integrated operations from Kirkwall airport (the hub) to the Orkney Island Council airfields and other use cases located across the Orkney archipelago.  
  • Consortium partner Highland and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) will lead the project in conjunction with fellow partner Windracers.  HIAL has a wealth of experience in airspace management, air traffic service provision and airport operations and Windracers bring extensive experience having operated their medium-lift long range Ultra drone in BVLOS trials in diverse environments.

Project Lifeline  

  • The LifeLine project is key to using drones for emergency medical services, delivering critical medical equipment—such as defibrillators (AEDs), EPI pens, and anti-bleeding kits—faster than ever before. The project also enhances first responders’ effectiveness by providing live camera feeds, which significantly improve situational awareness and decision-making during emergencies.
  • The initiative is driven by the expertise of Air Ambulance Charity KSS, Everdrone, Altitude Angel, NATS, and London Gatwick Airport, each contributing to the advancement of drone technology and airspace integration. The Everdrone system, already successfully utilized in live operations across Sweden, now brings its proven life-saving capabilities to the UK through these crucial trials.
  • Read the CAA post HERE.
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Protected: ARPAS-UK launches BVLOS SIG Manifesto and SIG Launch Event

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SkyLift announce the success of their most recent offshore heavy lift project with Ørsted

Over the course of just 10 flying days, SkyLift successfully delivered 5,460 kg of cargo to 94 wind turbines—an impressive 94 deliveries! In one day alone, they moved 1,150 kg of cargo. This achievement showcases the power of precision and teamwork.

The 70 kg drones – which have a wingspan of 2.6 m – can transport up to 100 kg of cargo and will help improve operational efficiency and safety while reducing carbon emissions from operating an offshore wind farm.

In this specific case, Orsted decided to update some critical evacuation and safety equipment in each of the wind turbines at the Dutch offshore wind farm. Normally, a vessel would sail from one wind turbine to the next, using several different cranes to lift each box to the top of the wind turbine. Instead, the drone simply flew back and forth from an offshore supply vessel directly to the top of the nacelle, allowing the company to update the equipment 10-15 times faster than normally.

This pioneering move marks a significant leap forward in operational efficiency and safety in the offshore wind industry.  The drone flight from the vessel to the turbine takes about four minutes per turbine, while the conventional approach without using drones can take approx. six hours. Taking vessel transport between the turbines and from-and-to shore into account, Ørsted has been able to complete the tasks at Borssele 10-15 times faster than normally.

Drones will reduce costs and time, improve operational safety and efficiency and will reduce carbon emissions due to fewer journeys by ship. This will all lead to further improve the commercial fundamentals of offshore wind for investors, governments, and corporations.

Read Moonrock’s interview with Harry Getliffe, COO of SkyLift.

Both SkyLift and Moonrock Drone Insurance are ARPAS-UK Members

21 August 2024

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Tips: CAP2606 PDRA01 Ops Manual template is a proposed AMC, is it mandatory or optional?

Source: written exchange with CAA representative, July 2024

CAP2606 is a suggested format for a PDRA01 Operations Manual Template, but optional, the CAA do suggest operators use the provided template as it provides Operators with an easy-to-use method of complying with the regulations set out in CAP722H.

Q: Can operators continue to use and update their existing PDRA01 Operations Manual, reflecting as need be the CAP2606 recommendations?

Operators can continue to use and update their existing Operations Manual as long as they continue to fulfil their obligations as per UK Reg (EU) 2019/947 UAS.SPEC.050.

Note from ARPAS-UK: CAP2606 Ops Manual template is a proposed means of compliance to the operator’s obligation as per UK Reg (EU) 2019/947 UAS.SPEC.050 “Responsibilities of the UAS operator”. It is comprehensive, and in a way takes the Operator’s professionalism to an “OSC-ready” level since the underlying assumption is the maximum risk level under PDRA01. Many operators likely operate at the other end of the PDRA01 spectrum, where simpler Operations Manual and checklists could be sufficient.

Q: Will the CAA issue a guidance document to highlight the required info for those who will keep their existing Vol1?

Currently the CAA does not intend to issue further guidance for ad-hoc Operation Manual types, instead recommending that Operators move to the template suggested in CAP2606.

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23 August 2024 Drone Related Jobs

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

Coptrz is looking to recruit a UAS Training Instructor.

View Job

Blue Bear is looking to recruit multiple roles:

View Jobs

Evolve Dynamics are looking to recruit for 2 roles:

  • Senior Finance Partner
  • Field Support Engineer
  • View Jobs

Dales Surveying is looking to recruit a Data Processor

View Job

Callen-Lenz & Malloy are looking to recruit multiple roles:

View Jobs

Certo Aerospace is looking to recruit 4 roles:

  • Senior Mechanical Design Engineer
  • Design Engineer
  • Development Technician
  • Remote Pilot
  • View Details

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Westcott Showcase: Accelerating Space Innovation: 19 September 2024

Time: 10am – 5pm

Location: Westcott Venture Park, Near Aylesbury HP18 0PH

Join an exciting event showcasing the future of the UK Space Sector.

This year’s event offers a unique opportunity to listen to informative talks from industry thought leaders, explore cutting-edge on-site capabilities, network with key players in the field, and delve into topics such as UK Space Sector trends, drones and regulation, space sustainability, university collaborations, and inspiring success stories from professionals in the space industry.

Agenda

• Registration & Networking: 10am – 10.30am

• Welcome: 10:30am

• Talks: 11:00am – 4:00pm

• Tours: 11:00am – 4:00pm

• Lunch & networking: 12noon – 1:00pm

• Afternoon tea & drinks: 4:00pm – 5:00pm

More information & Register
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CAA CONSULTATION ON SAIL MARK AND RAE-F POLICIES DUE 8 NOV

The CAA has launched its consultation on the proposed RAE(F) and SAIL Mark Policy, for UAS in the Specific Category. These policy proposals are linked to the UK SORA, which is also under consultation, here.

This consultation forms part of the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) ongoing work to enable Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to operate in UK Airspace in the Specific Category, a key component of the CAA Future of Flight Programme.

The CAA would like stakeholders to give us their views. 

Take part in the CAA Consultation >>

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UP Rating – A new method for judging pilot competency for test flight operations: WATCH AGAIN

When conducting non-routine test flight operations, flying organisations face the challenge of judging what pilot competency is needed for a particular mission. Often, we rely on a review of the experience of that pilot, but this leads to a wide margin of subjectivity. Frazer-Nash Consultancy have developed a novel framework for quantifying the competence of UAS pilots to enable safe and effective operations in these scenarios.

Join us to learn more as we roll out this framework on pilot competency for open use.

About the Speaker:

Zack Seymour, Senior Engineer, Uncrewed Air Systems

Zack is a Senior Engineer in the Frazer­-Nash Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) group. Zack has three years’ experience in Systems Integration, with notable projects including the development of UAS hardware and software to meet a specialist military surveying requirement and supporting the development of an automated electrical substation inspection capability.

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Enhancing Drone as First Responder Programs with uAvionix’s Casia G Nighttime Capability

In recent years, the use of drones in emergency response has revolutionized the way first responders handle critical situations. Among the cutting-edge technologies enabling this transformation is uAvionix’s Casia G. As a key component of Drone as a First Responder (DFR) programs, Casia G detects aircraft flying around drone operations, allowing potential collisions to be avoided. To support the growth of these public safety programs, uAvionix is excited to announce a significant development: the Casia G will soon support nighttime operations, broadening its utility and effectiveness for emergency services.

The applications of Casia G are diverse, including supporting inspections of construction sites and critical infrastructure, as well as monitoring rail yards and solar farms. However, its most impactful use is in DFR programs. When an emergency call is made, having a drone on the scene first provides invaluable situational awareness to police, fire, and emergency services, ensuring a more efficient and safer response.

Casia G is foundational to the enablement of DFR programs, facilitating rapid deployment of drones to emergency scenes. The system alerts operators to nearby aircraft and allows them to safely operate drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) without the need for human visual observers. This means that drone pilots can rapidly launch and control the aircraft from remote locations prior to responders arriving on the scene with full approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“Casia G has become a critical piece of infrastructure, enabling organizations to fly BVLOS without human visual observers,” explains Jason Hardy-Smith, VP of Product at uAvionix. “This allows DFR drone pilots to be remote from the UAS during flight and expedites the time from when an emergency call comes in to when a drone is on-site and providing better situational awareness to emergency responders.”

Currently, Casia G operates effectively from half an hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset. However, recognizing that many emergencies occur at night, uAvionix has prioritized the development of nighttime capability. Drew Swift of the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office elaborates, “Crime doesn’t stop when it gets dark. In fact, a very high percentage of serious crime occurs after the sun sets. UAS are a critical tool in our arsenal to react in an efficient and timely manner to 911 calls, providing us the situational awareness to protect both the public and officers. As such, having DAA [Detect and Avoid] capabilities 24/7 is absolutely necessary.”

The upcoming nighttime functionality, slated for release in October 2024, is an exciting advancement. The existing hardware and cameras will be used, leveraging built-in GPS to determine the precise time of dusk at each location. As darkness falls, Casia G will automatically switch to night mode, adjusting camera settings and utilizing a new algorithm designed to detect navigation and anti-collision lights on an aircraft.

As seen in the following video, the algorithm has demonstrated impressive capabilities, with initial performance reports indicating that the detection range at night will be equal to or even surpass that of daytime operations. “All in all, it’s a really exciting development. We found that we’re able to use the same hardware and cameras as our daytime solution,” Hardy-Smith notes. “With just a software update, we’ll be able to bring nighttime detection of aircraft to Casia G customers, and we’ll be delivering it this October.”

The introduction of nighttime operations for Casia G will significantly enhance the effectiveness of DFR programs, ensuring that drones can provide critical situational awareness regardless of the time of day. This development underscores uAvionix’s commitment to advancing drone technology to meet the evolving needs of emergency services, making communities safer and response times faster.

As we approach the launch of this groundbreaking feature, uAvionix continues to lead the way in integrating innovative solutions into public safety operations. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to October 2024, and witness firsthand how Casia G is transforming DFR programs across the nation.

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Test Site Requirements for Aviation Innovators: KEY FINDINGS of CAA Consultation

The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority is looking to facilitate the development of safe and useful RPAS and AAM test sites, where market entrants can test and evaluate their products.

This document is the summary of the key findings of the consultation exercise conducted to understand innovators’ key requirements of test facilities for their novel products.

The CAA aims to support rapid aviation innovation by understanding and addressing the needs of operators and manufacturers during testing. A survey conducted in June 2023 highlighted diverse needs and regulatory barriers faced by the industry.

The CAA has established a Test and Evaluation team, issued new policies for RPAS modifications, and begun collaborating with the Ministry of Defence.

Future Plans: The CAA plans to develop a Pre-defined Risk Assessment for RPAS testing, create a list of test sites, and support hydrogen test sites.

Read CAP 3011

15 August 2024