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INTEGRATIONOFRPASINTOCLASSGAIRSPACE
APAPERBYFASVIG
26 FEBRUARY 2017 FASVIGLIMITED
31WalkerAvenue,WolvertonMillEast,MiltonKeynes,MK125TW
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S1. ExecutiveSummary
S1.1 Situation.TheUKClassGAirspacecurrentlyplayshosttoover34,000aircraftofalltypes.Theseaircraftareregulatednationallyandpilotsreceiveappropriatetrainingin
ordertogaintheirlicencestooperate.Althoughdifficulttoquantifyaccurately,asimilar
orderofmagnitudenumberofRPASarenowbeingoperatedinthesameairspacebyamix
ofprofessional,hobbyistandleisureusers.WiththenumberofRPASlikelytomorethan
doubleoverthenext20yearstherisksofcollisionorinfringementarelikelytorise
commensuratelyunlessmeasuresaretakentointegrateorsegregatethevariousClassG
Airspaceusers.
S1.2 RPAS/VFRIntegration.Thereareexistinginitiativesdesignedtoinformand(toa
degree)regulatethe4identifiablegroupsofRPASuser(military,commercial,hobbyistand
leisure).Inparticular,theNATSRPASAirspaceAwarenessProgrammeseekstoeducate
RPASusersandfacilitatecertainRPASoperationsinregulatedairspace.TheCAADronecode
advisesRPASoperatorstomaintainatorbelow400ftandthissimpleregulatorymeasure,
aidedbytechnologysuchastheNATSDroneAssistAppcouldbeausefulfirststeptowards
RPAS/VFRintegration.
S1.3 InordertogaugethelevelofconcernamongstGeneralAviation(GA)pilots,
concerningRPASoperations,FASVIGconductedasurveyamongstacross-sectionofClassG
Airspaceusers–thesurveyresultsareatAnnexA.Inbroadtermsthesurveyidentifiedthat
GApilotsstronglybelieve:thereisaVFR/RPASintegrationissue;thatregulatoryaction
shouldbetakentomitigatewhattheyperceivetobethemainthreattomannedaircraft;
thattechnologicalmeasuresbetakentoaidthe“seeandavoid”processand;that
educationalandpublicitymeasuresbetakentoimprovethelevelofaviationknowledgeof
RPASoperators.
S1.4 EASAiscurrentlyconsultingonUnmannedAircraftPrototypeRegulationswhich
couldinformpartoftheregulatorydebate(operatoraccountabilityandheightseparation).
TheUKGovernmentissimilarlyengaged,withaDfTsurveycurrentlybeingconductedon
theSafeUseofDronesintheUK.Thissurveyhasalreadyhighlightedissuessuchas
insuranceandelectronicidentificationforfurtherdevelopment.
S1.5 ConsiderationsforFutureChangestoRPAS/VFRIntegration.Theopinionsgatheredinsurveys,backedbystatisticalevidenceclearlyidentifythatRPASposean
additionalhazardtoexistingoperationsinClassGAirspace.Theformaltrainingof
professionalRPASoperatorsandeducationofthosehobbyistswhoaremembersofthe
BritishModelFlyingAssociation(BMFA)wouldseemtobeproductiveinmitigatingmuchof
theriskassociatedwithmixedVFR/RPASoperations.However,suitablestepstoapplythe
samemeasurestotheRPASleisureusershaveyettobetabled.ToolssuchastheNATS
DroneAssistAppandapplicationoftheCAADronecodewillnotbefullyeffectivewithout
appropriatepublicity,backedbyregulatoryactionandtechnologicalsolutionstoaid“see
andavoid”principles.Summarisedrecommendationsthatfallfromtheanalysisand
conclusions,developedinthispaper,areasfollows:
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S1.5.1 RPAS>250garelimited,electronicallyandlegally,to400ftAGL(unless
coveredbyaCAAexemption).
S1.5.2 RPAS>250gareregistered.
S1.5.3 CAAinvestigatesVFR/RPAScollisionriskthroughtheuseofmodellingtools.
S1.5.4 LargeRPAS“segregatedairspacegrowth”behalted.
Once“seeandavoid”technologyisCAAapprovedandappropriatelymandated:
S1.5.5 RPASarefullyintegratedintoClassGAirspace.
S1.5.6 BVLOSshouldbefurtherregulatedbytheCAA.
WithintheextantRPAS/VFRintegrationsystem:
S1.5.7 TheANObeamendedtolimitallsmallRPASto400ft.
S1.5.8 NATSprovidetheDroneAssistdatabasetoRPASmanufacturers.
S1.5.9 PrivatestripownersbeencouragedtoensuretheyarelistedintheNATS
DroneAssistAppdatabase.
S1.5.10ManufacturersofconsumerRPASprovideaprintedcopyoftheDronecode
withallRPASsales.
S1.5.11ManufacturersofconsumerRPASshouldnotstateperformancecapabilities
thatarecontrarytotheDronecode.
S1.5.12LeisureuserscompleteaticktestaspartofRPASregistration.
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1. Introduction1.1 TheFASVIGImplementationProgrammecontainsanumberofairspaceefficiency
enablers.PackageA.2.7entitled“UASPolicyCompatiblewithVFROperations”wasenabled
duringFASVIGyear1workandsoughttoinitiatedialoguewiththeUAScommunitytoseek
toimprovemutualunderstanding.Thissuccessfulengagementledtofurtherfundingbeing
agreedinyear2work,asmilestonef),andsoughttodevelopRPAS1/VFRpolicyalongside
theNATSprogrammetointegrateRPASinnationalairspace.Thispaperseekstoexposethe
risksassociatedwiththeunregulatedoperationofbothmannedandunmannedaircraftin
thesameclassofairspaceandmakerecommendationstomitigatethatrisk.
2. CurrentSituation2.1 Asof1January2017,theCAAlistsatotalof20,027fixed-wing,rotary-wing,glider,
gyroplane,hang-glider,balloonsandmicrolightaircraftregisteredintheUK2.Additionally,
themilitaryhaveapproximately404fixed-wingandrotary-wingaircraftthatareregularly
flownatlowlevel3.Therearealsointheregionof7000unregisteredaircraft.Thistotals
over27,000UKmannedaircraftthatflymainlyinClassGAirspace.
2.2 ThereisnosubstantiateddataforsalesofcommerciallysoldRPASintheUK;
however,MaplinElectronicsisoneofseveralUKretailerswhosellconsumerRPASandin
2014soldapproximately17,0004.Ontheassumptionthat25%areforuseindoors
5over
12,000fromthatonecompanyalonewillhaveaccessedClassGairspacein2015.TheCAA
doesnotpublishRPASdatainitsUKAviationForecastsreport;however,iftheFederal
AviationAuthority(FAA)AerospaceForecast6weretobemirroredintheUKthengrowth
overthenexttwentyyearsforconsumerRPASmightbeforecasttobe226%.
2.3 AsofSeptember2015theCAAissued1036PermissionsforAerialWork(RPAS
CommercialUse<20kg)andasat19August2016thatfigurehasrisento21737.
2.4 TheUKAirproxBoardAnnualreportof2015notedthatin2014therewere6Airprox
reports(possiblecollision)thatpositivelyidentifiedRPASandin2015thatfigureroseto29.
Asummaryreportfor2016hasyettobepublished.
2.5 FromthefigureslistedaboveitisclearthatuseofClassGairspaceisinhigh
demand,fromaneclecticmixofusers.RPASuseisrisingandwillcontinuetodosofor
quitesometime;thebenefitsforcommercialuseandtotheUKeconomyarebeingseen
eachyearasthistechnologydevelopsbutwithitcomesanincreasedriskofacollisionwith
1ForthepurposeofthispaperthetermRemotelyPilotedAircraftSystem(RPAS)coversunmannedaircraft(UA),UA
Systems(UAS),dronesandmodelaircraft2CAAwebsite-UKregisteredaircraftbyclass,weightandCofA,singleyeardata
3Gov.UKwebsite(NationalStatistics)–UKArmedForcesEquipmentandFormations(2016)
4BBCArticle“Aredronesdangerousorharmlessfun?”dated5Oct2015.
5Dronesdirect.co.ukSurveydated28Nov2016
6https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation/aerospace_forecasts/media/FY2016-36_FAA_Aerospace_Forecast.pdf
7CAASmallUnmannedAircraftList28Nov2016
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mannedaircraft.TominimisetheriskshouldRPASbeintegrated(andtowhatdegree?),
segregated,orshouldamixofthesemeasuresbeadopted?
3. RPAS/VFRIntegration3.1 RPASCategories.RPASfallinto4groups:Military;Commercial(CAApermission
required);Hobbyist(memberoftheBritishModelFlyingAssociation(BMFA)and/orits
affiliatedclubs)and;leisureuse.
3.2 NATSRPASAirspaceAwarenessProgramme.TheNATSRPASAirspaceAwarenessandIntegrationprogrammecoversthreeareas:
3.2.1 EducateRPASusersonthesafeandappropriatelocationstouseRPAS
throughtheavailabilityofonlineairspaceawarenesstoolsandresources.
3.2.2 Captureinitialuserrequirementsforanautomatedflightplanapproval
processforRPASoperationswithincontrolledorotherrestrictedairspace.
3.2.3 ProgressthestateofthearttowardsBeyondVisualLineofSight(BVLOS)
operations;assesstheneedanddefinehighlevelrequirementsforUnmanned
TrafficManagementsystem(s)(UTM)tofacilitatesuchoperations.
3.3 FASVIGhascommongroundwithNATSonthefirstareaandthisiscoveredin
Section4.TheseconddoesnotrefertoClassGairspace.Itispossiblethattheremaybe
commongroundinthethirdareawithrespecttoensuringthatBVLOSoperationsandits
accompanyingUTMshouldnotimpactmannedClassGuserswithnewrestrictionsor
additionalprocedures–forexample,byrequiringVFRoperatorstofileaflightplan.
3.4 CAADronecode.Thiscode8advisesthatRPASpilotsshouldremainatorbelow
400ft.Thismakesgoodsenseas,exceptfortake-off,landingandauthorisedaerialwork,
mannedaircraftmustmaintain500ftfrom“persons,vehicles,vesselsandstructures”9but
thishasnoplaceinlawforRPASthatarelessthan7kg10.ForBHPA/BGAaircraftthe400ft
DronecodeadviceforRPAScouldbeanissue-theyoftenflybelowthisheightwhenhill
soaring11andmanyarenearsilent.UseoftheNATSDroneAssistAppwithanextensive
BHPAoperatingsitedatabasecouldhelpalleviatethis12.However,fromdiscussionsonthis
topicwiththeBHPA,theremaybeareluctancetopubliciselaunchsitesassomeareonly
permittedbyagreementwiththelandownerforverylowusagebylocalBHPAmembers.
TheNATSAppisdiscussedinmoredetailinSection4.
3.5 RPASIntegrationSurvey.InordertogaugeopinionfromthewiderGeneralAviation
communityaFASVIG-sponsoredsurveyentitled“RPAS/VFRIntegrationintoUKClassG
Airspace”wasconductedattheendof2016.Asummaryofresultsfromthatsurveyisat
8CAADronecodedated29November2016
9StandardEuropeanRulesoftheAir(SERA)923/2012,asamendedbytheCAA
10AirNavigationOrder(ANO)2016
11Allglidersareexemptthe500ftrulewhenhillsoaring(Rule5oftheUKRulesoftheAir1996)
12BHPAlaunchsitesareoften(butnotalways)neartohillsoaringareas
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AnnexA.Thesurveywastargetedat100pilotsbasedontheCAAwebsitelistofUK
registeredaircraftbyclass,weightandCofA,mentionedearlier.Themainoutcomesofthe
surveyareasfollows:
3.5.1 75%believethereisanintegrationissue,withthemainreasonsgivenbeing:
3.5.1.1 Collisionrisk-asRPASaregenerallydifficulttoseeandavoidduetotheirsmallsize.
3.5.1.2 Lackoftraining/aviationeducationofleisureuseRPASoperators.
3.5.2 90%consideredthattheANOshouldbechangedtorequirethatall
unmannedaircraftlessthan20kgtobelimitedto400ftandnotjustthe7-20kg
category.Themainreasonsgivenwerethat“visuallineofsight”wastooambiguous
andthat400ftwouldprovideabufferfromtheSERA923/2012500ftrule.
3.5.3 92%thoughtthatleisureuseRPASwerethemainthreattomannedaircraft.
3.5.4 90%consideredthatmanufacturersshouldlimittheirdronesbydesignto
complywiththeCAADronecode;themainreasongivenbeingthattoomanyleisure
usersdidnothaveanaviationeducation.Severalrespondentscommentedthatif
droneswerelimitedthencommercialoperatorsshouldbeallowedtohavetheirs
delimitedinaccordancewithanyissuedCAAexemption.
3.5.5 72%considerthatallRPASshouldberegisteredand65%believethatthey
shouldallbeinsured(currentlyallbutleisureusershaveinsurance).However,
severalrespondentsfearedthatanysuchsystemmightbedifficulttoenforce.
3.5.6 88%recommendedthat,beforeRPASarepermittedtooperateBVLOS,they
mustbefittedwith“seeandavoid”technologytoavoidmannedaircraftaswellas
eachother.Severalrespondentsremarkedthat,ifRPASareoperatedBVLOS,thena
NOTAMshouldbeissued.
Inthefinalquestionofthesurvey,respondentsweregiventhechancetoaddanyother
comments.Recurringthemeswere:
3.5.7 RPASusersmustbeeducatedaboutmannedaviation.
3.5.8 PrivateairstripsneedpublicisingtoRPASoperators.
3.5.9 Regulationmaybedifficulttoenforce.
3.5.10 TheDronecodeheightlimitadviceof400ftistoohigh.
Onerespondentwrote“Ipaytofly,viaregistration,license,training.Thosewhowantto
'integrate'needtodothesame,otherwisethisisanaccidentwaitingtohappen”.
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3.6 Fromthesmallcross-sectionofmannedaircraftoperators,operatinginClassG
airspacethattookpartinthesurvey,itwas(perhapsunsurprisingly)clearthattheybelieve
thatRPASposearisktomannedaircraft.ThegeneralfeelingbeingthatRPASshouldbe
limited-usingacombinationoflegalbackingtotheCAADronecode;byamendmentofthe
ANO;andRPASmanufacturerslimitingtheirdronestoassistuserscomplywiththeCode.
ThiswouldnotcaptureRPASthathavebeenbuiltfromkitsbutthemajorityoftheseaircraft
willbeusedforracingatultra-lowlevelinorganisedandnormallycagedenvironmentsor
operatedcommerciallywithaCAAPermit.Generallackofaviationeducationamongst
leisureRPASusers,whoareusingClassGairspaceforthefirsttime,isamajorconcern.
3.7 EASAProposal.EASAiscurrentlyconsultingonUnmannedAircraftPrototype
Regulations13.Thefollowingtableisaverysimplifiedsummary:
Category MTOM Registered ID Training Height Distance Geofence14OpenAO 250g No No No 50m/150ft* 100m* No
OpenA1 25kg Yes No No 50m/150ft* VLOS No
OpenA2 25kg Yes Yes* No 50m/150ft* VLOS Yes*
OpenA3 25kg Yes Yes* Yes 50m/500ft* VLOS Yes*
Specific CAAauthorisationandoperatorhasLightUAOperatorCertificate
Certified UAiscertified,remotepilotlicensedandoperatorCAAapproved
*BuiltintothedesignofRPAS
ThereappearstobenoobjectivemethodofdecidingwhichOpenCategoryRPASfallinto;
however,thereisasubjectivedescriptionofriskofsevereinjurytopersonsontheground
ordamagetomannedaircraft:
Category RiskOpenAO Negligible
OpenA1 Negligible
OpenA2 Limited
OpenA3 Higher
3.8 Intheabsenceoffurtherguidance,itisanticipatedthatRPASmountedwitha
camera/sensorwouldfallintotheOpenA3category.AttheRoyalAeronauticalSociety
(RAeS)2016“DronesinDailyUse”conferenceDrGraemeNashofFrazerNashConsultancy
demonstratedthepossibleuseofsoftwaremodellingtounderstandtheriskofcollision
betweenRPASandmannedaircraft.Modellingtoolsarecurrentlycertifiedforassessingthe
riskofbirdstrikedamagetocommercialaircraftandthereisastrongcasetoinvestigatethe
risktoalltypesofmannedaircraftfromcollisionwithRPAS.
3.9 Onbalance,itwouldseemthattheEASAproposalwouldfavourUKClassGairspace
users,inthatitwillfacilitateaccountability(registrationandID)andsomeseparationforthe
vastmajorityofRPASflights(geofenceheightlimit).Therearesomeobservations:
13EASA‘Prototype’CommissionRegulationsonUnmannedAircraftOperations–dated22August2016
14GeofenceisanautomaticfunctiontolimittheaccessofRPAStoairspaceareasorvolumes
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3.9.1 TheheightlimitofOpenA2mightbeperceivedtobeoverlyrestrictive,
consideringtheRPASisrequiredtolimitthisparameter.However,asindicatedin
theRPASIntegrationSurveycommentssomemannedaircraftpilotswouldnotbe
unhappywiththis.
1.9.2 The500ftlimitforOpenA3doesnottallywhenregisteredmannedaircraft
arelimitedtoaminimumof500ft.Asaferheightwouldbe400ft,asstatedinthe
CAADronecode,toprovidea100ftbuffer.Thatsaid,asmentionedabove,theCode
heightisnotlegallybindingatpresentforRPAS<7kg.
3.9.3 BVLOSisnotcoveredintheregulationbut,bythetimethisregulationis
enactedin2020,thattechnologywillbearrivingandtheregulatorscouldfind
themselvesonestepbehind.ItcouldbearguedthattheRPASindustryshouldlead
proposalsforcommercialBVLOSoperationsonly,astheonusshouldbeonthemnot
toinconveniencecurrentClassGusers.
3.9.4 TheOpencategoryisclearlywrittenwiththemulti-rotorRPASinmindbut,
bydefinition,willencompassmodelaircraft.Formanyyearsmannedaircraftinthe
UKhaveco-existedwithmembersoftheBMFA;andeitherEASAortheCAAshould
beencouragedtogiveanexemptiontomodelaircraft,otherwiseitwillhavea
severeeffectonmodelflyingthatisnotproportionatetoknownrisk(asdetailedin
the2015UKAIRPROXBoardAnnualReport).
3.10 UKGovernmentPolicy.TheHouseofLordsconductedaverydetailedinquiryintoCivilUseofDronesin2015
15andasaresulttheDepartmentforTransport(DfT)hasissueda
consultationon“TheSafeUseofDronesintheUK”16.Thereareover60questionsfor
respondentstoanswerbuttheessentialproposalsofinsurance,registration(>250g)and
guidanceatpointofsale(Dronecode)aremandated.
3.11 BasedontheDfTquestionnairerepliesreceivedtodate(thesurveyconcludeson15
March2017)theseproposalswouldbesupportedbythemajorityoftheRPASIntegration
Surveyrespondents.Insurancewillbeaninterestingproposal.CommercialRPAShaveto
beinsuredbutthecurrentprovisionsdonotmirrorthoseforregisteredaircraftandifthey
arerequiredtodosothereisacostissue.Hobbyistshaveinsurancethroughmembership
oftheBMFAsoitistheleisureuserwhothegovernmentwillprobablyhavethemost
difficultydealingwith,astheissueisrelativelycomplex(forexample,levelofriskandnon-
compliance).Onesolutioncouldbetomakeinsurancepartofanannualregistration
update,similartomannedaircraft.
3.12 Onequestion,intheDfTsurvey,thatmaycauseconcerntomannedClassGusersis
Q40-“Shouldelectronicidentificationformannedgeneralaviationbemandatory?Why?”
Bytheendof2017anygeneralaviationaircraftwitharadiomustupgradeto8.33Khzand
withmanygeneralaviationpilotsvoluntarilyelectingtoadoptadditionalmeansof
electronicidentification,suchasModeStransponders,theadditionalcostissignificant.
15HouseofLords–CivilUseofDronesReport,24Feb2015
16GovernmentConsultationontheSafeUseofDronesintheUK,21Dec2016
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WhilsttherearetremendousadvantagestoGPSbeingfedtoaModeSTransponderto
producetheADS-BOutsignal,whichwouldalmostcertainlybethe“electronic
identification”mentionedinQ40,theissueisoneofcost,principleandpracticality17.In
recognitionofthisissuetheCAAisscopingoptionsfor“free”handheldADS-Bdevicesforall
aircraft.Thatsaidthecarriageofatransponderbyallaircraftdoesnotinitselfprovideany
collisionavoidance.Eitheraradarcontrollermustalwaysbeintheloopandin
communicationwiththeparties(impractical)orthepartiesmustuseaTCASsystem(which
doesnotexist)–evenso,thenumberoftransmittingandrespondingunitswouldlikely
overwhelmthespectrum.
3.13 IfRPASindustrycouldbringaboutthevolumeproductionoflow-cost1090MHzADS-
BOutsolutionssuitableforusebyRPASitwouldmaketheseRPASelectronically
conspicuoustootherRPAS,toATCunits(onceADS-Bdataisincorporatedintoradar
displays)andtomannedaircraftequippedwithADS-BIntechnologyplustrafficdisplaysor
collisionavoidancesystems.WithoutelectronicallyconspicuousRPAS,mannedaircraft
pilotsarehighlyunlikelytomakevisualcontactwithconflictingsmall-to-mediumsizeRPAS
insufficienttimetotakeavoidingaction.Researchhasshownthat,whenlookingoutfor
otheraircraft,“alertedseeandavoid”iseighttimesmoreeffectivethanpure“seeand
avoid”18.
3.14 ShouldRPASindustrymass-producedlow-costADS-BOutsolutionsbecomeareality
theymayalsobetakenupbyGeneralAviation,enhancingaviationsafetymoregenerally,
reducingtheriskofmid-aircollisionandimprovingthechanceofpreventingairspace
infringements.ADS-BOutequippedGAaircraftwouldbeelectronicallyconspicuoustoADS-
BInequippedRPAS,allowingautomatednavigationalgorithmstosteerRPASawayfrom
detectedtraffic,eveninverypoorvisibilityconditions.
3.15 However,whenAmazonPrimeAirwasconsultedinthepreparationofthispaper,
theirspokespersonfeltthatADS-Bwasnottheanswerfortechnicalandcostreasons;itis
Amazon’sviewthatfullyautonomous“seeandavoid”isthewayforward.Asasolutionfor
oneRPASdetectingothersmallRPASorevendetectingmediumtolargeRPASormanned
aircraftinpoorweatherconditionsthisviewisquestionable.Thistechnicalcapabilityhas
beenpursuedformannedaircraftformanyyearswithoutcommercialsuccess.
3.16 ThegeneralviewisthatifanewuserofClassGwishestooperateinthatairspace
thentheyshoulddosowithoutposinganyadditionalrisk,costoroperationalconstraintsto
currentusers.
3.17 LargeRPAS.LargeRPAS(>20kg)aresubjecttostricterrulesand(sofar)havebeensegregatedinrestrictedairspace,suchasD202inWestWales,forresearch,development
andcertificationbybothcivilandmilitaryorganisations.Inthefuture,whenfully
autonomousseeandavoidtechnologyhasbeendemonstrated,largeRPASwillbe
certificatedtooperatewithmannedaircraft.Thisshouldnotpresentanissue,asthe
certificationstandardwillneedtobethesameasmannedaircraftforwhichever
17BecauseofthesizeandpowerrequirementsitwillbeimpracticalforallaircrafttooperateModeS.
18AustralianTransportSafetyBureau;LimitationsoftheSee-and-Avoidprinciple,April1991,reprintedNovember2004.
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classificationofairspacetheywilloperatein.
3.18 Oneconcern,highlightedbysomeRPASIntegrationSurveyrespondents,wasthe
fearofrestrictedairspace,likeD202,increasinginsizeandcreatingchokepoints(VFR
SignificantAreas)witheithercontrolledairspaceorterrain;andpossiblyleadtoeitheran
infringementorareductioninsafeweatheravoidoptions.Theseissuesarecurrentlybeing
addressedinanotherFASVIGworkstrand.
4. ConsiderationsforFutureChangestoRPAS/VFRIntegration4.1 RPASIntegrationPrinciples.TheEurocontrolwebsitestates“TheintegrationofRPASintothepresentmannedaircraftenvironmentisbasedonafewbasicbutessentialprinciples:
§ Theyshouldnotposeanadditionalhazardtoexistingoperations.§ Theyshouldbeassafeasorsaferthanmannedaircraftoperations.§ TheyshouldoperateinatransparentmannerforATC.
Theseprincipleshavebeenagreedataninternationallevel”.
4.2 Regardingtheseprinciples,itisevidentfromthestatisticsalreadydetailedthatRPAS
poseanadditionalhazardtoexistingoperations.ThisviewwasalsoexpressedbyClassG
usersintheRPASIntegrationSurvey.MilitaryandcommercialRPASoperatorsreceive
formaltrainingandunderstandtheprinciplesandrulesofflyinginClassGairspace.Whilst
therehavebeenoccasionalAIRPROXwithmodelaircraftoverthelastfewdecadesithas
beenseenthattheseincidentshavebeenminimisedwheremodelflyershavegained
aviationknowledgethroughmembershipoftheBMFA19.Thiswouldseemtoindicatethat
modelflyingisrelativelysafe–reinforcedbyICAO’sview20onmodelaircraftthat“Inthe
broadestsense,theintroductionofUASdoesnotchangeanyexistingdistinctionsbetweenmodelaircraftandaircraft.Modelaircraft,generallyrecognizedasintendedforrecreationalpurposesonly,falloutsidetheprovisionsoftheChicagoConvention,beingexclusivelythesubjectofrelevantnationalregulations,ifany.”Thisviewwouldseemtoimplythat
hobbyistRPASusersshouldbethesubjectofminimalregulation.
4.3 Thecaseforsupportingtheleisureuserisnotaseasy.OperationofRPASwiththe
capabilityandmassofamulti-rotordrone,byanindividualwhohaslittleornoknowledge
ofaviation,doesnotsatisfytheprinciplesofintegrationandthereforepotentiallypresentsa
clearrisktomannedaircraft.Thisdisparitybetweenthemodelflyer(whohasreceived
appropriateinstruction)andtheleisureusershouldbethesubjectoffurtherscrutiny,with
eitherlimitationsorCAAexemption(s)putinplacetobalancetherisktoallClassGairspace
users.
19TheBMFAisveryactiveinsupportingtheDronecodeandtryingtorecruitleisureusers,inordertoeducatethemand
providethemwithinsurance(whichisincludedinBMFAmembership).20ICAOCircular328–UnmannedAircraftSystems(2011)
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4.4 TheANO,paragraph94“Smallunmannedaircraft”(<20kg),limits7to20kgaircraft
to400ft.However,apersoninchargeofasmallunmannedaircraftthatis<7kginweightis
onlyrequiredto“maintaindirect,unaidedvisualcontactwiththeaircraftsufficienttomonitoritsflightpathinrelationtootheraircraft,persons,vehicles,vesselsandstructuresforthepurposeofavoidingcollisions”–quiteclearlythiscouldleadtoflightofsuchaircraftabove400ft.Militaryfastjetsandtrainingaircraftroutinelyflytoaminimumof250ftand
therecouldbeanargumenttolimitsmallunmannedaircrafttothisheight.Countertothis
isthefactthatmilitarylowflyinghasreduceddramaticallyinrecentyearstoapointwhere
theriskmaybeminimal.ItremainsthattheCAADronecodeuses400ftastheverticallimit
eventhough,atpresent,thatisnotenforceablefordrones<7kg(themajority).
4.5 Althoughthe400ftlimitationdoesnotencompassalltypesofmannedoperationsin
ClassG,itshouldreducetherisk-providingRPASareelectronicallylimited(asjudging400ft
fromthegroundisvirtuallyimpossible).Military,commercialandhobbyistRPASusers
shouldbeabletoseekaCAAexemptionbasedonasafetycaseiftheywishedtooperate
abovethisheight.
4.6 NATSDroneAssistAppandAirspaceAwareness.WhilsttheEASAproposalincludes
geofencing(automaticfunctiontolimittheaccessofRPAStoairspaceareasorvolumes)
thatdatabasewillprobablynotincludeallknownmannedaircrafttake-offandlandingsites.
TheNATSResearchandDevelopmentTeamhasFASfundingtoeducateRPASusersby
developingairspaceawarenesstoolsincludingtheirDroneAssistAppthatwasreleasedin
December2016.Thiscontainsasimilardatabasetomannedaircraftapps(likeSkyDemon)
andwillalerttheRPASuserwhenoutsideofClassGorneartoamannedaircrafttake-
off/landingsite.Likealldatabasestheyareonlyasgoodasthedataandthereisa
possibilitythatsmallairstripsmaynotbedetailed.TheDroneAssistAppreliesontheuser
todownload/signupandthenruntheApptobenefitfromtheinformationitcanprovide.
AlthoughresponsibleleisureuserswillprobablyusethisApptheyarealreadylikelyto
constitutetheleastrisktootherairspaceusers,duetotheirattitudetosafety.Itwould
makemoresenseiftheDronehandsetcontroller,whichcanbeeitherdedicatedora
smartphone,hadtheDroneAssistdatabaseintegratedintoit.Thisisaviewsharedbysome
UKRPASmanufacturers21.
4.7 CAADronecodePublicity.InaCAAConsumerDroneUsersReport22whichinvolved
droneowners,users,considerersandthegeneralpublic,only36%ofownersweremade
awareoftheCodeatthepointofsaleandwhile54%ofownerswereawareofthe
Dronecodeonlyafewcouldrecallspecificruleswhenasked.Onepositivestatisticisthat
71%ofpersonsconsideringpurchasingadronehaveheardoftheCode.Thereportisthe
firstofseveralthatwillbeabletoquantifythesuccessofbetterDronecodepublicityand
changingpublicattitudestoRPASandtheiruses.TheCodehasbeensimplifiedrecentlyand
theCAAacceptsitneedsbetterpublicity:
“ThismusttaketheformofengagingonYouTubeattheresearchstageofthepathtopurchase,andinawide-rangingmediaengagementprogrammeacrosslifestyle,consumer,
21InterviewwiththeManagingDirectorofYuneekUKattheUKDroneShow–December2016
22CAA(DfTFunded)ConsumerDroneUsers–AnAudienceInsightReport-2016
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technology,andgadgetmediawherethepublicarefindingtheirinformationaboutdrones.”4.8 TheDronecodereliesonthesupportofmanufacturers,sellersandthemanned
aviationcommunitytoo,asitisintheinterestsofallpartiesthattheseaircraftareoperated
safely.WhilstUKConsumerLaw23statesthatthecontractofsaleisbetweentheretailer
andtheconsumeritwouldbemoreintheinterestofsafetythattheco-operationofthe
manufacturerswouldproduceabetterknowledgeoftheCodeandtheusersresponsibility
tootherairspaceusers.Anotherpositivesafetystepconcernsthedeclarationofdrone
performanceontheirwebsites.Whereasbetterperformanceislikelytoaidthesaleofa
product,ifthisstatedperformanceisincontradictiontotheDronecodeitshouldeitherbe
removedfromonlinestatementsorbeamendedtocarryareminderoftheDronecode
limits.
4.9 TheUKGovernmentisproposinginitsconsultationthatthisprovisionofguidance
(Dronecode)becomesmandatory,thoughitispossiblefortheirresponsibleusertodiscard
theCodeandnotreadit.Onecompany,YuneecUK,hasalreadymovedonestepfurther.
Yuneecdronesaresuppliedde-activatedandinordertoactivateittheusermustpassatick
testbasedontheDronecodeandmustalsoregisterviaasmallcredit/debitcarddeduction.
Thisisapositiveexampleofonesmallmanufacturerbeingpro-activeonsafety,whichis
ultimatelyintheirinterestasonemajorincidentcoulddevastatethatpartofthemarket.If
theUKGovernmentcancombinetheproposedmandatedregistrationandguidance,using
thesamesystemasYuneecUK,thiscouldmakeasignificantcontributiontosafety
awarenessanduserresponsibility.
5. ConclusionandRecommendations5.1 Thispapersoughttoexposetherisksassociatedwiththeunregulatedoperationof
bothmannedandunmannedaircraftinthesameclassofairspaceandproposemeasuresto
mitigatethatrisk.Frominformationgatheredthroughinterviews,governmentalandnon-
governmentalorganisations’publications,statisticalreportsandsurveysthereisclear
evidencethat,atthisstageofRPASdevelopment,thereisanintegrationissueassociated
withbothcollisionandinfringementrisk.ItisnotpossibletosegregatesmallRPASasClass
Gairspace,below500ft,isusedbymannedaircraftfortake-off,landing,training,military
aviationandauthorisedaerialwork;therefore,thelogicalstepatthisstageofdevelopment
istolimitsmallRPASto400ft(ANO/Manufacturer)toremoveatleastpartoftheexposure
volume.ThereisalsoaneedtotargettheLeisureUserbyamixtureofeducation
(Dronecode/JoinBMFA)andlegislation(ANO/Registration).ItisalsovitaltoassistallRPAS
userswithprovisionofairspaceawarenesstoolssuchastheNATSDroneAssistApptohelp
reducetheriskofairspaceinfringements.
5.2 Until“seeandavoid”technologyisCAAapprovedandappropriatelymandateditis
recommendedthat:
23SaleofGoodsAct2015
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5.2.1 RPAS>250garelimited,electronicallyandlegally,to400ftfromtheRPAS
takeoff/landingsiteunlessaCAAexemptionhasbeenissued.
5.2.2 RPAS>250gareregistered.
5.2.3 TheCAAinvestigatestheuseofmodellingtoolstounderstandtheriskof
collisionbetweenRPASandallmannedClassGaircrafttypes.
5.2.4 Segregatedairspace,usedbylargeRPAS,shouldnotbepermittedto
encroachfurtherintoClassGairspace,ifthereisariskofcausingairspace
infringementsbycreatingachokepoint.
5.3 Once“seeandavoid”technologyisCAAapprovedandappropriatelymandateditis
recommendedthat:
5.3.1 RPASareintegratedfullyintoClassG,complyingwiththerulesand
regulationsappropriatetothisclassofairspace.
5.3.2 BVLOSshouldfurtherberegulatedbytheCAA.
5.4 ItisrecommendedthatthefollowingchangesbemadetotheextantRPAS/VFR
integrationsystem:
5.4.1 TheAirNavigationOrder(ANO)2016“Smallunmannedaircraft”paragraph
94beamendedtoremovethereferencetomassinparagraph94(4)–tolimitall
smallUAto400ft.
5.4.2 RPASpilotsbeencouragedtomakefulluseofallavailabletechnology,such
asthefreeNATSDroneAssistApp,tohelpthemcomplywiththeANOanddevelop
awarenessofnearbyairfieldsandrestrictedairspace.
5.4.3 NATSmaketheNATSDroneAssistdatabasefreelyavailabletoRPAS
manufacturers.
5.5 ItisrecommendedtheCAAdirectthatthefollowingpublicity/presentational
measuresaretaken:
5.5.1 Publicitybemadetoprivatestripownerstochecktheyareincludedinthe
NATSDroneAssistAppdatabase.
5.5.2 ManufacturersofconsumerRPASincludeaprintedcopyoftheDronecodein
theRPASpackaging.
5.5.3 ManufacturersofconsumerRPASshouldnotstateperformanceparameters
thatarecontrarytotheDronecode.
5.5.4 LeisureusersshouldcompleteasimpleDronecodeticktestaspartof
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Annex:
A. RPASIntegrationSurvey–ResultsSummary.
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Annex A
RPAS/VFRIntegrationSurvey-ResultsSummary
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RPAS/VFRINTEGRATIONSURVEYSUMMARY
Response98% Asat:2Feb2017
Q1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Type Done Target % AvgHrs
onTypeCruiseAlt(ft)
IntegrationIssue?Yes%
ANO400ftLimit?Yes%
MainThreat%
LimitDrone?Yes%
Register/LicenceInsuranceTop2%
BVLOSMainRequirement
OtherRecurringThemes
Rotary/Gyro 4 5 80 1350 1100 75 100 100Leisure 100 100AllRegistered100RegNoDisplay
Detect&Avoid NoRecurring
FixedWing 35 35 100 1000 2300 83 91 91Leisure 88 100AllRegistered85AllInsured
Detect&Avoid NoRecurring
Gliders 9 9 100 2300 2000 63 100 88Leisure 100 63AllInsured50/50AllRegister/Tested
Detect&Avoid NoRecurring
Balloon/Airship 6 6 100 1800 2100 67 83 83Leisure 67 100AllRegistered67AllInsured
Detect&Avoid NoRecurring
Microlight 15 15 100 700 1800 87 93 100Leisure 93 93AllInsured60AllRegistered
Detect&Avoid Education
Military(LowFly) 2 3 67 1150 1900 100 100 100Leisure 100 AllEqual Detect&Avoid NoRecurring
Self-Launched 27 27 100 1300 1800 74 82 88Leisure 89 74AllInsured55AllRegistered
Detect&Avoid Education
Overall 98 100 1200 2000 75 90 92 90 Education