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New Drone Flying Proposals Can Help Critical Medical Deliveries
“Allowing drones to fly beyond the sight of the remote pilot, without placing restrictions on other aircraft in the area, will be a major achievement for UK drone operations,” said Kevin Woolsey at the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has put forward new proposals to allow drones to be flown beyond an operator’s line of sight, helping with inspections of railways, powerlines, roads and with the delivery of critical medical supplies.
The civil aviation regulator has set out its proposals in a consultation published today (Tuesday 20 February). The measures would allow drones to be used beyond line of sight by remaining at low heights and closer to buildings and infrastructure where fewer aircraft would be operating.
While some drones have been able to fly beyond the visual line of sight for several years in the UK, these are largely trial flights that have been and are being conducted under strict restrictions.
The regulator said that, following the adoption of the proposals it plans to work with several operators to help implement the measures in a safe and scaled way.
It’s also one of the various initiatives to come out of the regulator’s UK Future Flight Programme, which aims to bring the UK closer to a future where drones safely share more of the sky with other airspace users.
Speaking on the measures, Kevin Woolsey, head of remotely piloted aircraft systems at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Our proposals are a positive step towards unlocking the next stage for drone flying in the UK.
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“Allowing drones to fly beyond the sight of the remote pilot, without placing restrictions on other aircraft in the area, will be a major achievement for UK drone operations.
“Safety comes first in everything we do and so we have identified sensible mitigations on where drones can fly using this proposed concept to make sure we maintain levels of safety.”
One of the last times DIGIT reported on the intersection of drones and policy was last month, when “no fly zones” were introduced by the UK government in a bid to combat prison smuggling.
