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Public safety should be a priority for drone operators: UAVAir
The latest incident of a ‘near miss’ incident between drone and passenger plane was reported earlier this month, when a UAV was reported to have passed within close proximity of a Flybe aircraft. Civil Aviation Authority approved drone training academy, UAVAir is reaching out to the aviation industry, reminding all persons who fly a UAV the importance of following the regulations and guidelines set out by the CAA, in order to assure the safety of both the drone pilot and the general public.
August 30, 2016 By UAVAir
Due to worries about public safety and concerns over privacy, the UAV sector is sometimes viewed negatively by those outside of the industry. However, many incidents that have been reported are usually the fault of drone operators that are not properly trained to pilot a UAV, and not following the CAA regulatory standards. UAVAir, led by experts in aviation, urges those that fly a drone to understand the importance of following these rules in order for the technology to regain a positive reputation, so the benefits it can bring to business purposes can be fully realized.
Ben Keene, operations director at UAVAir commented “Drones are regulated by the CAA primarily so that aviation can remain safe. Although there are less restrictions for hobbyist pilots compared to those that are flying for commercial use, there are still limitations set on where and how they can fly. Incidents like the one reported last week largely come from to ignorance to these rules.”
Keene continued, “Public safety should be no.1 priority for any responsible pilot, whether you are an amateur or flying on behalf of an organization. We offer thorough, CAA compliant UAQ drone training for commercial pilots to set the standards for this amazing industry, and we are committed to helping maintain a safe airspace for everyone. We hope events that demonstrate the potential consequences of not following the regulated guidelines, such as the near Flybe Airprox, will help to get this message across to the UAV community.”
The Flybe aircraft that came close to the rogue drone had 62 passengers on board, and was due to land at Newquay airport. It was flying at an altitude of 900ft and was around 2 miles from the final airport destination. Recreational flyers are not permitted to fly above 400 ft. vertically, and drones that are heavier than seven kg. must be granted permission from Air Traffic Control to fly in controlled airspace, if for commercial purposes.
