The UK Civil Aviation Authority will now enable drones to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of remote pilots in so-called ‘atypical’ operations through its new policy for atypical air environments (AAE), marking a significant milestone for the future of drone operations.
While some drones have been flying beyond visual line of sight in the UK for several years, these flights are primarily trials under strict restrictions.
The regulator’s new rules will unlock opportunities for innovators. This includes activities where drones can remain at low heights close to infrastructure or near buildings where there is little or no potential for any other aircraft to be operating. These include inspecting power lines for damage quickly and at relatively low cost; maintenance checks of wind turbines; and operating as ‘flying guard dogs’ where site security is required.
Sophie O’Sullivan, director of future of flight at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “As the potential for drone applications continues to expand, our new policy paves the way for new ways drones will improve everyday life. It not only enhances the operational capabilities of drones, but also promises widespread societal benefits across different sectors.
“Our commitment is to protect people and enable aerospace, and we will continue to work with industry to maintain high safety standards as commercial drones become increasingly commonplace.”
It follows the regulator’s recent publication of its roadmap setting out how beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations will be enabled safely for all aviation users and protecting people and property on the ground.
An atypical air environment can be considered as a volume of airspace where operators can reasonably anticipate there to be a reduced number of conventionally piloted aircraft due to the proximity of ground infrastructure.
The regulator will initially work with several operators to test and evaluate the policy in a safe and scalable way, demonstrating the regulator’s commitment to safely enabling innovative technologies.
sees.ai is one such company, which is working with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) to help maintain, upgrade, and expand its network in England and Wales, which includes around 21,000 pylons and 7000km of overhead cable.
John McKenna, CEO of sees.ai, said: "This new policy paves the way for sees.ai and National Grid Electricity Transmission to conduct aerial inspection, survey, and rapid response work from a central control room. This ground-breaking innovation will help National Grid fulfil its commitment to providing clean, fair, and affordable energy to its customers, while undertaking the immense task of enabling the energy transition.
“AAE is a big step towards routine BVLOS operations in public airspace. We applaud the UK Civil Aviation Authority for recognising this opportunity and diligently shaping this policy - despite the UK’s airspace being amongst the busiest in the world.
