The ARPAS-UK AGM was held on Thursday March 2nd 2023 at DARTeC, Cranfield University.
It was so good to see our members again in person after holding the AGM virtually for the last couple of years. Professor Graham Braithwaite of DARTeC mentioned how important conversations over coffee are – and we couldn’t agree more! Connecting, reconnecting, finding common points of interest, or the solution to a problem that’s been bugging you: the importance of holding a conversation, sharing a cup of coffee, or meeting someone who you’ve only connected with previously on LinkedIn can’t be underestimated.
So, firstly we would like to say thank you to all those who were able to attend in person.
We do however recognise that this isn’t always possible, so thank you too to those who registered for the virtual event as well.
Outcome of the Resolutions: Three resolutions were put to the Membership:
We asked members if they would like to make the attendance to the AGM and the voting process as easy and inclusive as possible for all members by formally allowing hybrid general meetings and remote voting via digital proxy or online voting tools. This was agreed.
Aleks Kowalski was appointed as director by the board of directors in August 2022, and we proposed to confirm his appointment by a vote in the General Meeting. This was confirmed.
Chris Daniels was appointed as director by the board of directors in August 2022, and we proposed to confirm his appointment by a vote in the General Meeting. This was confirmed.
In addition, we would like to thank Stuart Keenan, our outgoing Chair, and RupertDent, Director of Regulations and Policy, for their time and commitment to ARPAS-UK. They have volunteered their time to improve the professionalism of the industry and support it as it continues to develop. They have embodied what is the very best in this developing industry: the ability to put the individual to one side for the benefit of the whole.
Rupert Dent was made Director Regulations and Policy in September 2017. He has devoted hours and hours to numerous CAA committees, talking through regulative issues with Members, spent time at Exhibitions and Conferences talking to would be members, and advocated hard on behalf of the UK drone industry at all levels.
Stuart Keenan joined the ARPAS-UK Committee in 2021 and became Chair later that year. His support for the industry is deep rooted and he has been an excellent advocate on behalf of ARPAS-UK.
Marshall Futureworx to provide offshore wind farm inspection services using resident robotic ecosystem
Marshall Futureworx, the venture building and advanced technologies arm of Marshall of Cambridge, has unveiled details of the first in a suite of new product lines and services it will be bringing to market to support ever increasing demand for secure and renewable energy.
The ground-breaking new system, Lilypad, is an ecosystem of multiple autonomous BVLOS UAVs which utilise artificial intelligence and navigational sensors to provide dynamic and on-demand offshore inspection services – revolutionising the way operators are able to monitor real-time performance of their wind farms.
The UAVs are deployed from dedicated offshore charging stations and monitored by a single remote pilot stationed in an onshore command and control centre. Vital inspection data and reports are then transmitted back to the wind farm operators, enabling faster, more frequent, reliable and predictive maintenance scheduling and more effective utilisation of assets.
The UK already has the world’s second largest installed offshore wind capacity at around 12 GW and is a key component of the UK Government’s net zero strategy, with an ambitious target of achieving 50 GW installed capacity by 2030 and potentially more than 100 GW by 2050. As Government and industry continues to advance the UK offshore wind capability, new and scalable technologies such as Lilypad are required to inspect, maintain and ensure the efficiency of wind turbines while also minimising costs to energy users.
Lilypad reduces the requirement for offshore personnel undertaking inspections, minimising both cost and impact on the environment. At the same time, the improved frequency and quality of intelligence operators gain through Lilypad’s remote inspections will enable them to significantly increase wind turbine up time and extend their overall lifecycle.
Marshall Futureworx Managing Director, Kieren Paterson explains: “The ever increasing demand for secure and renewable energy to power our communities has resulted in the surging need for innovative solutions to enable the installation and support of offshore wind infrastructure, right from initial construction and through the life of projects.
Leveraging our demonstrated talent for integrating leading technologies and providing support services to customers operating in demanding and regulated environments, we are excited to share the first of these products – Lilypad, an offshore windfarm inspection service that provides truly scalable inspection capacity to support the significant growth and increasing remoteness of offshore windfarms.
Lilypad uses permanently resident autonomous UAVs allowing us to provide on-demand and scheduled inspections timed to minimise the economic impact on windfarm operations. Lilypad decouples the cost of inspection from sea state, distance from shore and seasonal considerations and eliminates the need for offshore personnel during inspections.”
The announcement from Futureworx, experts in complex system development and integration, follows on from the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2022 with ISS Aerospace who offer best in class industrial UAVs and sees.ai with their leading AI drone guidance and control software.
“ISS Aerospace is delighted to have been appointed by Marshall Futureworx to provide a derivative of our Sensus ML8-XP UAV for the Lilypad ecosystem. The Sensus family of UAVs has seen considerable buy-in from our defence, security and energy clients and seen operations worldwide. ISS provides highly innovative, customer requirement focused solutions which deliver on-board multi-modal sensor integration to deliver intelligence solutions at the highest tempo.” Said Ryan Kempley, ISS Aerospace CEO.
“We’re thrilled to be able to reveal more about this project. Not only does it involve deep collaboration with Marshall, one of the UK’s leading aerospace companies; and an exciting opportunity to develop a defensible world-leading product for a huge and rapidly-growing global market; but it also gives us the opportunity to make a substantial impact on one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the transition to net-zero. With this stellar consortium we look forward to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with UAV technology.” Says John McKenna, CEO of sees.ai
More information on Lilypad can be found its first public showcase during the Global Offshore Wind Exhibition in London on 14 June 2023 at Stand A66 or via the website: https://marshallfutureworx.com/lilypad
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Key industry players forming the BVLOS Forum, led by NATS and including ARPAS-UK, call on government to unlock the next generation of aviation
The UK’s leading drone operators have called on the Government to change the way uncrewed aviation is regulated, and break down the barriers to uncrewed flight that risk the UK missing out on the ‘drone opportunity’.
The comments come in a new White Paper published by the BVLOS Operations Forum, a consortium of advanced drone and technology companies that are pioneering the use of remotely piloted aircraft ‘beyond visual line of sight’(BVLOS).
‘South of the Clouds: A roadmap to the next generation of uncrewed aviation’, sets out the industry’s vision of how new types of aircraft, like drones, can be integrated into the UK’s busy skies, and what steps the Government needs to take to make it happen.
Organisations in the Forum are already using drones to deliver cancer treatments and vital medical supplies to patients in remote areas; in search & rescue operations by HM Coastguard; and for conducting infrastructure inspections and monitoring in a more sustainable, safer way. But because Government regulations have evolved more slowly than the technologies in this sector, these types of remotely piloted flights are limited to very restricted areas of airspace, making regular commercial services difficult to deliver. ‘South of the Clouds’ presents a collective industry view of how policymakers could address that problem.
“This White Paper has been co-created by the Forum to outline the imperative of uncrewed flight”, said Russell Porter, Chair of the BVLOS Operations Forum and Head of UTM Programmes at air traffic services company NATS.
“The way forward to achieving routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations, integrated with other air traffic, will require significant policy change from both the Government and the Civil Aviation Authority.
“While there have been positive developments, not least in the Future Flight Challenge and the recently published Airspace Modernisation Strategy, this fast-growing sector is adamant we need to go further, faster, if we are to make uncrewed aircraft a safe and effective option in the aeronautical toolbox.”
Among the policy recommendations is a call for all aircraft to be equipped with ‘electronic conspicuity’ technology to show their location – without this, drones would effectively be flying blind to what’s around them – as well as reform of the regulatory system to enable remotely piloted flights in more areas of airspace, rather than restricted or temporary environments.
Also proposed is a roadmap that sets out a vision for how airspace could be managed for uncrewed aircraft in the future, and the steps required to get there, so that those in the industry can plan and invest accordingly.
“With reduced emissions, reduced cost, and improved safety, uncrewed aircraft can achieve extraordinary things that everyone, in all parts of the UK, will benefit from, and BVLOS is key to unlocking that full potential,” said Russell Porter.
“The next generation of aviation is coming, and now is the time to act to make it a reality.”
To read ‘South of the Clouds: A roadmap to the next generation of uncrewed aviation’, visit: https://www.nats.aero/sotc
27 February 2023
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Bright sparks Networx3 launch new electrical division
Networx3 has launched a new electrical division to the business – to offer a one stop shop solution for clients.
A team of five time-served qualified electricians are running the new arm which provides electrical work alongside the blown fibre optic cable service Networx3 provides to customers in the civil service, utilities and green energy sectors.
Networx3 has just been awarded NAPIT accreditation which demonstrates compliance and competence in the electrical services industry.
The new NAPIT badge means that Networx3 now offer a turnkey solution to clients who are installing blown fibre optic cable telecommunications systems.
Michael Calcroft (L) and Darren Williamson (R) with NAPIT accreditation
Networx3 UAV founder and managing director Ian Ashworth said: “This solves a headache for our clients because so much of what we do in telecoms has an electrical element to it – every cabinet we’re feeding cables into has electricity to it and there is often a need to install or upgrade sockets or ports as we go. “This service complements what Networx3 already provides for clients and is a specialist addition to what we have to offer. It stops delays, makes work seamless and fits in nicely with installations we are already doing in comms rooms, commercial premises and electricity cabinets.
“We can now undertake remediation and upgrade electrical infrastructure, conduct safety checks and bring data and electrics together on every job.”
The new electrical installation branch is headed up by Karl Anderson, Darren Williamson and Michael Calcroft – three ex-Lancashire police officers who have almost 60 years’ experience as qualified electricians between them.
The trio form the backbone of the new branch of the business and work all over the UK doing surveys ahead of fibre optic cable installations for Networx3’s diverse range of nationwide clients.
NAPIT is a Government-approved and United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) membership scheme for the building services and fabric sector.
Stephen Melton, head of commercial at NAPIT said: “It’s great to have Networx3 on board as a NAPIT registered business. They can now extend the service they offer to their many trusted clients who require an end to end solution to their installation work.
“As part of the accreditation process with NAPIT, Networx3 will be assessed to the highest industry standards on an annual basis, giving further piece of mind to their customers.”
The NFCC will be holding a conference on the use of Drones in Fire Service operational response on 1st March 2023 at Cranage Hall, Cheshire.
The evening prior to the conference they will host a networking evening where you can come and network with your peers in a relaxed setting and be at the venue ready for the conference the next morning.
Key milestone for trail-blazing medical drones project as test flights start
Drones carrying key medical supplies are taking to the skies of Northumberland this week as the trial phase of an innovative NHS project gets underway.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is partnering with Apian, a company which has come through the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs Programme, to explore the use of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to carry chemotherapy drugs, blood samples and other items between sites.
Following a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval process, test flights will be taking place from Monday, February 13, to Friday, May 12, along a route from Wansbeck General Hospital at Ashington up to Alnwick Infirmary and onto Berwick Infirmary.
Given Northumbria Healthcare’s large, predominantly rural patch across Northumberland and North Tyneside, using drones could reduce delivery times, make efficiencies and cut carbon emissions. The trial will collect logistical data and assess the impact on patient experience, staff resources and the environmental benefits.
Sir James Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As an innovative and forward-looking organisation, we are always interested to explore initiatives which may be able to improve how we deliver care to our communities.
“With the area we cover and the number of hospitals and other sites we manage, having effective logistics to get supplies where they need to be is vital, while we are always mindful of our need to drive efficiencies and reduce our impact on the environment.
“Using drones has the potential to help us deliver important drugs and supplies in a better, smarter way, so we are looking forward to seeing how the test flights go. We are committed to providing as much care as we can in our outlying communities, so logistical routes to Alnwick and Berwick are a key focus.”
The project will use fully electric aircraft, which can take off and land vertically like a helicopter before flying horizontally like a plane by combining fixed wings with rotors. The UAVs, which are managed by Skyports Drone Services, can carry up to 3kg of payload and have a maximum speed of 110km/h (almost 70mph).
There will be six flights per day at the beginning of the trial, increasing to up to 15 flights per day at the end of the trial, delivering chemotherapy medication to Alnwick and onto Berwick Infirmary. Return flights from Alnwick and Berwick will deliver pathology samples to Wansbeck. Other items that may be delivered include blood packs, prescriptions, medical equipment and mail.
Apian co-founder and medical director, Dr Christopher Law, said: “This trial builds on Apian’s work in the Solent where we flew the world’s first chemotherapy and delivered the UK’s first prescription medicine by drone.
“While there’s still much work to be done before UAVs can operate autonomously in non-segregated airspace, there’s an equal and opposite amount of evidence for Apian to collect for how on-demand delivery can impact healthcare just as it has our personal lives.”
This trial is a critical step towards the greater uptake and use of UAVs to support the NHS to build capability into existing, pressured supply chains. Apian, and not the NHS, is funding the trial.
In doing so, there is the opportunity to assess and test the hypothesis that UAVs can deliver critical medical items as efficiently as the internet moves information. This will help reduce costs to the NHS and taxpayer through automation, respond to the climate emergency (a critical undertaking for the world’s fifth largest employer and UK’s biggest single supply chain), create new local employment opportunities, and, crucially, allow for better patient care.
Anthony Cape, Northumberland Estates’ senior asset manager, said: “We wholly support the use of drone technology to revolutionise the delivery of urgent medical supplies, especially in rural communities.
“Northumberland Estates is delighted to have supplied land for hub points in the desired areas, ensuring Apian and Northumbria Healthcare have a flight network for this trial to deliver essential medical services across Northumberland.”
Rowan Brown, CEO of Museums Northumberland, said: “Museums Northumberland is delighted to be supporting this ground-breaking initiative and assisting the work of our outstanding Northumbria Healthcare Trust in achieving better health outcomes for our community.”
There is more information about the trial available in this FAQs section.
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FAIWG-AI: Lets Get Flying Report – Feb 2023
Technology is revolutionising the way we fly. Remotely piloted drones are offering safer, cheaper and faster services of a scope unimaginable a decade ago. Piloted electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are undergoing flight testing. These are quiet, zero-emissions aircraft, that will carry commercial passengers in just a few years’ time. The economic and societal potential is very real and very large. The drone sector alone is predicted to provide a positive impact worth £1.6 billion per year to UK GDP up to 2030, amounting to £45 billion in total1 and Future Flight2 has the potential to cut carbon emissions and connect society across our regions.
ICAO: Advancing the adoption of unmanned aircraft systems to improve air mobility
In 2022 there were two very distinct and well-attended events that focused on key issues relating to remotely-piloted and unmanned aircraft systems: RPAS 2022 and DRONE ENABLE 2022. There are numerous benefits to be derived from globally-harmonized UAS standards and practices, for both governments and the industry. These annual events provide excellent opportunities to drive consensus and progress with the hopes of expanding the civil and humanitarian potential of new model aircraft.
Read more about this article that provides a deep dive into the discussions and outcomes from both events.
The CAA has launched a consultation on proposals to modify the guidance on the regulatory process for airspace change, known as CAP1616.
On first publication in 2018, the CAA committed to review the CAP1616 process three years after its implementation. The review gives the CAA the opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned and make further improvements to the airspace change process.
You can respond to the consultation at the dedicated website.
The consultation closes on 5 March 2023.
16 January 2023
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Following milestone first flight Open Skies Cornwall aims to connect remote communities via drones
Open Skies Cornwall achieve milestone first flight in urban environment and invite the Cornish Community to help shape the UK’s first Skyhighways to support the future of Drone Delivery in Cornwall
Ten leading companies and organisations have partnered together to unlock four Cornish airspace environments for the development of the next generation of unmanned aircraft, and to establish a network of ‘Skyhighways’ to connect remote communities for real world end users in Cornwall via drone.
● Open Skies Cornwall consortium have launched their Cornish Community consultation to help shape the UK’s first Skyhighways to support the future of Drone Delivery in Cornwall between 2023-24.
● Project launch event included a milestone flight where project partners achieved the UK’s first urban maritime drone flight in the newly designed Falmouth Harbour Maritime Drone Testbed Airspace Environment which has become the UK’s first Drone Friendly Harbour with a focus on supporting next generation net-zero maritime logistic capabilities.
● As part of the event: Open Skies Cornwall partner Skyports Drone Services successfully showcased the capability of their maritime drone fleet using landing locations sourced by the Drone Delivery Register to help stimulate Falmouth harbour users to sign up to the projects’ ship to shore trials which are scheduled for operation in 2023/24.
● During the launch event at the National Maritime Museum, project lead DronePrep, unveiled the Drone Delivery Register: an online tool designed to showcase how landowners, the public and businesses can help shape Cornwall’s future drone delivery network and to provide an opportunity to suggest landing locations to support lifeline medical delivery and parcel delivery services in the region.
● Consultation responses from the Drone Delivery Register received in January 2023 will enable the Open Skies Cornwall project partners including Skyports Drone Services, Royal Mail, the NHS, and Falmouth Harbour to use this new mode of transport to form part of their future permanent logistics offering: the £2.4m Open Skies Cornwall R&D funding will allow partners to test, and consult on Skyhighway routes and infrastructure prior to future adoption in 2023-4.
‘Open Skies Cornwall’: A UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge competition winner, has taken off in Cornwall with the aim of using landowner, public and local business feedback to help unlock low-level airspace and enable the roll out of ground infrastructure to support lifeline and commodity deliveries via drone.
The pioneering consortium led by DronePrep, and formed of Falmouth Harbour, Royal Mail, NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board, JHUBMED, Cornwall Council, Skyports Drone Services, Neuron Innovations, and University of Southampton are working together to test the next generation of civilian drones, their infrastructure requirements and enabling technology, to serve logistics providers in both public and private sectors across the region.
During the project event at the end of 2022, maritime consortium member Falmouth Harbour and drone operator Skyports Drone Services conducted a live public urban to maritime flight demonstration. The flight between three drone delivery register locations within the Falmouth Harbour Drone Testbed Environment, facilitated by local landowners, provided the public with a first look at how electric cargo could be operated at Falmouth Harbour in the future for ship-to-shore deliveries to provide a more sustainable, efficient logistics service. The event provided a first look at just one of the beneficial services that regular drone services could provide to Cornish communities via the Open Skies Cornwall programme. The flights performed in Falmouth Harbour are a continuation of trials and demonstrations performed in 2021 by DronePrep, Windracers, Skyports Drone Services and Royal Mail between the mainland and within the Isles of Scilly.
The event also marked the first time that the Drone Delivery Register was used. The DronePrep Drone Delivery Register will allow Royal Mail, NHS, Cornwall Council, Falmouth Harbour users, vessel owners, landowners and businesses to register take-off and landing locations for future drone deliveries, share permission to access land and assets, and allow the project partners to test low-level flight corridors (Skyhighways) with agreement of all ground stakeholders. In the future the register will provide insights into how Cornish Communities can support progress in this innovative sector to support lifeline, medical and commodity deliveries in onshore, island and offshore maritime environments
As part of the Open Skies Cornwall programme, partners will invest £2.4m of UKRI Future Flight Funding into Cornwall to build ground/landing infrastructure, unmanned traffic management sensor networks, commission new unmanned aircraft and establish Skyhighways (drone flying corridors) to support medical and commodity delivery for the NHS, Royal Mail, Cornwall Council, JHUBMED and the multiple users of Falmouth Harbour.
The launch event kicked off the Open Skies Cornwall community consultation and invited the public and businesses across Cornwall to help shape the future of drone logistics in the county by using the Drone Delivery Register to feedback opportunities, interest and concerns
Open Skies Cornwall partner Cornwall Council, who have overseen considerable investment via the Cornwall Aerospace programme including their previous investments in the Lizard Range, Lands End Airport, Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, Windracers and the AeroHUB at Spaceport Cornwall, provided facilitation and representatives from Council portfolio holders and Cornwall Aerospace beneficiary companies, whilst JHUBMED outlined their mission to use ‘red cross’ drone solutions to support their humanitarian response in civilian aid scenarios. Open Skies Cornwall Partners Neuron Innovations and the University of Southampton presented their enabling sensor tech and medical research which will support end users of the Open Skies Cornwall project achieve regular flight in the future.
The event also brought together third party organisations including project managers Mott MacDonald who are supporting the Open Skies Cornwall programme, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (Search and Rescue) which has recently commissioned £1billion funding for development of their air rescue capability over 10 years, the Civil Aviation Authority Innovation team, who are pioneering regulation via UKRI Future Flight Challenge projects to serve the next generation of air vehicles and Wholeship who have already opened up an area the size of Luxembourg off the coast of Cornwall specifically for the development of civilian autonomous drone and air taxi services.
The public launch of the Open Skies Cornwall consultation and drone delivery register provides an exciting opportunity for project partners, external stakeholders, businesses, regulators, government agencies, the public and landowners to engage together to establish pioneering infrastructure and launch services to support the development of the next generation of aviation and trailblaze a drone delivery skyhighways network which will have legacy for improving healthcare and commodity logistics for the people of Cornwall.
As we enter 2023 it is very exciting to see the Open Skies Cornwall programme taking flight. The First demonstration flight within the Falmouth Harbour Testbed is the first of many pioneering flights in our unique airspace environments; over the next two years we will be using the intelligence gathered from the community via the Drone Delivery Register to plan for meaningful drone deliveries to support maritime, essential healthcare logistics and parcel delivery. I am looking forward to how our technology partners can work with communities to create sky-highways to better connect the region and create a logistics network fit for the 21st century.
Gareth Whatmore – CEO DronePrep & Project Architect – Open Skies Cornwall
