Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau announces new laws and regulations concerning drone flights in Canada. Transport Canada has documented a spike in the number of incidents posing a risk to aviation safety in recent years. The number of reported incidents more than tripled to 135 in 2017 from 38 when data collection began in 2014.

Another amendment to the Air Navigation Order 2016, through which the new rules are being carried, will require the pilots of drones weighing more than 250 grams to register and take a test – or face a £1,000 fine.

TROUBLE MAKER: Governments the world over are working on how to integrate drones into existing regulatory frameworks

New laws will make it illegal for drones to fly above 400 feet and within 1 kilometre of airport boundaries in the UK from this summer.

The change in legislation, which will come into effect on July 30, follows year-on-year increases in the number of reported incidents involving drones and aircraft – 89 in 2017, up from 71 in 2016.

Further laws expected to come into force on November 30 next year have also been tabled. These will require owners of drones weighing 250 grams or more to register with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and for drone pilots to take an online safety test. Users who fail to register or sit the competency tests could face fines of up to £1,000.

The CAA and airports will have the power to make exceptions to these restrictions in specific circumstances.

Baroness Liz Sugg, the UK’s Aviation Minister, said: “We are seeing fast growth in the numbers of drones being used, both commercially and for fun.

“Whilst we want this industry to innovate and grow, we need to protect planes, helicopters and their passengers from the increasing numbers of drones in our skies.

“These new laws will help ensure drones are used safely and responsibly.”

In addition to these measures a draft Drones Bill will be published this summer, which will give police more tailored powers to intervene on the spot if drones are being used inappropriately.

According to the Department for Transport, drone operators will also eventually be required to use apps – so they can access the information needed to make sure any planned flight can be made safely and legally.

Interest in drones and their potential uses outside of leisure has been surging in recent years, with PwC predicting the industry could be worth £42 billion in the UK by 2030. However, this surge has not been without its controversies. Last summer, a drone passed directly over the wing of an Airbus 319 as it approached London Gatwick Airport (LGW) in an incident that, it was said, could have cost more than 100 lives.

Chris Woodroofe, Chief Operating Officer, Gatwick Airport, said: “We welcome the clarity that today’s announcement provides as it leaves no doubt that anyone flying a drone must stay well away from aircraft, airports and airfields.

“Drones open up some exciting possibilities but must be used responsibly. These clear regulations, combined with new surveillance technology, will help the police apprehend and prosecute anyone endangering the travelling public.”

The Chief Executive of the Airport Operators Association, Karen Dee, said: “Drones are a great new technology that are expected to bring many benefits to aviation and the UK as a whole. To achieve these benefits, we must ensure drones are operated safely and pose no risk to aviation.

“The new laws introduced today are an important step in the right direction. As partners in the Drone Code, the AOA will support efforts to educate the public on these new rules.

“An important way to ensure people do not inadvertently break the law is through introducing mandatory geo-fencing technology as soon as possible. This would safeguard critical airspace around airports from accidental drone incursions. We believe this is the most effective way to ensure that unsafe drone use does not have major consequences.”

source : International Airport Review

Another amendment to the Air Navigation Order 2016, through which the new rules are being carried, will require the pilots of drones weighing more than 250 grams to register and take a test – or face a £1,000 fine.

TROUBLE MAKER: Governments the world over are working on how to integrate drones into existing regulatory frameworks

 

New laws will make it illegal for drones to fly above 400 feet and within 1 kilometre of airport boundaries in the UK from this summer.

The change in legislation, which will come into effect on July 30, follows year-on-year increases in the number of reported incidents involving drones and aircraft – 89 in 2017, up from 71 in 2016.

Further laws expected to come into force on November 30 next year have also been tabled. These will require owners of drones weighing 250 grams or more to register with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and for drone pilots to take an online safety test. Users who fail to register or sit the competency tests could face fines of up to £1,000.

The CAA and airports will have the power to make exceptions to these restrictions in specific circumstances.

Baroness Liz Sugg, the UK’s Aviation Minister, said: “We are seeing fast growth in the numbers of drones being used, both commercially and for fun.

“Whilst we want this industry to innovate and grow, we need to protect planes, helicopters and their passengers from the increasing numbers of drones in our skies.

“These new laws will help ensure drones are used safely and responsibly.”

In addition to these measures a draft Drones Bill will be published this summer, which will give police more tailored powers to intervene on the spot if drones are being used inappropriately.

According to the Department for Transport, drone operators will also eventually be required to use apps – so they can access the information needed to make sure any planned flight can be made safely and legally.

Interest in drones and their potential uses outside of leisure has been surging in recent years, with PwC predicting the industry could be worth £42 billion in the UK by 2030. However, this surge has not been without its controversies. Last summer, a drone passed directly over the wing of an Airbus 319 as it approached London Gatwick Airport (LGW) in an incident that, it was said, could have cost more than 100 lives.

Chris Woodroofe, Chief Operating Officer, Gatwick Airport, said: “We welcome the clarity that today’s announcement provides as it leaves no doubt that anyone flying a drone must stay well away from aircraft, airports and airfields.

“Drones open up some exciting possibilities but must be used responsibly. These clear regulations, combined with new surveillance technology, will help the police apprehend and prosecute anyone endangering the travelling public.”

The Chief Executive of the Airport Operators Association, Karen Dee, said: “Drones are a great new technology that are expected to bring many benefits to aviation and the UK as a whole. To achieve these benefits, we must ensure drones are operated safely and pose no risk to aviation.

“The new laws introduced today are an important step in the right direction. As partners in the Drone Code, the AOA will support efforts to educate the public on these new rules.

“An important way to ensure people do not inadvertently break the law is through introducing mandatory geo-fencing technology as soon as possible. This would safeguard critical airspace around airports from accidental drone incursions. We believe this is the most effective way to ensure that unsafe drone use does not have major consequences.”

source : International Airport Review

The first medium-altitude UAV long duration flight

Italian engineering company Piaggio in conjunction with the service company aerospace equipment Telespazio conducted a successful test of control system of unmanned aerial vehicles for satellite communication. It is reported by Defense News.

The tests were conducted on the apparatus of the Piaggio P. 1HH. It is the first medium-altitude UAV long duration flight, which was created in Europe.

Part of the modern UAV is controlled by radio, the maximum range which is limited to a few hundred kilometers. Sometimes this range may not be enough. Satellite system control the drones allow you to remove the limitation range of vehicles imposed by radio communications.

“For example, using drones controlled via satellite link, by operators which are in one country can lead the exploration in the other. So, driving via satellite drones MQ-1C Gray Eagle the U.S. air force operators in the United States, can conduct reconnaissance and to strike blows to positions of fighters in Afghanistan or Syria,” – said in the message.

Testing of the European system of satellite control drones took place in Sicily Trapani airport. To send commands Drona P. 1HH and receive data from the device used satellite Athena-Fidus, constructed and displayed on the orbit together with the French company Thales in 2014.

In the future, the Italians plan to make the system of satellite control of the future pan-European Supervisory system for drones. It will allow devices to safely perform flights in uniform air space. It is projected that by 2035, Europe will fly about 400 thousand commercial drones.

source : Koztime

Airbus Aerial, the commercial aerial services business launched by Airbus last year, recently conducted runway mapping and inspections at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International airport (KATL). Aerial fuses satellite and drone data into custom-tailored, client-specific packages with easy-to-use interpretation tools. Airport officials requested Aerial conduct mapping of its south runway to help it assess the benefits of using this service to conduct critical runway inspections.

The Aerial team used an autonomous senseFly eBee Plus drone with RTK GPS capabilities to capture aerial images of the runway with an accuracy of less than 5 cm. It is fully automated and can map an entire runway in one flight with a single operator. Airbus Aerial used the drone images to develop a comprehensive airport assessment report, including 3D mapping, contour layers, and traditional high-resolution imagery within Aerial’s cloud-based geospatial platform.

The company plans to offer the service to other airports. It currently has clients in utilities, railroads, construction, and insurance. Aerial has conducted beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) inspections of power lines for the region’s largest utility, the Southern Company. That also marked the first time drone and satellite imaging technologies have been used jointly for powerline inspections, and the first BVLOS drone operation in Georgia.

source : Airbusaerial

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) backs efforts by the United Nations’ aviation agency to develop such a register.

The efforts could also help track the incidents involving drones and jets, said Rob Eagles, IATA’s director of air traffic management infrastructure.

IATA would consider collaborating with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), using the registry for data analysis to improve safety.

ICAO is developing the registry as part of broader efforts to come up with common rules for flying and tracking unmanned aircraft.

“We will like to see one of the important things on a registry and the compilation of data.

“Such compilation will include incident and accident reporting,’’ Eagles said in an interview on the side-line of IATA’s Safety and Flight Ops Conference in Montreal.

Airlines and airport operators are looking to drone registries, geo-fencing technology and stiffer penalties for operating drones near airports.

They hope these steps will ensure flying remains safe as hobbyists and companies like Amazon.com Inc. use more drones.

In Britain, the number of near misses between drones and aircraft more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year, according to the U.K. Airprox Board.

Air New Zealand Ltd said last month a flight from Tokyo with 278 passengers and crew on board encountered a drone estimated to be just five meters away from the Boeing 777-200 jet during its descent into Auckland.

A single registry would create a one-stop-shop that would allow law enforcement to remotely identify and track unmanned aircraft along with their operator and owner.

It’s not yet clear what kind of drones would be listed in the registry.

However, IATA would support the inclusion of most drones, including large unmanned aircraft and smaller ones used for commercial and industrial purposes, Eagles said.

source : https://tinyurl.com/y95w9j8h

The Federal Aviation Administration has set up a site with answers as well as links for registering drones and applying for a Remote Pilot Certification.

https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/976895880728018944

The FAA requires the certification for people who want to fly drones as part of their work or business and, in some circumstances, if they fly them recreationally. Drone operators have to register their Unmanned Aircraft Systems regardless of whether they’re flying them for fun or profit.
People who already have a pilot’s license can complete an online course to get their remote pilot certificate. Everyone else has to take a test at one of the FAA’s approved testing sites. Locally, that mainly comes down to two sites at the Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin. A complete list of testing sites is available on the FAA site.
The site also includes a study guide and sample questions to help people prepare for the test.

identifying and classifying cooperative and noncooperative drones flying in the proximity of airports.
It is a radar based gap-filling surveillance solution for airports, enabling implementation of UTM concept.

MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/.

The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) has devised measures to ground the unmanned flying vehicles (UAV) flying into the territory of airports, the agency’s head, Alexander Neradko, told the Izvestia daily on Wednesday.
“This authority will possibly be given to special services of the airports. The necessary equipment may be arranged along the perimeter of the facility. Drones will be either grounded or returned to the point of their departure,” Neradko said.
“Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport is ready to participate in drafting a bill to protect the territory of the airport against drones. The company has already sent letters to the concerned agencies,” an airport’s representative said.
Last year, Rosaviatsiya put the number of violations with the use of drones at 70 in 2016-2017. The authority says the biggest danger for the safety of flights comes from unsanctioned launches of UAVs near the airports. It drew attention to a need to take preventive measures and to inform the owners of the drones about the legislation and recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Association.

Source : https://tinyurl.com/yadmp99v