CAA

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Drones Reunited – new website launched by the CAA

 With over a quarter of drone owners admitting to having lost their drone, this service at dronesreunited.uk will be able to help reconnect owners with their lost devices thanks to the new UK drone registration system.

Drone registration also goes live today (5/11).

LONDON, 5 November 2019: The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has today launched Drones Reunited, a platform set up to help recover the thousands of drones lost in the UK each year.

Thanks to the new national drone registration scheme also launched today, Drones Reunited will help drone users recover their missing machines – a serious problem for flyers, as new research reveals that over a quarter of drone owners (26%) have lost a drone.

The study found that drones are most at risk of being lost due to flight malfunctions – with more than half (51%) of misplaced drones going missing due to battery loss, poor signal, or a technology failure. And in a quarter of cases it’s down to pilot error.

Most worryingly for drone owners, when a drone is lost there is no clear procedure for getting it back.

Drones are expensive – costing anywhere from £100 to many thousands – and losing them can really hit owners in the pocket, with many unable to replace their gadget. This means demand for the Drones Reunited service is already high, with the study finding that UK drone owners would be willing to pay on average £59.30 to retrieve a lost drone.

This amount rises to over £150 for a drone worth more than £500.

Access to the Drones Reunited platform is free as part of drone registration – a mandatory scheme for all drone owners and operators in the UK having drones over 250g. Registration costs just £9 – a fraction of the price users would be willing to pay to recover their lost devices.

Indeed, the drone registration scheme is critical to the launch of Drones Reunited. With each registered operator having a unique code that they must apply to their drones we can use this number to, for the first time, introduce the reunited service.  To take advantage of the service anyone losing a drone must post their details to the Drones Reunited site, while anyone who finds a drone will be encouraged to check the device for a registration number, reporting this to the platform. The CAA will then be on hand to act to help ensure drones are returned to their rightful owners.

Jonathan Nicholson, Assistant Director of Communications, CAA, said: 

“Drones Reunited is a UK-first – an essential service that is only possible thanks to the drone registration scheme that is also launched today. The service is about giving something back to the community, helping responsible drone owners and operators to be reunited with lost drones and continue flying. 

“Our aim is for the Drones Reunited platform to become an essential service for the drone community – the first port of call for anyone who has lost, or found, a drone.”

The Drones Reunited platform can be accessed here: dronesreunited.uk

Users can now also register as a drone operator and/or flyer here: register-drones.caa.co.uk

Please note – registration is mandatory for operators of drones over 250g and must be completed by 30th November 2019. Failure to do so leaves drone users at risk of penalties up to £1,000.

As well as registration, anyone flying a drone over 250g must also take an online education and test.

After being made aware of the need to register 44% felt that being able to track and find lost drones was a real benefit of the registration scheme.

Our research also provided extra insight into drone users across the UK – revealing that it is millennials who are most likely to lose their drone: 36% of 18-34-year olds have lost a drone compared to 20% of those aged 35 and above.

However, this is balanced out by the fact that millennials are more likely to insure their drone: 54% of 18-34 year olds have some kind of insurance for their drones compared to only 26% of those aged 35+.

Regionally, you can find the most unfortunate drone owners in Northern Ireland, where 50% of users admit to having lost a drone. Elsewhere, drone flyers in London (37%) and Scotland (33%) are the next most likely to lose their drone.

The most careful users live in the North East, where only 13% of users have lost a drone. The East Midlands and the East of England are also cautious flyers, with only 17% and 18% having seen their drone go astray.

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Flying Drones and Model Aircraft: Drone Registration

Overview

You must have two registrations in place before you fly a drone or model aircraft that’s 250g to 20kg:

  • anyone who will fly must pass a theory test to get a flyer ID
  • the person that’s responsible for the drone or model aircraft must register to get an operator ID

You need to register to get a flyer ID and operator ID.

Warning – It is against the law to fly without passing the test or registering.

Organisations that use drones or model aircraft

Organisations that are responsible for drones or model aircraft must register their organisation for an operator ID.

 

Drone and model aircraft rules and regulations

You must follow the rules and regulations for flying small unmanned aircraft. The Drone and Model Aircraft Code gives guidance on flying safely and legally.

 

Labelling your drone or model aircraft

If you’re responsible for a drone or model aircraft, you must label it with your operator ID.

 

Flying other aircraft or flying indoors

You do not need to pass the test or register if your drone or model aircraft is less than 250g, or you’ll only fly indoors or in a securely netted area. You must still follow the rules and regulations when you fly.

There are different regulations for flying:

 

Using drones or model aircraft for commercial use

You must get permission to use a drone or model aircraft for commercial use (opens in a new window).

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Update: CAA Drone and Model Aircraft Registration and Education Scheme

The CAA have just published the following update: https://www.caa.co.uk/Consumers/Unmanned-aircraft/Our-role/Drone-and-model-aircraft-registration/ which is provided in full below:

The UK’s new Drone and Model Aircraft Registration and Education Scheme will go live on 5 November 2019 (please note that you cannot register before this date).

There will be two elements to the online system.

Anyone responsible for a drone or unmanned aircraft (including model aircraft) weighing between 250g and 20kg will need to register as an operator.  The cost for this will be £9 renewable annually.

Anyone flying a drone or unmanned aircraft (including model aircraft) weighing between 250g and 20kg will need to take and pass an online education package. This is free and renewable every three years.

Both of these requirements become law on 30 November 2019.

From 5 November 2019 the system will be available at Register-drones.caa.co.uk

For holders of current CAA permissions or exemptions for drone operations (e.g. such as the permission related to commercial operations as required in ANO article 94(5)) and model flyers holding an achievement certificate issued by a UK model aircraft association with a CAA reviewed achievement scheme:

Remote pilots flying in accordance with a permission, exemption or operational authorisation (e.g. such as the permission related to commercial operations as required in ANO article 94(5)) that has been issued to a named UAS operator by the CAA will be exempt from having to undertake the online education training and test.

Similarly, where a UK model aircraft association already has an established and CAA reviewed ‘competency scheme’, members who hold an appropriate achievement certificate or award (such as the BMFA ‘A’ certificate) will also be exempt from having to undertake the online education training and test.

Any operators who are not covered under the conditions of a permission/exemption or do not hold a recognised association competency will need to complete the free online course.

To allow operators to demonstrate competence if challenged (for example by the police) the CAA will be issuing a formal exemption that can be used alongside existing permissions / achievements and any other relevant documents.  This exemption will be in place until 30 June 2020, when new regulations are expected.  We will be working with stakeholders in 2020 to put these into place.

For members of ARPAS-UK, British Model Flying Association (BMFA), Scottish Aeromodellers’ Association (SAA), Large Model Association (LMA) and FPV UK

Members will not need to register as an operator with the CAA system if they are a current member of these associations. With permission [of individual members], the associations will collect the registration fee from members directly and supply their data to the CAA. This will take place initially by 31 January 2020 and an exemption from the need to register will be put in place by 30 November to cover association members until then.

The associations will issue further detailed guidance to their members in due course.  Please see www.arpas.co.uk, www.bmfa.org, www.fpvuk.org, www.largemodelassociation.com or www.saaweb.uk for further details.

Control line model aircraft flying

The CAA will be issuing an exemption meaning those flying control line model aircraft will not need to comply with the registration or education regulations.

 

ARPAS-UK and the BMFA have been working on behalf of their members, the other UK associations and the wider unmanned aircraft community to agree these changes with the DfT and the CAA since meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport on the 9th September.

David Phipps, BMFA CEO commented: we are grateful to the Secretary of State for Transport for his direct intervention in this matter which has allowed us to negotiate a more acceptable outcome for our community whilst enabling us to establish a much stronger relationship with the CAA and DfT in the process.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our members for their support of our campaign which was backed up by a significant number of MP’s, the wider aviation community, the APPG for General Aviation and our special advisers (Cliff Whittaker and Roger Hopkinson MBE).  It is very much a case of ‘United we Achieve’.

Graham Brown, ARPAS-UK CEO commented: I think David has covered the points very well and ARPAS would like to add our thanks to all involved and in particular to the Secretary of State for Transport for his intervention. I would add that during the process of discussing DRES we have built on an already effective and collaborative relationship with the DfT and the CAA. We look forward to working with them on the challenges and opportunities ahead.

 

21st October 2019

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Drone IAG initiative – Public and Commercial Perception

Executive Summary

The UK drone economy may be worth up to £42bn by 20301.  The Drone Industry Action Group (DIAG) aims to identify and address barriers to growth.  It has reached a consensus that negative public perception and an uninformed commercial sector are significant potential barriers to growth, has formed a working group and identified a strategy to address.

The approach to address public and commercial perception to maximise the potential for the growth of the UK drone economy includes how to target and influence groups that have the most negative perceptions and/ or the most potential to drive economic growth.

The DIAG will act as a repository and distribution mechanism for “drones for good” case studies, be these aimed at public or commercial perception groups and noting that the engagement strategy differs significantly for these groups.  Campaigns to address negative public perception will use survey information to identify target groups and use “drones for good” human interest stories in an attempt to present a balanced view of drones.  Campaigns to unlock the untapped economic potential of drones will be targeted at industry sectors that have the most growth potential, following a consideration of growth potential, technology availability and drone-use maturity. Such campaigns will focus on demonstrating the tangible economic, safety and social benefits of drones in target industries, or in comparable industries.

Several DIAG working group sessions have been completed and the working group has input into PwC’s public and commercial surveys.  These surveys, which were announced on June 4th 2019, confirm that there are significant perception issues to address and indicate that the working group is focussing in the appropriate areas. 

Proposed approach

The group believes that “drones for good” case studies may be obtained (from within and beyond the DIAG), assessed and prioritised by the group at no cost and that those that submit case studies will be willing to be the “face” of such stories if appropriate. 

To deliver effective campaigns, additional funding of £85k is sought, to cover a 12 month period of activity.  Funding is required to ensure messaging and distribution is effective and would be expected to include items such as website design and maintenance, PR firm engagement to develop and edit content and distribute through traditional and social media.  This funding will be used solely for supporting the working group and will not be used to fund any member firm’s business activities, unless and only to the extent that they are involved in one of the campaigns.  A level of marketing support may be provided by the Connected Places Catapult (CPC).  It is anticipated that, after initial setup and website build, there will be 10 monthly campaigns, each featuring one public and one commercial case study.

The intention is that BEIS offers a level of funding and that, as far as possible, this is matched by industry.  At time of writing (June 2019), if we exclude in-kind support, we have £5K pledged by industry (Cranfield University) toward the £85K target.  The DIAG meeting of June 5th 2019 agreed a series of actions to unlock further funding from industry.

The in-kind support from the DIAG to get to this stage has been calculated as £15K, with a further £20K anticipated were the initiative to go ahead, along with an estimated £15K of in-kind support from the CPC.  While these figures do not count towards the £85K target, they clearly show that industry is investing and intends to invest in this key initiative.

Resource Summary

“In kind” support to date and anticipated: £50K

“Additional funding” required to continue the working group and launch a 10 month campaign: £85K

  • In kind:
    • DIAG Working Group – £35K in-kind support, not part of the £85K funding target
      • To date, including survey – in kind support from DIAG, TSC market analysis – £15K 
      • Collation and prioritisation of case studies, building relationships with key journalists and industry bodies, “face” of case studies support from submitter (in or out of the DIAG) –  £20K
    • Marketing – in kind support from CPC – £15K
  • Additional funding:
    • PR and advertising, website – funding required, c.£85K based on two campaign events/ month for 10 months
      • Company 1 – identified, subject to confirmation – commercial messaging and website design, build, maintenance – £45K
      • Firm 2 – not identified – public messaging – £40K

Mechanism for funding and payment: from BEIS and industry to CPC, budget administered by CPC in accordance with working group instructions.

Timetable: go/ no go on “additional funding” and the initiative by July 19 2019, setup July/August (including vendor selection and KPIs), first campaign September for 10 months.

Following is the summary for Introduction to the DIAG:

1909_DIAG-and-Perception-Working-Group-v2.0Download

References

  1.  https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/intelligent-digital/the-impact-of-drones-on-the-uk-economy.html
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CAA announces appointment of new Safety and Airspace Regulation Director

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is pleased to confirm the appointment of Rob Bishton as its new Group Director of Safety and Airspace Regulation. This follows a global recruitment process, including both internal and external candidates.

Rob has been at the CAA since 2014, where he is currently Head of Flight Operations and a member of the Safety and Airspace Regulation’s senior leadership team. He has extensive experience in the aviation industry, including as former Operations Director at Fastjet and as a commercial pilot with over 10,000 flying hours. Rob also brings significant board experience and is currently a non-executive director of the UK Flight Safety Committee. He is also a former general aviation helicopter pilot and intends to start flying light aircraft again.

He will take up his new post on 6 November and will assume accountability for all the CAA’s safety and airspace regulatory functions. He will also become an executive director and sit on the CAA board. Rob will take over from Mark Swan, who is leaving the CAA after 11 years to take up the new role of Head of the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG).

Richard Moriarty, Chief Executive of the CAA, said: “I am delighted to appoint Rob as Group Director of Safety and Airspace Regulation. His drive, focus, and experience will be crucial as we tackle some of the big issues in aviation in the coming years.  Rob has already made a huge impact on the CAA in his current role, and I look forward to working closely with him as we undertake our most important duty – protecting the travelling public.

“I’d also like to offer my most heartfelt thanks to Mark Swan, who leaves the CAA after 11 years. Mark has reformed the way the CAA approaches our safety regulation, introducing performance-based oversight, and has made an enormous impact on the culture of the organisation. He will be much-missed, and we all wish him the best for his new role, where we will no doubt still have the opportunity to work together as we strive to modernise airspace.”

Commenting on his appointment, Rob Bishton, said: “I am really thrilled to be stepping into this role at such a critical time for UK aviation. Whether it is the integration of drones into our skies or the modernisation of the UK’s airspace, we are in the midst of both a challenging and rewarding period. I look forward to working with colleagues as well as the whole sector – both commercial and general aviation – so that we can continue to lay claim to one of the safest aviation systems in the world.”

Notes to editors

Biographical notes

A commercial pilot by trade, Rob has extensive management and regulatory experience in the aviation sector. He has over 10,000 flying hours, including as captain, on a wide range of aircraft (Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777, 787 and Airbus A320 family) as well as broad experience as a trainer and examiner. He was Group Operations Director at Fastjet, as well as a former Chief Pilot and Head of Flight Operations at easyJet.

He has held various other management and training roles in airlines. He currently represents the Safety and Airspace Regulation Group at the CAA’s International Group Executive Committee and is a member of the Industry Resilience Group. Rob is also a keen sportsman, having played football for Aston Villa and worked as an instructor at the British Academy of Motorsport.

 

The Civil Aviation Authority

4th October 2019

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Airprox Stakeholder Engagement Event

Thursday 19th September 2019

In conjuction with the Royal Aeronautical Society, ARPAS-UK has arranged a meeting to bring together the key stakeholders to learn more about the Airprox Incident Reporting of Drones and to discuss the way ahead.

Confirmed speakers are:

  • UK Airprox Board
  • Airprox Reality Checks
  • CAA
  • DJI

Representatives from GATCO (the Guild of Air Traffic Controllers) and the BMFA (British Model Flying Association) will be attending too. There will be presentations and a constructive Q&A session, plus networking opportunities.

The aim of the event is to inform and educate members/stakeholders on how Airprox reports are made and actioned, and to see if there are any improvements which can be made to the process. We’re keen that this is a constructive event for all drone related stakeholders, not a point scoring or political session.

Attendance is by invitation only if not an ARPAS-UK member.

The event will be filmed and made available to members afterwards.

 

 

 

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CAP1789: The EU UAS Regulation Package – Outline

EU exit

Please note that, in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a negotiated agreement, some CAA website content and application forms may continue to carry the EASA logo or reference the EU or EASA rather than the UK CAA in the short term. These will be updated in due course following the UK’s departure from the EU. In the meantime, the guidance provided and the application forms accessed via the CAA website portal will continue to be valid.

CAP1789 – The EU UAS Regulation Package – Outline

Description:This document provides an outline of the newly published EU unmanned aircraft regulations along with a simple explanation of the general intent behind the key parts of the regulations and our outline plans for their implementation within the UK next year. It is intended to be used as an aid to reading and understanding the regulations themselves.

CAP1789 EU UAS Regulations-Guidance

http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?appid=11&mode=detail&id=9135

21/6/2019

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Science & Technology Committee Inquiry 11/6/2019

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

  • Tim Johnson, Policy Director, Civil Aviation Authority
  • Richard Parker, Chief Executive Officer, Altitude Angel
  • Anne-Lise Scaillierez, Director, Association of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems UK

At 10.45 am

  • Professor James P. Scanlan, University of Southampton
  • Brendan Schulman, Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs, DJI
  • Sir Brian Burridge, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Aeronautical Society

 

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:

  • current and forthcoming regulation including registration plans;
  • the effectiveness and prevalence of in-built safety features of drones.

Scope of the inquiry

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.

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The CAA’s Innovation Sandbox

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched a new virtual space in which new technology can be safely tested – the ‘Innovation Sandbox’. The Sandbox is offering innovative companies the chance to discuss, explore, trial and test emerging concepts, helping the UK’s aviation sector to continue to be at the forefront of technology.

The new UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Innovation Team, initially funded by a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) grant, has launched the Innovation Sandbox with six participants.

The six participants and their projects are:

  • Altitude Angel – a company delivering solutions which enable the safe integration and use of highly automated drones into airspace. Through its airspace management platform, GuardianUTM O/S, it delivers software foundations for safely unlocking the potential of drones.
  • Amazon – a future delivery system from Amazon designed to safely get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using unmanned aerial vehicles.
  • NATS and Searidge Technologies – air traffic control body NATS and its digital tower partner, Searidge Technologies, are working to implement new technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital air traffic control towers.
  • NBEC Consortium* – Cranfield University and its partners, Blue Bear Systems Research, Thales and Vodafone are creating an experimentation corridor that will enable drones and unmanned aircraft fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) by having their locations tracked and thus safely fly in the same airspace as manned aircraft.
  • Nesta Challenges – the Flying High Challenge, part of Nesta Challenges, is a collaborative engagement with cities, technologists, researchers, regulators, government, public services and the public to shape the future of urban drone use in the UK.
  • Volocopter – a company developing electrically powered urban air taxis (#eVTOLs) – based on drone technology – to help modern cities solve their increasing mobility issues.

The CAA’s innovation team will work closely with the participants to help them understand how they can meet regulatory requirements. Ultimately, this will be one of the elements these innovators will need in order to bring their new aviation and travel products and services to market.

Announcing the new Innovation Sandbox, Tim Johnson, Director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:

“The UK is a global leader for aviation innovation and we are excited to be playing our role to support this. Public safety remains our number one priority, and our Innovation Sandbox will allow for the creation of world-first technologies, tried and tested in a safe environment.”

Emma Simpson, Head of the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s new Innovation Team, added:

“We are working to enable innovative ideas and continue to collaborate with the international community, working with industry, for the public. These first six participants in our Innovation Sandbox are bringing exciting opportunities for the UK to benefit from in years to come.”

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, said:

“We are in an era of rapid technological change and it’s exciting to see how these pioneering projects will put the UK at the forefront of growth industries of the future. Our innovation-friendly approach, builds on our global reputation in regulation, and is helping make the UK the global destination of choice for new aviation technology as part of our modern Industrial Strategy.”

Aviation Minister, Baroness Vere, said:

“New technologies such as artificial intelligence and drones have the potential to transform how we move people and goods around, both key aims of our Future of Mobility Grand Challenge and our forthcoming Aviation Strategy. The work of these six innovators demonstrates that the UK is a leader in exploring how to safely utilise these opportunities for the good of the country.”

Chris Forster, Chief Operating Officer at Altitude Angel, said:

“All the team at Altitude Angel are excited to be part of the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Innovation Sandbox. Here in the UK we have the opportunity to lead the world in demonstrating how manned and un-manned aircraft can safely co-exist in mutual airspace. With our fellow Sandbox innovators, we’re looking forward to making this concept a reality.”

Professor Iain Gray, Director of Aerospace at Cranfield University, said:

“The potential of drones and unmanned vehicles to boost UK productivity is well documented and the technology is well developed. However, there are understandable regulatory concerns that need to be overcome about how they operate alongside manned aircraft. Being part of the CAA’s sandbox will allow The NBEC Team (Cranfield, Blue Bear Systems Research, Thales and Vodafone) to develop NBEC into a national asset that will pioneer the integration of manned and unmanned aircraft.”

Andy Taylor, NATS Chief Solutions Officer for Digital Towers, said:

“New technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital air traffic control towers, is set to revolutionise how air traffic is managed at airports all around the world. We’re really pleased to be working closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority, exploring what these technologies are capable of and the impact they will have on the aviation industry.”

Kathy Nothstine, Flying High Programme Lead at Nesta Challenges, said:

“There has been some astonishing work with innovative technologies in the UK, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, and we look forward to pushing the boundaries and examining the potential for emerging technologies as part of the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Innovation Sandbox. By working collaboratively across industry, tech innovators, regulators, front line services, cities, the public and government, the UK can continue to lead the way in aviation technology that will make us global leaders for years to come.”

Florian Reuter, Chief Executive at Volocopter, said:

“The UK Civil Aviation Authority Innovation Sandbox provides the necessary fertile ground to work with all stakeholders towards making London a city showcase for new forms of mobility. We are excited to embark on this learning journey together on how to enrich the mobility mix with our electrically powered Volocopter air taxis.”

 

The CAA

20/5/2019

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CAA Consultation on Electronic Conspicuity

This consultation was opened on 18 March and will close on 25 May 2019.

ARPAS-UK encourages all its members to complete the consultation. We will be responding as an organisation too.

 

Overview

Electronic conspicuity (EC) is one of the most important airspace modernisation initiatives because of its potential to unlock safety benefits and save lives by reducing the likelihood of infringements and mid-air collisions.

By ensuring the full adoption of EC solutions in targeted blocks of airspace to enhance situational awareness, the aviation sector can transform its approach to integrating different types of operation and lay the foundations for new users like unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to operate far more extensively than they do today.

Full adoption means 100% of users operating in a designated block of can be detected electronically to the required levels of accuracy and reliability.

 

Please read the CAA’s information on the topic and follow instructions on how to respond.

https://consultations.caa.co.uk/corporate-communications/e-conspicuity-solutions/

Thank you.