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FLY SMART, FLY SAFE
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ARPAS Statement – BBC 2 Documentary “Britain’s Next Air Disaster? Drones?” – Aired Mon 1 Jul 2019
ARPAS members have expressed deep concern and criticism of the BBC Two documentary, ‘Britain’s Next Air Disaster? Drones?’, which aired on Monday 1 July 2019 and which focussed heavily on the illegal and malevolent use of drones in UK airspace, exaggerated the risks and presented a one-sided view that has the potential to harm the livelihood of ARPAS members.
ARPAS acknowledges that mid-air collision, unauthorised flight within restricted and sensitive airspace as well as deliberate nefarious use, are the most credible causes of a serious incident involving a drone but a balanced assessment of risk is always a combination of severity and likelihood. ARPAS believes the programme overemphasised the former and neglected to realistically assess the latter.
As a public service broadcaster, the BBC has a responsibility to provide its viewers with balanced reporting which, on this occasion, we believe it failed to do. ARPAS is the UK’s trade association representing the unmanned aviation industry and we would hope that in the future, programme makers ask us to contribute in order to gain a more balanced view.
ARPAS vigorously supports the legal, safe and legitimate uses of drones and strongly believes this represents the vast majority of recreational users and all the commercial users amongst its members for whom it will continue to advocate.
ARPAS has raised a complaint with the BBC and contacted BBC Points of View. We encourage you to do the same.
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Anne-Lise Scaillierez, Director at ARPAS-UK, has been invited to provide expert witness to the Science & Technology Committee Inquiry into the Commercial and Recreational Use of Drones in the UK.
You can watch on Parliament TV
Witnesses:
At 9.45 am
At 10.45 am
This is the first session of the Committee’s inquiry into commercial and recreational drone use in the UK, and will help the Committee to seek evidence on the risks and opportunities arising from the growing use of civilian drones. Themes for this session include:
This inquiry will look at the ethical and safety implications of the growing use of civilian drones, of all sizes, across the UK.
Drones have had a range of positive impacts across a variety of industries, from commercial photography and aerial surveying, through to crop spraying and parcel delivery. However, following increased recreational popularity, there have been several suspected drone incidents, including dozens of ‘near misses’ between drones and aircrafts.
Following two previous consultations on drone safety and security and incursions at Gatwick and Heathrow airports the Government is planning to bring forward a ‘Drones Bill’ in 2019.