drones - ARPAS UK

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Drones in Action: 5000+ Solar Panels Inspected in 80 Minutes

Drones in Action End User Stories: Durham County Council has revolutionised solar farm inspections with a Drone-in-a-Box solution with Heliguy.

Previously, manual inspections took days – now, a thermal drone completes the job in just 80 minutes.

Launched from a DJI Dock 2, the drone’s high-resolution imaging detects faults in real-time, improving efficiency and reducing downtime.

Integrated with a Smart City AI system, it enables predictive maintenance and optimised energy output.

Benefits

Time – Reduced inspection duration from multiple days to just 80 minutes
Enhanced Safety – Removed the need for staff to navigate hazardous areas, improving workplace safety
Cost efficiency – Enables more frequent inspections, leading to faster response times for repairs and increased operational efficiency

drones-in-action-council-solar-farm-inspections Download

Learn more about ARPAS-UK member Heliguy

Read the Drones in Action Report in full

The report explores how drones are transforming industries – from asset inspection and precision agriculture to complex oil and gas infrastructures – enhancing efficiency, safety, and sustainability across sectors. We update every 6 months!

Also: See more on Drones in Energy, Utility & Infrastructure

11 March 2025

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OfCom & CAA: Making 978 MHz spectrum available for drones

Ofcom has announced a new initiative to make the 978 MHz spectrum available for drone safety devices in the UK. These devices, known as Universal Access Transceivers (UAT), help aircraft identify drones’ locations, ensuring safer integration into airspace. This change is essential for critical infrastructure tasks, such as inspecting power lines and wind turbines.

The 978 MHz spectrum has been shared since 2016 between aeronautical uses and low-power radio microphones for events. From now on, Ofcom will stop licensing this spectrum for outdoor programme-making and special events (PMSE) use, though indoor use will still be allowed. To compensate, new frequencies are being introduced to expand the available spectrum for PMSE, ensuring minimal interference.

This shift in spectrum usage allows for more efficient drone operations while ensuring PMSE users are provided with alternative frequencies.

OfCom and the CAA issued a joint statement in June 2022, with an update March 2025.

20250311_OfCom & CAA on Frequency Download

This change supports beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations and is part of the Future of Flight action plan and the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy. Plus: A Supplementary Amendment to Electronic Conspicuity Devices

Read other related posts.

11 March 2025

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Royal Aeronautical Society RPAAS Conference 23-24 April 2025

In the 2025 RPAAS Conference, experts discuss and explain the obstacles currently hindering progress, exploring practical solutions to overcome them and pave the way for broader integration of drone technology, including:

Location: RAeS HQ, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ or Virtual

Timing: 8.30am for a 9am start – 5pm

How can we achieve cost-effective RPAAS operations without compromising safety, ensuring these safe and effective RPAAS operations remain economically viable for all stakeholders?
Examine the crucial question of airspace management and service provision and who bears the financial responsibility within the Air Traffic Management (ATM) framework.
Insights into the market outlook, highlighting key issues and barriers and outlining the essential initiatives required to unlock the full potential of drone operations.
Future trends and market outlook: Exploring emerging technologies and market trends shaping the future of RPAAS
How can we assess the potential economic and societal benefits of RPAAS and eVTOL, and what is their transformative impact on various sectors and the broader community?

View Full Programme

ARPAS-UK Members can access the Corporate Partner rate.

Full View Conference Details

View Further Events

10 March 2025

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Protected: Forestry England : Field Data Collection Services DPS

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Drone Related Jobs as at 7 March 2025

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

MK Surveys is looking to recruit a UAS Manager

MK Surveys – UAS Manager (Mar25)Download

Skeye is looking to recruit a UAV Pilot.

View Role

Skylift are looking to recruit an Operations Manager.

View Role

Malloy Aeronautics is looking to recruit several roles: Senior UAV Performance Modelling Engineer, UAV Pilot, Manufacturing Buyer, Electronics Test Engineer and Battery Technician amongst others.

View Roles

AECOM is looking to recruit a Graduate Geospatial Engineer and a Graduate Human Factors Consultant.

Envirocentre is looking to recruit a Graduate Consultant/Consultant Hydrologist/Water Specialist.

Prismatic is looking to recruit a UAS Systems Operator.

View Role

Links to other Drone Related Jobs

7 March 2025

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Protected: DE&S Early Engagement Event: 28 March 2025

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Omnidrome Research & Innovation Centre at Royal Holloway – Welcoming Drone Industry Partners

Omnidrome Research & Innovation Centre at Royal Holloway welcomes drone industry partners by offering a dedicated facility for indoor and outdoor drone testing, as well as a venue for training providers to host on-site programmes. The centre also supports advanced R&D, education, and knowledge exchange in drones, robotics, and autonomous vehicles across air, land, and water.

The Omnidrome features a purpose-built indoor hangar (25m x 35m x 10m), providing a controlled environment for testing experimental drones and robotics. Planned upgrades include a camera tracking system for flight analytics and indoor GPS signal repeaters. The Centre has a diverse range of aerial drones, tracked and wheeled robots, floating and submersible systems, and an array of advanced sensors, robotics and supporting equipment.

It is also home to the Pixkit autonomous vehicle development platform, the only one of its kind in the UK. The centre has a specialised support vehicle for transporting drone and robotic equipment, doubling as a mobile command and operations centre.

Omnidrome brings together specialists in drone technology, AI, cybersecurity, and geospatial analysis of natural and man-made environments. The Centre is welcoming opportunities to explore partnerships with academia, government, and industry, including joint research bids, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, and student project opportunities addressing real-world challenges and implementations.

Located at Royal Holloway, University of London, Omnidrome is easily accessible – just 40 minutes by train from central London and seven miles from Heathrow Airport, with excellent road connections for convenient travel.

Download the Omnidrome Leaflet here & Visit the Omnidrome Research & Innovation Centre at Royal Holloway here

Read more on:

Member Success Stories & Blogs

Drones in Academia

5 March 2025

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CAP 722B, ed 5, UK SORA & Remote Pilot Competency AMC/GM announced by CAA

The CAA has published the ORS9 decision, ORS9 CAA Decision No.46, setting out the UK Specific Operation Risk Assessment (SORA) as Acceptable Means of Compliance to UK Regulation (EU) 2019/947 Article 11. This will become effective on 23 April 2025, and be updated in the Regulatory Library shortly.

The CAA has also published new Remote Pilot Competence standards as AMC, and an update to CAP722B.

Find out more on their website about SORA.

UK SORA: The CAA has developed the UK Specific Operation Risk Assessment (UK SORA) methodology to enable UAS operators to comply with the requirements for conducting an operational risk assessment set out in the UAS Regulation (UK Regulation (EU) 2019/947). New expanded AMC on remote pilot competence has been developed to support remote pilot training and progression for increasingly complex UAS operations.

Remote Pilot Competence – CAP 722B: This revision has been issued to introduce Entity requirements for applications in relation to the new remote pilot competence scheme introduced as Acceptable Means of Compliance to Article 8 of the UK Regulation (EU) 2019/947. In addition, new requirements, and guidance material regarding the use of Flight Simulator Training Devices (FSTD) has been provided. To improve clarity, this document has been restructured to include specific requirements, means of compliance (if applicable), and guidance material sections.

Watch the ARPAS-UK Fireside Chat on UK SORA

3 March 2025

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CAA Rev5 of 722B: Updated Guidance for Recognised Assessment Entities (RAE(PC))

The CAA (UK Civil Aviation Authority) published version 5 of CAP 722B on 3 March 2025 – “Unmanned Aircraft System Operations in UK Airspace – The UK Recognised Assessment Entity.”

The document outlines the requirements, administrative processes, instructions, and guidance for entities currently approved as RAEs or those wishing to attain such approval within the United Kingdom.

Key updates in this edition include the introduction of requirements for applications related to the new remote pilot competence scheme, as specified in the Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) to Article 8 of UK Regulation (EU) 2019/947. Additionally, the document provides new requirements and guidance material concerning the use of Flight Simulator Training Devices (FSTD) for remote pilot competence training.

The document has been restructured to enhance clarity, featuring specific requirements, means of compliance (if applicable), and guidance material sections.

For comprehensive details, please refer to the full CAP 722B document available on the CAA website.

Read the Full CAP 722B Document here

3 March 2025

More on UK Drone Regulation Matters

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The Unsung Advantage – Non-Technical Skills: Webinar 8 May 2025 at 10am

Highlighting the criticality of developing Non-Technical Skills (NTS), that is Human Factors and Crew Resource Management, for uncrewed teams and operators. Uncovering why the requirement for optimised NTS within the uncrewed sphere is not only as vital as for crewed flight, but also introduces new demands, not experienced in the traditional cockpit environment. Join us for this webinar with Chris Davies and Grant Meekey of Volaria Performance.

Who is this webinar for? RAEs, the Defence Sector, Companies interested in or already operating BVLOS, and Larger Drone Service Operating Companies with Teams of Pilots. It still remains beneficial for all drone service operating companies to attend.

Speaker Bios:

Chris Davies, Director, Volaria Performance.

Chris is an experienced military and civilian aviator and leader within both Rotary- and Fixed-Wing environments. A specialist in the field of HF/CRM, he also has extensive experience within the uncrewed sector and is thus uniquely placed to assist teams in navigating the increasingly demanding challenges faced in such operations.

Grant Meekey, Director, Volaria Performance.

Grant is an accomplished multi-aircraft and multi-crew position aviator, with over 34 years of aerospace experience, both Rotary- and Fixed-wing. Highly qualified and accomplished in HF/CRM training delivery, he is also the Chair of a major Human Factors Training Advisory Panel in the UK.

Register for the Webinar

For more webinars on various topics and to watch again

For further Human Factors related webinars:

For more on CHIRP (Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme) for UAS

17 February 2025