CAA
Find a CAA Registered Drone Pilot
Gone are the days when aerial footage, of any description, cost thousands of pounds and involved complex helicopter flight planning and camera operators. The world of commercial UAV flight taken over a large part of this market, evolving quickly over the last decade in pace with technological innovations. However, this has caused governments and air traffic controllers around the world a bit of a headache working out how to regulate and integrate this emerging industry. The prospect of Google drones delivering your weekly shop in your back garden or the Royal Mail swapped their trusty red vans for an angry swarm of delivery drones along with numerous reported 'near misses', has understandably, got The Press's and people's attention.
Enter the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) who are a leading global aviation regulatory organisation. The CAA has embraced 'all-things-UAV' recognising that this issue isn't just going to go away and are addressing the assoicated problems and opportunities head on. Consequently, they have adopted a regulatory process that ensures any registered commercial UAV operator meets a certain criteria based around a standardised syllabus, a written exam and a practical flying assessment which are accessible across the UK. You can find a list of themhere or you could try some of the many 'Drone Directories'.
The resulting permit granted by the CAA is for 'Permission For Commercial Operations' (PFCO) and together with associated Public Liability Insurance are two essentials documents
that clients should ask for, and check that they are current, before commissioning commercial UAV work to ensure their own Duty of Care and Compliances are appropriately discharged.
Save UAV Operations
Recently The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) undertook research into drone user behaviour and attitudes towards responsible drone use together with the future of drones.
You can find it here.
You can find details about the requirements to fly a drone commercially from the CAA. View them here.
The European Aviation Safety Agency have a drone safety video.
View it here.
NATS has produced a useful feature with top tips to help you fly your drone safely.
Read it at here.
If you like the idea of training to become a commercial drone pilot,
COPTRZ might be able to help.
To check the CAA's regulated airspace,
check it here.
What does all this drone-tech mean?
Most people have heard about drones, often relating them to the pilot-less planes used in the Afghanistan conflict from 2001 onwards, and more recently with Google and Amazon trailing pilot-less delivery systems, and naughty people trying to get close up pictures of A380 passenger jets flying over London. Regardless of their size and use, they all rely on 3 systems:
- Remote Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Platform - the thing in the sky;
- The Ground Station - the bit that controls the thing in the sky; and
- A Data Link - the link interface between the ground bit & the air thing.
Technically, these are known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), but commonly referred to as drones or quadcopters. The American military have got very excited & now have remote everything it might seem:
- UAVs also called UAS - Unmanned Aerial Systems;
- UGVs - Unmanned Ground Vehicles;
- AUVs - Autonomous Underwater Vehicles;
- USVs - Unmanned Surface Vehicles; and
- UUPs - Unbelievably Unpopular Presidents.