Safety measures in manned Drones

It’s now a well-accepted fact that manned drones are going to redefine the global transportation system sooner than later, by making it cheaper, faster and better integrated. Testing of manned drones is going on in different parts of the world. Related technological innovations are also enhancing the existing transportation landscape with every passing day. There is a welcome buzz all around, regarding the formation of market segments, framing of regulations and emission norms.

Lots of deliberations are also happening in another important aspect associated with commercial use of manned/passenger drones, i.e.; safety measures. It was realized worldwide a couple of years back that a safety framework should be in place for drones as well, to ensure the overall safety of the airspace. In September 2016- several parties in the manned aviation sector made a joint statement to support this initiative. In this statement, a host of measures were recommended to be incorporated in all drones.

We will discuss them briefly here-



1. Compulsory Registration of all drones



Registration of all drones needs to be made compulsory at the time of the purchase or resale itself. This will enable the authorities to trace the pilot/owner and will ensure better compliance of rules & regulations.



2. Spreading public awareness through extensive campaigns



Extensive awareness campaigns need to be organized to make commercial clients, recreational drone users and the general public aware of the duties, requirements, third party issues and risks attached to drone operations. This will prevent possible negligence from stakeholders when drones will be integrated into the airspace in the near future.



3. Licensing and certification



Mandatory certification/licensing is required to ensure awareness and proper implementation of necessary skills and applicable regulations. Operating a manned drone must be reserved for people with authority permission only.



4. Incorporating Technical Limitations in performance


Technical limitations such as inbuilt distance, altitude and geo-fencing restrictions should be incorporated in the manned drones so that risks related to terrain, buildings and critical airspace can be reduced considerably. Up-to-date anti-collision mechanisms should be incorporated as well.

5. Proper research to study the impact of collisions



In-depth research needs to be done to assess the risk/damage associated with collisions of smaller drones with other types of manned aviation ( similar to bird strikes). Based on such scientific study and testing, further safety measures and regulations should be put in place.

6. Effective enforcement of safety rules

Even the best-laid rules are useless, if not enforced effectively. Enforcers must be trained so that authorities can ensure the safety of manned drones and other third parties. They must be well-equipped as well to monitor compliance more effectively.

7. Proper assimilation of recreational drones into National safety regulations

Recreational drone flyers need to be fully integrated into the advanced National Flying safety regulations. As of now, recreational flyers are mostly restricted to spaces specifically designed for that purpose. A better streamlining and integration is required to bring them into the great ambit of National Flying Safety Regulations.

By Team Paragon Vtol (https://paragonvtol.com/)