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Serious drone prosecution highlights need for drone users to understand and follow safety rules

Incident is one of the most serious seen in the UK with a drone
Drone pilot pleaded guilty to endangering the safety of an aircraft
Aircraft involved was an extremely rare and historic Hurricane from the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Civil Aviation Authority is reminding drone users of the need to fly safely and follow the rules or face serious consequences

Following a drone pilot pleading guilty to endangering the safety of an historic Second World War Hurricane aircraft when flying his drone, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has called on all drone users to follow the safety rules.

The incident happened on Saturday 9 July 2022 during a fly-past by the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Hurricane aircraft over the Buxton Carnival in Derbyshire. The flight was protected by a short-term airspace restriction which banned all other flying in the area, including drones.

In the UK drone users follow aviation safety rules set by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Virtually all drone users have to register with the CAA* and take an online flyer test. This helps them to understand the safety requirements and includes information about checking the airspace where they want to fly.

Jonathan Nicholson, Assistant Director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:

“Flying a drone and endangering an aircraft in this way is totally unacceptable. Drone users have an obligation to understand and follow the rules. While flying a drone can be great fun, it also comes with significant responsibilities. People need to check airspace before they fly their drone and only fly where it is safe and legal to do so.

“Airspace restrictions, like the one in place for this case, apply to even the smallest drones, so it’s really important that people check before they fly. When you use a drone you’re sharing the airspace with many other types of aviation, so it’s vital that drone users consider the safety of everyone when flying.”

PC Matt Moore, Flight Safety Manager for the Derbyshire Constabulary drone team, said:

“Anyone using a drone must follow the rules to make sure they fly safely. As a police drone unit we know the benefits drones can bring to society, but people using a drone in this way not only threaten the safety of aircraft and the public they also damage the future use of drones.”

Even when flying below the 400ft / 120M maximum height for drones it is still possible to be sharing the airspace with other aircraft, such as emergency helicopters and military aircraft.

An RAF spokesperson said:

“The RAF regularly conducts essential low flying training across the UK, drones operating in the vicinity of our aircraft can offer a significant threat to their safety and can be extremely challenging for our aircrew to spot and take avoiding action. Therefore, if a drone operator becomes aware of any military aircraft flying in their vicinity, we would request that they cease flying until the aircraft has passed.”

Other key safety rules from the UK Drone and Model Aircraft Code include:

Never fly more than 120m (400ft) above the surface
Always keep your drone or model aircraft in direct sight, clearly enough that you can tell which way it’s facing
Never fly in an airport’s flight restriction zone unless you have permission

With nearly 300,000 people registered as drone flyers in the UK their use continues to grow both for recreational and commercial purposes. The rules are in place to make sure that drones can safely integrate with other areas of aviation.

Notes to Editors:

The drone pilot was arrested and subsequently charged with endangering an aircraft and operating a drone out of the visual line of sight.

He pleaded guilty to both charges before magistrates at Chesterfield Justice Centre today (Monday 9 January) and he is set to appear again in February for sentencing.

The CAA’s website at www.caa.co.uk/drones contains information for drone users.

*You must register before flying most drones or model aircraft outdoors in the UK. There are two requirements and you may need to meet both:

if you’ll fly a drone or model aircraft, you must pass a free online theory test to get a flyer ID
if you’re responsible for a drone or model aircraft, you must register online for an operator ID

It is against the law to fly a drone or model aircraft without having the required IDs.

You do not need to register if you’ll only use a drone or model aircraft that weighs below 250g and is a toy or does not have a camera.

You can register and get a flyer ID at www.register-drones.caa.co.uk

9 January 2023

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Joint Statement from the DfT & CAA on the Development of a National Standard for Electronic Conspicuity

You will find attached / below the Egis reports on Electronic Conspicuity. They were undertaken on behalf of the DfT and CAA and propose another step forwards on the road to regular un-segregated BVLOS Operations.

As such, the recommendations should be welcomed and have our support.

Joint Statement

Phase 1 report – www.caa.co.uk/CAP2498A
Phase 2 report – www.caa.co.uk/CAP2498B
Phase 3 report – www.caa.co.uk/CAP2498C

Rupert Dent, Director Policy & Regulations

December 2022

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Networx3 UAV harness tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites for client drone work

L to R Michael Haigh from Comms Byte and Ayron Lockwood from Networx3 x 2

Networx3 UAV is using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites to provide a live feed of its drone flights anywhere and everywhere in the world.

Access to the low orbit satellite internet service has revolutionised how Networx3 UAV’s team of five commercial drone pilots conduct client work.

Using Starlink, and the cloud-based drone admin system FlightHub2, the Networx3 UAV drone fleet can now beam back real-time video of flights from the UK’s most inaccessible places.

The new technology allows Networx3 UAV to work in locations such as remote quarries, culverts, sewers, isolated reservoirs and rural solar or wind farms without having to factor in patchy conventional internet access or ‘internet dead zones’.

Thanks to Networx3 UAV’s investment in Starlink and FlightHub2 there is now nowhere in the four nations from where live drone footage can’t be beamed into a client’s office, mobile phone, laptop or boardroom anywhere in the world.

With a Starlink dish mounted to the Networx3 UAV’s mobile control center van their drones connect to the 3,000- strong satellite network orbiting 550km above the Earth.

Networx3 UAV managing director Ian Ashworth, and commercial drone pilot, said: “Networx3 UAV is now operating at a level where very few drone operators can operate. We have invested heavily in this serious, expensive and complex tech and we can guarantee that our drones can beam back stills and video, in real-time, from the most far-flung and remote internet black spots anywhere in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

“We’re really excited about the work we can now do in mine shafts, pipework, green energy plants and from mountain tops to deep valleys.

“We envisage clients watching their live stream and directing the pilot to particular points of interest or simply watching the flight unfold.”

The Starlink advanced satellite system has only been available in the UK since January 2021. It was designed, as a civilian program, to provide internet to undersupplied regions far from urban centers beaming internet connections to hard-to-reach places across the globe.

But recently Starlink has been a vital source of connectivity during Russia’s war in Ukraine. The satellite network has been used to connect Ukraine with the internet and help it win the drone war.

Stockport-based tech company Comms Byte worked with Networx3 UAV to complete the Starlink install.
Director Amjad Shakeel said: “Comms-Byte specialises in helping customers build and maintain IT infrastructure for different types of business situations so the Starlink install was one that we were eager to be involved with.

“It is an innovative, cutting-edge technology with new age, almost sci-fi-like, hardware. The solution allows Networx3 UAV to help its customers to see real-time information of live projects.”

To find out more visit www.networx3uav.co.uk.

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Protected: CAA Committees

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Altitude Angel and Saab to partner on Digital Tower technology

In a joint announcement made on 5th December 2022, Altitude Angel and Saab have revealed they have formed a partnership that will see Altitude Angel’s market-leading UTM technology platform integrated as part of Saab’s Digital Tower (r-TWR) offering.

Saab’s r-TWR is a next-generation Digital Tower solution, which builds on proven Saab video processing, visual presentation, and automation solutions. The Saab r-TWR is a flexible and scalable solution for a broad range of use cases and is already deployed for civil and military airports in Sweden, UK, US, and Germany and with implementations ongoing in Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, and Romania.

With the formal partnership agreement in place, Altitude Angel will begin integrating its GuardianUTM services into the r-TWR digital tower solution offered by Saab, allowing ANSPs and appropriate stakeholders to digitally authorize and manage uncrewed flights in conjunction with crewed flights, directly communicating authorization, clearance, and in-flight instructions to provide enhanced situational awareness of drone operations.

Richard Ellis, Altitude Angel, Chief Business Officer, said: “We’ve been working with Saab Tower Systems and Saab (operating the world’s first Digital Tower Centre in Sundsvall, Sweden) for some time and I’m excited to announce the formal partnership agreement. Our partnership with Saab allows us to seamlessly fuse cutting-edge ATM and UTM technologies in one innovative offering reducing time, effort, and complexity for airports, ANSPs, and drone operators to safely carry out operations integrated into the airspace.

“Through the integration of GuardianUTM, Saab will be able to provide Digital Towers which are equipped and ready for the demands of our future skies, as the use of drones increases and Urban Air Mobility through eVTOL aircraft becomes a day-to-day occurrence.”

Per Ahl, Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions, Chief Executive Officer: “In Altitude Angel, Saab can partner with the provider of the leading UTM platform in order to provide our airport and ANSP customers with the greatest and most accurate picture of the sky they manage. In harmony with the capability, the Saab r-TWR gives us, GuardianUTM Enterprise is providing us with key functionalities the future-proof our product for existing and new customers”

About Altitude Angel: 

Altitude Angel is an award-winning provider of UTM (Unified Traffic Management) software, enabling those planning to operate, or develop UTM/U-Space solutions, to integrate robust data and services with minimum effort quickly.

Today, Altitude Angel’s market-defining technology is providing a critical, enabling service on which the future of UTM will be built across the globe. Altitude Angel is leading a consortium of businesses to build and develop 165 miles (265km) of ‘drone superhighways’ connecting airspace above Reading, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Coventry, and Rugby over the next two years. The Skyway superhighway network, enabled using Altitude Angel’s ARROW technology, will unlock the huge potential offered by unmanned aerial vehicles and be a catalyst to enable growth in the urban air mobility industry.

Altitude Angel’s first-party solutions also power some of the world’s leading ANSPs, aviation authorities, and Enterprises, including LVNL (Netherlands) and Avinor (Norway), empowering them with new capabilities to safely manage and integrate drone traffic into national operations.

From a consistent, well-documented, and standards-based platform, drone manufacturers such as DJI and cutting-edge software developers around the world use our Developer Platform to obtain rich, relevant, and local geofencing data, exchange and share flight plans, de-conflict their own flights in real-time and interface with national flight authorization systems. A growing portfolio of enhanced capabilities helps our customers to comply with current and future regulations and interface with changing national systems with minimal effort.

By unlocking the potential of drones and helping national aviation authorities, ANSPs, developers, and enterprise organizations, Altitude Angel is establishing new services to support the growth of the drone industry.

Altitude Angel was founded by Richard Parker in 2014 and is headquartered in Reading, UK.  

Altitude Angel’s developer platform is open and available to all at https://developers.altitudeangel.com

 About GuardianUTM: 

GuardianUTM enables drone manufacturers and software developers to connect into a rich, dynamic source of accurate, authoritative, and relevant information to support geofencing while offering enhanced UTM capabilities such as a single interface to multi-country flight authorization. 

Its companion product, GuardianUTM O/S, supports all the functionality required to deliver national-grade drone traffic management capabilities to any country that wishes to safely unlock the potential of drones. 

Introduction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd0pvUrS07g. 

About Saab:

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions within military defence and civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents around the world. Through innovative, collaborative and pragmatic thinking, Saab develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact: 

Stephen Farmer, Altitude Angel, Head of Corporate Communications & PR 
Tel: +44 (0)118 321 4100 
stephen@altitudeangel.com 

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Funding: The Future Flight Skills Challenge. ARPAS-UK welcomes collaboration

Future Flight: Closing the Skills Gap

Competition Opens

Monday 21 November 2022

Competition Closes

Wednesday 1 February 2023 11:00am

Funding Type

Grant

Project Size

Your project’s total grant funding request must be no more than £50,000.

The Future Flight Challenge for Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £500,000 in projects to close aviation industry skills gaps.

The aim of this competition is to create and deliver course content and materials that will support skills, talent and training across the future flight sector. The purpose of this is to build awareness of future flight emerging markets and fill key gaps in the UK’s workforce talent and training capabilities.

Projects can deliver one or more of these objectives:

schools’ engagement
apprenticeships and internships
upskilling and reskilling of existing workforce
technical courses and vocational training
undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development (CPD)

This list is not intended to be exhaustive.

In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated.

ARPAS-UK welcomes collaboration on projects for this Challenge

Please contact: membership@arpas.uk

Click here to access the Competition Briefing

Click here for more information

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DJI Achieves Encryption Recognition from U.S Department of Commerce

DJI Achieves Encryption Recognition from U.S Department of Commerce
DJI Core Crypto Engine passes Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) to receive Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2

DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today reinforces its commitment to customer data and privacy with the validation of the DJI Core Crypto Engine. The engine is a firmware hybrid cryptographic module which provides foundational security services for the entire platform, including cryptography, key management, platform identity, secure boot, and secure Life Cycle State (LCS).

Formally validated by the U.S. and Canadian Governments, FIPS 140-2 compliance has been widely adopted around the world in both governmental and non-governmental sectors as a practical security benchmark and realistic best practice. The standard ensures that the hardware validated meets specific security requirements.

“When it comes to data, DJI has very strong principles around transparent usage, security and privacy. We truly believe that ‘customer data is none of our business’ and understand how important data security is for the people, businesses and government agencies that rely on our platforms,” said Christina Zhang, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at DJI. “This encryption validation is testament to how tirelessly we strive to make customer data and privacy more secure by tightening existing systems, innovating new ones and embracing new methods and technologies.”

From this point on, all DJI drones containing the DJI Core Crypto Engine ensure that whether flown for leisure or operated for business, customers are treated to trusted, authorotative and globally recognised security standards. This is particularly key for enterprise or government customers requiring this specification and additional peace of mind.

To find out more about DJI’s data access, data use and data storage, visit the dedicated Data Security website here https://security.dji.com/data/overview/

This is further confirmation of a 2019 interview between ARPAS-UK Chair, Graham Brown, with Christian Struwe, then of DJI. https://www.arpas.uk/arpas-uk-talks-to-dji-about-data-security/

28 November 2022

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UK’S FIRST HUB-CENTRIC NETWORK OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Skyfarer have built the UK’s first functional and operational hub, set in the center of their own hub-centric network being utilized for the Medical Logistics UK Corridor.

WHAT IS A HUB-CENTRIC NETWORK?

Businesses and organisations subscribe to utilise the full capability of the Skyfarer hub and network. As a result, they can turn their use case into a regulated, authorised, and economically advantageous drone operation.

Having a shared service hub means that access to this technology and capability is far more cost-effective whilst not diminishing utilisation. Each hub is being developed to serve a 40km radius connecting each spoke. Whether that be to deliver a product or provide a surveillance solution, the Skyfarer hub contains a drone fleet that is specifically designed and optimised for each operation you are desiring to achieve.

THE SKYFARER HUB

The heart of the Skyfarer Network of services is the hub, the “home of the drones”. This is a space where the drones are maintained, and operations are run for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) sorties.

The purpose of a hub-centric network is to centralize operations. This enables the Skyfarer team to run time-efficient and coherent flights that can be shared amongst end users. Meaning that services can be provided to customers cheaper, quicker and via means that are far more sustainable.

The Skyfarer hub contains a soundproof Operations room, a picking and packing station, an order management station, and a maintenance workshop. It also serves as the headquarters for the Skyfarer team.

The Skyfarer hub-centric network is being used for the first time as part of the ‘Medical Logistics UK Trial’ running from October to January. This trial links 2 hospitals managed by the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, to the Skyfarer hub and also enables a logistical connection between Coventry and Rugby local communities.

Skyfarer have chosen the West Midlands to set up its first hub due to its centralized location in the UK. This pertains to its history of innovation and technology development.

By 2030, Skyfarer sees a further 20 hubs spread out across the UK, to connect end users by the sky.

Email contact@skyfarer.co.uk to find out more about Skyfarer.

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JBUAS & Offshore Wind: SENSYS R4 HVDC Cable UXO Clearance Project

JBUAS & Offshore Wind

SENSYS R4 HVDC Cable UXO Clearance Project

JBUAS supported a leading UXO company with equipment and training, to enable them to execute a 6km UXO clearance project over varied terrain, including undulating ground, fences and gates, hedges, and many different crop fields.

The Right Choice
The key contractor for the cable laying project was keen to see zero harm to the crops so damage could be avoided, along with any potential compensation payments. The airborne R4 magnetometer system was therefore selected as the system of choice. Cart or walked-based approaches were deemed too risky, and when the final economics were worked out, the use of the airborne system was a foregone conclusion.

Equipment Used
The airborne system comprised of:

– M300RTK drone (UAV)
– UgCS Pro (Survey Automation software)
– UgCS SkyHub 3 Onboard Computer
– UgCS True Terrain Following system (TTF v2)
– SENSYS MagDrone R4 Airborne Magnetometer

TTF, RTK, and R4
With a sample rate of 200Hz, the fluxgate sensors onboard the R4 enable fast speeds to be flown. The R4 also benefits from a sensor spaced every 50cm meaning its pass width is an impressive 2.5m. With RTK-corrected GPS data sent directly to the R4 from SkyHub, very precise flight lines (~1cm) are possible. Add to this the TTF system, which delivers the capability to perform low flying (below 1m if appropriate); the R4 can identify smaller targets in the near-surface.

To learn more about the project

Click Here

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Drone Specialist COPTRZ working with BT on their drone strategy

Drone Specialist COPTRZ working with BT on their drone strategy

BT is pushing ahead with its adoption of drone technology and the training of its people. This is where COPTRZ came in.

As a leading CAA registered RAE’s (Recognised Assessment Entities), BT chose COPTRZ for their
capability to provide not only drone pilot training but also additional bespoke wraparound training solutions.

In addition, COPTRZ have supplied state-of-the-art and drone technology from a number of different
manufacturers with a range of models for different tasks encountered.

COPTRZ initially curated a bespoke training week for a number of trainee pilots at BT’s site in Hereford.
After an intensive week, 10 students successfully graduated as pilots with a number of recommendations
that soon followed.

Richard Coles, BT Drone Solutions Field Systems Manager, said “Coptrz provided us with great expertise in our GVC training and procurement of Drones. They have a great team and give huge amounts of support where needed, we look forward to continuing working with them in the future”

Co-founder of COPTRZ, Steve Coulson commented – “We are excited and proud to work with BT as an
organisation looking to benefit from the huge advantages drone technology brings. We look forward to continuing to support BT with ongoing training and technology”

COPTRZ are a UK-based drone solutions provider for organisations wishing to adopt drone technology and the benefits it brings in terms of productivity, safety and cost savings. This ranges across, airframes, payloads, software, peripherals and training.