Skyfall

Drones; For a brief moment in time they were associated with fun and recreation, well at least the compact, rechargeable types. The Gadget Shop and many other similar retailers stocked many sizes and styles and to fit all pocket money ranges.

The sight of a parent and offspring  out flying a drone has become commonplace and perhaps to the detriment of kicking a football, going on a bike ride and just taking a ramble. A nice innocent activity.

Unfortunately, most of our perceptions are based on the large unmanned aerial vehicles very much favoured by the military and which now  seek out and destroy targets, human and tactical giving drones, lets face it, a very sinister, politically sensitive and negative image indeed.

The hobby range of drones has been adapted and upscaled for practical day to day use in commercial sectors such a map making, aerial photography, movie making, in agronomy, archaeology, surveying, and by inspection engineers and asset managers. The Amazon Empire recently announced an intention to use drones to deliver parcels which may have been seen as a bit crazy but does serve as an indication that Corporations are thinking hard on the subject.

The increasing use of drones and by new entrants to the sector with little or no experience has led to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) imposing regulations.

Their approach to prevent incidents and accidents in airspace and minimise exposure to risk of those on the ground has been relatively low key showing a conscious attempt to strike a balance between business opportunity and public protection.

Over the last two years the number of UK based organisations Certified to operate drones has increased almost four fold and this could, with 10 or more approvals per week lead to around 3000 licenced operators by 2018.

The key document is the CAA Permission for Aerial Work or PfAW establishing operational limitations such as the form of flying activity, type of drones to be used and safety principles. Insurance is mandatory.

It is not a case of just getting the paperwork.

Pilots of drones must undergo the Certification process which can be offered by National Qualified Entities on behalf of the CAA. Those with a private pilots licence may have some exemption  having already shown the required competence in the theory modules of flying regulations and airspace considerations but possibly not in setting up a flying site, pre-site surveys and risk assessments.

All must undertake a practical flying test from initial planning through to actual in-air manouvres and show an ability to react to emergency situations. Rather like a UK driving licence there are categories of drone configuration and weight with eligibilty determined by the particular test taken.

There follows a two month period in which the pilot must submit an Operations Manual before attaining the PfAW.

By business use the majority of firms currently holding a PfAW are in aerial imagery for marketing, high end production video and inspection.

So what hardware is available for civilian drone applications?.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles can be rotorcraft, usually four, six or eight engined or fixed wing and of around 20kg weight. Flight physics apply although launch can be by hand, bungee or on rails and if unable to be brought back to land under power then parachutes can be deployed.

Drones must have fail-safe features that will return them to their launch point even if the radio communication and control fails.

More drones in the sky inevitably means a higher risk of a near miss or incident even under the Regulations and training in place.

Current rules permit a pilot to operate a drone over a 500 metre radius and to a height of 120 metres but being visible at all times. A buffer zone of 50 metres is required from the launch site to people, cars and buildings unless specifically briefed of the fact. There is a prohibition on flying over populated areas but this is not practical given that a good proportion of the commercial applications are by definition in built up environments of villages, towns and cities. The CAA, again balancing public safety with enterprise can give permission to reduce the operational parameters in highly populated areas if the pilot can demonstrate an enhanced level of competency.

The design and durability of drones has been honed from quite modest gadget and toy origins and many are sophisticated and technologically complex.

Some models on the market can cost up to £20,000 and the payload from mounted equipment makes for quite a hefty piece of equipment hovering above our heads.

Incidents do happen in spite of the regime in place.

If you are undecided about the role of drones then just take a look at this bit of TV coverage from December 2014. The clock will show about 59.00 seconds. Concentrate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v78AZo7Gmo

I may start to wear a crash helmet even if popping down to the shops for some milk.

(Source; Craig Lippett article for Modus Magazine)