25 July 2024
What do you think about drones flying around out of sight of the remote pilot? Have your say in a new consultation launched by the CAA which runs over the summer to 19 September 2024.
The CAA said, “There is currently a strong industry demand for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operation of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) within the UK, and while forecast estimates vary, they consistently show a large increase in the sector over the next 10+ years.
“Perhaps the most significant barrier to the growth of this sector is the mid-air collision risk associated with Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.”
The Windracers drone trialled by the Royal Mail is the size of a small light aircraft
The CAA’s vision for beyond visual sight drone operations is set out in the Airspace Modernisation Strategy and in CAP 3105: Detect and Avoid Policy Concept (click to download).
Basically, the CAA sees a transition from the use of segregated airspace (sometimes called Temporary Danger Zones or Temporary Restricted Areas) to integrated operations, supported by the use of Transponder Mandatory Zones (TMZs).
“In support of this vision, we are now consulting on our proposed policy concept for the assurance of Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems,” said the CAA.
“We would like all stakeholders to consider our proposed policy concept and provide their views [using the link below] by 23:59 on 19 September 2024.”
