23 March 2021
Another day, another drone company, another Temporary Danger Area (TDA)… this time, it’s between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight and yes, the NHS needing urgent supplies is the reason again.
A Leicester-based drone company called Skylift UAV, part of the self-styled British Drone Consortium, has submitted an application for a TDA to operate a four-week trial drone service supplying drugs for chemotherapy treatment.
The TDA is an odd dog-leg shape – the reason why is not explained in the application but it could be to avoid Solent Airport. It operates from the surface up to a maximum of 850ft.
Skylift drone for flying NHS supplies. Photo: Skylift
The trial is ‘on behalf’ of Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Isle of Wight NHS Trust to transport chemotherapy drugs between Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and St Mary’s Hospital in Newport, Isle of Wight.
Skylift claims that COVID-19 is directly disrupting the ability of Isle of Wight NHS Trust to procure chemotherapy for its cancer patients.
“As the Trust does not have a Pharmacy Manufacturing Unit of its own, it is wholly dependent on Portsmouth Trust for the supply of chemotherapy,” according to the TDA application.
“Chemotherapy drugs have a short shelf-life (8-24 hours) and since there is a (pre-COVID-19) 3 to 4-hour travel time between the hospitals (2 taxis and a ferry), the chemotherapy must be manufactured before the patient is confirmed as able to attend or receive the treatment.
“COVID-19 has had a negative impact on this issue as it is causing disruption to the ferry companies through suspensions, delays and changing timetables. This is making it difficult for St Mary’s Hospital to organise chemotherapy deliveries and sessions. If a patient is unable to receive the chemotherapy, it is wasted.
“Reducing the delivery time to a 32-minute direct flight between the two hospitals would be transformative, as the chemotherapy could be manufactured once patients are confirmed as able to receive treatment, before being delivered on-demand.
“Beyond visual line of sight unmanned aircraft operations will be required and, in accordance with CAP 1915, such operations must be conducted within segregated airspace.”
Whatever you do, don’t wave… a different Skylift drone, the air ambulance. Photo: Skylift
Skylift says the drone will be equipped with ADS-B and a Mode S Transponder for electronic conspicuity. It will also be GeoFenced so the aircraft remains within the confines of the TDA.
It’s expected operating hours of the TDA will be five days per week, with four return flights per day, predominantly in daylight hours. The TDA will be activated by NOTAM with at least 24 hours’ notice.
Feedback on the Airspace Change Proposal for the TDA should be submitted by 16 April 2021 to [email protected]
8 comments
I would say the route is more to avoid the built up area of Portsmouth than anything else. You really don’t want that coming down over a heavily inhabited area.
The 850ft Upper Limit is eminently sensible. I don’t know of many GA pilots overflying the Solent that low.
They could fly over the water and down between Portsmouth and Gosport. The 850ft segment is because of the wide corridor they have chosen includes Portsdown Hill which rises to around 400ft higher than the hospital. If they had a narrower corridor, that the drone should be perfectly capable of flying in, then 400ft AGL would only need to be slightly over 400ft AMSL a much more sensible height to have as a maximum height for a drone to keep it out of the way of other airspace users. The route also takes it over Thorney Island airfield where there is a microlight club operating, have the drone operators just disregarded them, or is it like a lot of these consultations, they haven’t a clue and don’t care about other airspace users.
Which would take them over Paulsgrove, also heavily populated and densely built up, and the Navy’s new and very expensive hardware in the Harbour. The flaw in your proposal I’m afraid.
Also, Thorney Island is marked as disused. If the Microlight Club wished to be avoided, they should have had it changed to an active Microlight site. You can only avoid what’s on the chart to be avoided.
The NHS “needing urgent supplies” isn’t the reason, that’s just the excuse given and the excuse used to get around the normal 12 week consultation period for such an airspace change. The reason is to chase Government grants and do more trials for commercial drone operations.
They say the 32 minute flight saves 3-4hrs for the ferry journey, but fail to point out that there is a hovercraft running every 15 minutes (in rush hour, once an hour otherwise) that takes 15 minutes. It would also be much quicker using a commercial helicopter which are also available nearby.
These drone companies really should be stopped from doing all these trials in segregated airspace, whether that’s a TDA or TMZ, they should be made to go away and test their drones in a current danger area, like the ones specifically for drones on Salisbury Plain and Aberporth and come back once they are CAA certified to an acceptable standard including and autonomous detect and avoid system. Then they can start these trails and there should be no need for any restricted airspace.
Spot on Nigel, but the CAA seems totally naïve on the subject, soon it will be air liners and drones, !! nothing else
I seem to remember seeing a coastguard helicopter from time to time, with the necessary capability of being on deployment in minutes in order to save lives, in the very place this TDA is planned to be. In addition, low level military flights by both RAF and RN helicopters take place up and down the Solent on a regular and frequent basis. What do the operators if Lee-on-Solent have to say about this?
1) It’s NOTAM’d, they’ll have to avoid it like everybody else.
2) If the Coastguard go “Operational” they no doubt have a “Stop” number available to call.
I hate the things personally and so I’m not a fan, but it’s the way things are going and we’re going to have to a) co-exist where we can; and b) Fight against them harder where we can’t. This is one of the former I’m afraid.