Elena - ARPAS UK

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DRONE CLASS MARKING ON ITS WAY TO THE UK. CAA Review of UK UAS Regulations Consultation Reply Document.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published CAP3105, “Review of UK Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Regulations: Consultation Reply Document.” This document outlines the CAA’s final policy recommendations following a comprehensive review of the UK’s UAS regulations, initiated in 2023 and sponsored by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Key Objectives

The review aimed to:

Simplify the existing regulatory framework for UAS operations.
Enhance education and awareness among UAS users.
Improve safety and security measures.
Support the UAS sector’s transition to updated regulations.

Consultation Process

The CAA engaged with stakeholders through the CAP2610 consultation, published on 22 November 2023. Feedback was reviewed in collaboration with the DfT, Home Office, and Police to inform the final policy recommendations.

Policy Recommendations

The CAA’s recommendations focus on:

Implementing UK-specific class marking to facilitate innovative UAS use cases.
Ensuring a smooth transition for operators to the new regulatory framework.
Reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining safety and security standards.
Allowing continued use of existing UAS devices where feasible.

Next Steps

The CAA will submit its formal opinion to the DfT, which will decide on implementing the proposed changes. If adopted, the changes will be enacted through a statutory instrument, with the timeline determined by the DfT. The CAA will collaborate with relevant authorities to ensure effective implementation across the public sector.

For more information, read CAP3105

More Regulation related webposts:

8 May 2025

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uAvionix Launches skyAlert: Wearable Aircraft Alerting Device for UAS Operators and Visual Observers

Innovative portable solution – skyAlert – audibly alerts UAS operators and visual observers to nearby ADS-B equipped aircraft, enhancing safety and operational awareness.

uAvionix, committed to radically innovating to keep the skies safe for all airspace users, yesterday announced the release of skyAlert, a portable, wearable ADS-B receiver specifically designed for professional Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operators and their supporting visual observers. By audibly alerting users whenever an ADS-B equipped aircraft enters a user-configurable proximity zone, skyAlert significantly increases situational awareness and safety, allowing operators to maintain uninterrupted visual contact with their drones.

“skyAlert exemplifies uAvionix’s unwavering dedication to innovation in aviation safety,” said Christian Ramsey, Chief Commercial Officer at uAvionix. “By providing immediate audible warnings of nearby ADS-B equipped aircraft, SkyAlert empowers UAS operators and visual observers to remain focused and proactive in maintaining flight safety and compliance.”

Enhancing Operational Safety

Geared toward professional UAS operators in the field, skyAlert addresses the critical need to remain heads-up and alert during flight operations, especially when hand flying near structures and powerlines. The device’s configurable audible alerts immediately inform users of potential intruder conflicts such as low flying helicopters without requiring visual distractions, enhancing both safety and regulatory compliance while keeping eyes on the drone.

Configurable Alert Zone

A key feature of skyAlert is its configurable alert zone, which allows users to set customized altitude and range parameters. Operators can define the distance and vertical separation at which they wish to be alerted, ensuring timely notification tailored specifically to their operational environment and safety needs, allowing the UAS operator to take timely evasive action. This flexibility empowers operators to proactively manage potential airspace conflicts before they become critical during utility inspections, or agricultural and civil engineering operations at low altitude.

Optional EFB Connectivity

For enhanced situational awareness, skyAlert offers integrated connectivity to most common Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) applications, allowing users or their visual observer to electronically monitor nearby aircraft traffic on a mobile device. This capability uses the industry-standard GDL-90 protocol, providing real-time aircraft position data directly to the operator’s preferred EFB software in addition to providing audible alerts directly to the RPIC. skyAlert is compatible with ForeFlight Mobile, SkyDemon, EasyVFR, FlyQ, Stratus Insight, WingX, AirMate, OzRunways, AvPlan, SkyMap, and others.

Key Features of skyAlert

Rugged, wearable, portable ADS-B receiver designed specifically for field operations
Customizable alert parameters for both range and altitude
Loud audible alerts for immediate aircraft proximity notification in the field
Dual-band ADS-B reception (1090MHz and 978MHz) for commercial, GA and helicopter traffic
Compatibility with Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) applications via the GDL-90 protocol
12-hour battery life with convenient USB-C recharging
Self-contained device, can be used in the field without cellular connections or internet
Compact (57x82x30mm) and lightweight (200 grams) design
RAM™ belt or shoulder clip-on mount included for hands-free portability

Diverse Applications and Usage Scenarios

SkyAlert is ideally suited for a variety of operational contexts:

Shielded drone operations near utility lines, bridge inspections, construction and roof inspections with possible helicopter and GA aircraft encounters, providing a safety net to avoid accidental encounters for UAS pilots who need to focus on their drone or payload during mission-critical commercial drone operations
Uncrewed Aerial Applicator Systems (UAAS) used in agricultural spraying operations, particularly when operating near manned crop-dusting aircraft
Drone as a First Responder (DFR) / Emergency Response operators and wildfire fighting operations with mixed crewed and uncrewed aircraft involved in the mission

Availability

SkyAlert will be available for pre-order immediately and will begin shipping in July 2025. For further details, demonstrations, or purchasing information, visit uAvionix at AUVSI Xponential in Houston, booth #3033 or contact uAvionix directly.

About uAvionix

uAvionix is dedicated to advancing aviation safety and efficiency through groundbreaking ADS-B and electronic conspicuity solutions. Recognized globally, uAvionix technologies are trusted by pilots, UAS operators, and aviation authorities worldwide to maintain safe and efficient airspace.

Contact Information

Cyriel Kronenburg
VP of UAS and Aviation Networks
Email: [email protected]

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Bird & Bird: UAS Roundtable: 7 May 2025

Timing: 7 May 2025 16.00-18.00

Location: Bird & Bird London, 12 Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1JP

Bird & Bird’s UAS Roundtable provides a forum for those working in the UAS industry to network in an informal environment, explore industry trends and exchange views on matters of common interest.

Anyone interested in joining this event, please contact Simon Phippard or Helen Barker at Bird & Bird

Agenda:

Discussion 1 – African Drone Industry Perspectives

We frequently hear how many of the more ambitious BVLOS drone operations are now taking place in the developing world. It is therefore a great pleasure that Jonty Slater, Co-Chair of the African Drone Forum, has agreed to lead a discussion around his perspectives of drone operations in Africa. Can these operations scale beyond trials, and if so do they have lessons for the UK or other first world territories, given the gap between African use cases and western regulatory environments? Are there lessons to be drawn from the scale of drone industry employment in China.

Discussion 2: Artificial Intelligence

Following the last Round Table’s discussion on the EU Data Act and its application to connected vehicles, we cannot ignore AI and its application to robotic technology and autonomous technology. Will Bryson, Senior Associate in Bird & Bird’s Tech Transactions team in London, will brief delegates on the commercial and legal considerations surrounding the development, deployment, and sourcing of AI systems, including the complexities for contracting for AI.

More about Bird & Bird London

More Events

1 May 2025

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Excited to welcome Craig Lippett and Amanda Smith at ARPAS-UK’s Board and Advisory Board.

Graham Brown stepped down as Chair of ARPAS-UK but remains a Director, focusing on Education and Careers in Drones.

Cranfield University provided an excellent venue to hold the ARPAS-UK AGM and Annual Conference – and they even came through on the weather. What a sun-filled, glorious day! We extend our thanks to Professor Braithwaite’s Team and Alex Williamson for all their help and support.

Evolution of the Board of Directors

The AGM covered Association business.

We thank Chris Daniels of FlareBright for his time and support as a Director as he steps down as Director but remains engaged with the organisation as part of the Advisory Board.
Aleks Kowalski stepped down by rotation and was re-elected as a Director.
In addition, members elected Craig Lippett, of Eagle Eye Innovations, as a Director. Craig will focus on Policy and Regulation.

Craig stated, ‘I’m delighted to be appointed as a Director of ARPAS-UK for the coming year. I look forward to bringing my drone sector experience, knowledge and network to bear in addressing the key questions and challenges facing our members in the various drone use cases they seek to deliver and expand in the future. The focus naturally is on the evolving regulation landscape, how they may impact member’s business cases and how the Association will support them in engaging with the regulator to provide feedback on key subjects such as UK SORA and Drone Class Marking. I aim to provide a focal point for those efforts in the coming months‘.

Graham Brown has now stepped down as Chair of ARPAS-UK but remains a Director, focusing on Education and Careers in Drones. We thank him for all his tireless energy in promoting the UK drone industry and ARPAS-UK members for the past 7 years.

The Board of Directors at ARPAS-UK

Evolution of the Advisory Board

Amanda Smith, Drone Programme Lead at Sellafield Ltd, steps up to chair the Advisory Board and takes on Graham’s mantle of Drone Promotion. Amanda will serve as ARPAS-UK’s figurehead championing industry adoption and engagement with end-users. We welcome her to the role.
Joining her on the Advisory Board are Emily Butt, Leicestershire Search & Rescue Drone Lead, Phil Hicks, Pravo Consulting, Mike Hibberd, Texo, Rowley Cory-Wright & Matt Rake, StirlingX.

A strong team!

1 May 2025

Anne-Lise Scaillierez, Director and CEO, also presented the 2024 financial results of ARPAS-UK.

Find out more about Cranfield University

Would you like to get in touch with us? Contact [email protected]

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Drone Related Jobs as at 24 April 2025

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Airwards: Future of the Stenosphere VI: 30 May 2025

Airwards: Debating the drone industry projects which will have the biggest real-world impact in the future and how platforms like Google & Google Cloud can help us to realise them.

Join the Airwards Team on 30 May 2025 for the continued event series, ‘The Future of the Stenosphere’, where you’ll join other passionate innovators for a meeting of minds and an evening of inspiration.

You’ll hear from some of the most preeminent industry experts and tap into the latest examples of ingenuity that are shaping the future of our planet, all of which demonstrate that Life’s Better With Drones.

Attendees will include companies within the drone sector, aviation and transport bodies, government representatives and major corporations.

All you need to know about the event:

Date: 30 May 2025
Time: 12:30 – 18:30
Location: Google London HQ, N1C 4AG (Google Map / Citymapper)

Things to note

Dress code is smart casual.
Please inform us of any major allergies.

Topics will include:

Beyond use cases, how do we co-design the future?
How do drones integrate with current systems and infrastructure?
How can the drone industry scale through use of Google products such as Cloud?

Panelists:

Isabel Webb, Deputy Director for Technology Strategy and Security – DSIT
Eleanor Sherwen, Head of User Research (Drone Solutions) – Etc. / BT
Lucy Lyons, CEO – Kestrix
Matt Banham, Founder – Tektowr

For more information

For the access code for free tickets to this event, please email [email protected] By registering you agree to be added to the Airwards community as a free member.

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For further events

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Innovation Insurance Facility launched by Apollo and Moonrock

Apollo, the innovation inspired insurance platform, and Moonrock, the leading managing general agent specialising in drone insurance, today announce the launch of a new drone, eVTOL and Aviation innovation insurance facility.

The facility will provide liability coverage of up to $100m and property damage cover of up to $22.5m. Led by capacity from Apollo, follow-on capacity will be provided by AEGIS London, AXIS, Beazley, Helvetia, Munich Re and IQUW, while Moonrock will underwrite and distribute the product to brokers. The pioneering insurance facility is tailored to protect complex operations involving anything from single drones to larger fleets and to meet the demand in eVTOL and other areas of innovation in Aviation.

Martin Jackson, Class Leader, Aviation, Apollo Insurance: “It was clear there was a need for a meaningful and targeted solution in the market to offer larger limits for complex drones and eVTOL operators, as well as propositions for increasing areas of innovation. Given Apollo’s emphasis on providing and developing innovative and tailored solutions for our clients, we are very excited to expand our relationship further with Moonrock, alongside AEGIS London, AXIS, Beazley, Helvetia, IQUW and others to introduce this new facility. We are looking forward to our continued collaboration and partnership with the team at Moonrock.”

Simon Ritterband, Founder and Managing Director: “This partnership marks a groundbreaking leap forward for the drone insurance industry, unlocking new opportunities for projects that have historically struggled to find coverage. We are now able to insure more complex drone operations such as those utilising cutting-edge, high-value equipment, ensuring comprehensive protection against property damage and liability claims. We’re also excited because the facility provides the opportunity to support the rapidly expanding field of drone passenger services, or eVTOL. This revolutionary sector is poised for explosive growth, and with this innovative solution, we’re positioning ourselves ahead of the curve and ready to lead the way into the future of flight.”

About Apollo

Apollo is an innovation inspired insurance platform offering data-driven and creative solutions to a wide variety of risks.

We provide high quality products and services to clients, brokers, and capital partners at Lloyd’s, enabling a resilient and sustainable world. We offer insurance products across Property, Casualty, Marine, Energy & Transportation, Specialty, Reinsurance, as well as Smart Follow and digital & embedded risk programmes.

Our expertise and unique Apollo ecosystem give our Platform Partners the best chance of success through the Lloyd’s new entrant process to the delivery of their long-term strategy. We invest in true partnership and innovation driven experiences unlike anyone else.

About Moonrock Drone Insurance

Moonrock Drone Insurance has established itself as a premier Managing General Agent (MGA), recognised as a leading authority in drone and eVTOL insurance. We are committed to delivering high-quality products, exceptional service, and unparalleled expertise through a data-driven approach to underwriting, pricing, and product innovation.

Our unique Knowledge Hub provides industry news on technology, regulation, and other relevant information, ensuring that policyholders remain informed about the latest developments in the drone sector. Additionally, the hub offers brokers the opportunity to share specialised industry knowledge with clients engaged in this rapidly evolving market.

Automation Again

Welcome to the CHIRP Drone FEEDBACK Edition 13. Well, as I write it has been another busy week on the regulatory front for the drone community. UK SORA has now been published with a timetable for implementation which has a key date of 23rd April, details on SAIL marking and the much-anticipated details on Pilot Competency. In addition, Ofcom (jointly with the CAA) has announced their approval for the use under licence of 978 MHz for airborne transmission onboard UAS. This will undoubtedly be an enabler for BVLOS flight. The DSCO online applications and renewals for Specific Category Operations excluding PDRA01s, is now pencilled in for Q2 of 2025. Statistics from the regulator indicate that the number of flyers continues to increase, so we can be sure there are a growing number of drones in the air. Curiously though, it looks as if the number of Open Category Operators is increasing at the expense of Specific Category Operators. Is the future brighter for lighter drones?!

A trend we continue to see is an increasing level of automation being incorporated into some of the flight /mission planning software, and this at an ever-faster pace. Blink and you have missed it! Image recognition is now being incorporated into what you can see in your control unit as standard, so you can count the number of people, cars or even boats that are in view. A recipe for distraction? How active See and Avoid technology will be incorporated into what is a relatively small handheld control unit really does remain to be seen.

Every one of these developments bring different human / computer interface risks along to the party. Each of them has a unique Human Factor related challenge that we are only beginning to identify.

Drone pilots – please do continue to report to Human Factor safety incidents to CHIRP. Many thanks to those who have done so.

Let’s look at another selection of good examples set out below:

DUAS xx23–Software Coding?
DUAS 0033–Drone Assist
DUAS xx24–Vision Systems
DUAS xx25–Fatigue and Stress

Read the Report

Rupert Dent

Drone / UAS Programme Manager

April 2025

Read other CHIRP & Human Factor related posts.

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Protected: Interpol Counter UAS Exercises: Get Involved

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Law Commission’s 2nd Consultation on Aviation Autonomy

The Law Commission’s second consultation paper on aviation autonomy has been published today (April 16), focussing on air traffic management and air navigation services (“ATM/ANS”) for uncrewed aircraft.

In their first consultation paper on aviation autonomy published last year, the Law Commission looked at the law relating to drones and vertical take-off and landing aircraft (“VTOLs”). To operate safely in integrated airspace, those uncrewed aircraft will require some form of ATM/ANS, which they refer to as uncrewed aircraft systems traffic management (“UTM”). In their second consultation paper, they make provisional proposals about how UTM should be regulated, and the legal mechanisms for establishing liability when things go wrong. They are seeking views from anyone with an interest in or awareness of this area of law.

The consultation is open until 18 July 2025.

For more information & to access the Consultation