ARPAS-UK Member News

Drones in Action | Special Building Inspections

Drones in Action: Inspection Work at St Luke’s Church Reduced by over 88 Days*

Drones in Action End User Stories: Inspecting historical landmarks and churches is costly, time-consuming, and often risky due to height, fragile materials, and restricted access. Traditional methods like scaffolding can be disruptive and expensive, limiting funds available for repairs.

A New Approach to Regulation by the UK Government

The UK government’s policy paper, A New Approach to Ensure Regulators and Regulation Support Growth, presents a strategic plan to reform the regulatory system to encourage economic growth and private sector investment. The document highlights key challenges such as regulatory complexity, burdensome processes, and excessive risk aversion, all of which can hinder innovation and competitiveness….

Stockpile Auditing and Volume Estimating

Drones in Action: Stockpile Auditing & Volume Estimating

Drones in Action End User Stories: By using drone technology, independent volumetric datasets can be captured 50% faster than traditional quarry surveys.

ARPAS-UK disappointed by the CAA’s decision to confirm major Service Charge increases

ARPAS-UK is disappointed with the CAA’s decision to proceed with significant increases to the service charges for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for 2025/26, despite our calls for moderation and fairness. In our comprehensive response to the CAP3047 consultation in January, we stated that the proposed service charge increases for RPAS operators were significant and…

ECITB Drone Training Course offered by First Scottish College

Forth Valley College (FVC) has launched Scotland’s first ECITB Industrial Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations: Foundation Training Course, marking a significant advancement in industrial drone training. This pioneering five-day program, hosted at FVC’s Falkirk Campus, is designed to enhance drone operation skills for industrial applications, including infrastructure inspections, site surveys, and data capture. Course…

Council Solar Farm Inspections | Durham County Council & Heliguy

Drones in Action: 5000+ Solar Panels Inspected in 80 Minutes

Drones in Action End User Stories: Durham County Council has revolutionised solar farm inspections with a Drone-in-a-Box solution. Previously, manual inspections took days – now, a thermal drone completes the job in just 80 minutes.

OfCom & CAA: Making 978 MHz spectrum available for drones

Ofcom has announced a new initiative to make the 978 MHz spectrum available for drone safety devices in the UK. These devices, known as Universal Access Transceivers (UAT), help aircraft identify drones’ locations, ensuring safer integration into airspace. This change is essential for critical infrastructure tasks, such as inspecting power lines and wind turbines. The…

UK SORA Reg SIG Special Interest Group at ARPAS-UK | The UK Drone Association

UK OSC/ORA Operational Authorisation Holders: Get Ready for UK SORA with ARPAS-UK

Take Part in ARPAS-UK SORA REG SIG, UK SORA Regulatory Special Interest Group. Access community of peers, share learnings, provide feedback to CAA, & get ready for change.

Royal Aeronautical Society RPAAS Conference 23-24 April 2025

In the 2025 RPAAS Conference, experts discuss and explain the obstacles currently hindering progress, exploring practical solutions to overcome them and pave the way for broader integration of drone technology, including: Location: RAeS HQ, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ or Virtual Timing: 8.30am for a 9am start – 5pm View Full Programme ARPAS-UK Members…

Uncrewed Aircraft Manufacturer Schiebel Selected for UK Police Trials

The UK Police National Police Air Service (NPAS) has selected selected global manufacturer Schiebel to support its most ambitious trial so far of ‘Beyond the Visual Line of Sight’ (BVLOS) uncrewed aircraft operations. The trial – which, in 2024, successfully achieved a place in the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) BVLOS integration sandbox – will evaluate the…