Unmanned Aerial Vehicle The latest drone news
Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), a complete system for managing and monitoring drone flights past visible line of sight (BVLS), is one thing of a regulatory Wild West present right here in the states with a variety of applied sciences and gamers vying to be a part of the eventual resolution. One of these gamers is AirMap. In what might show to be a wonderful check case for a broader deployment, AirMap is working with Airways New Zealand to deploy a UTM system that permits protected and compliant drone flights for a three-month trial in the Canterbury and Queenstown areas of New Zealand.
Drone flights in New Zealand, like all over the place else, are rising at a fast charge. Over the previous three years, weekly recorded drone flights in the nation’s managed airspace have elevated 20-fold.
In a launch, AirMap writes:
The Airways-AirMap trial brings digital authorization capabilities first deployed in the U.S. for the LAANC program to New Zealand. Using AirMap’s free iOS and Android apps, drone operators can request digital airspace and public land proprietor approvals required by New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority. Digital authorization is offered from the Christchurch, Queenstown, and Wanaka airports and on public lands in the Christchurch City, Selwyn, and Queenstown Lakes District Councils, together with parks and reserves. Commercial and leisure drone operators are invited to participate in the trial, which is at the moment underway and can considerably simplify and streamline the authorization course of.
Airspace managers collaborating in the trial are utilizing the AirMap airspace administration dashboard to present digital flight authorizations and share real-time updates in regards to the location of occasions, group gatherings, emergencies, and different areas to keep away from. This data is delivered instantly to the AirMap app to allow safer flights and extra complete situational consciousness.
Airways New Zealand is the important thing enabler of the area’s aviation system and a number one supplier of air visitors administration companies worldwide, serving greater than 65 international locations and managing greater than 1 million air visitors actions annually. “The trial is an important step in investigating how Airways could develop a nationwide UTM system that safely integrates UAVs into New Zealand’s wider air traffic control network,” stated Airways Chief Executive Graeme Sumner. “There is potential for New Zealand to become a test-bed for the UAV industry through the implementation of a system that supports growth and development in a safe manner.”
“We’re very excited to help New Zealand’s drone pilots more easily and safely access the airspace,” stated Ben Marcus, AirMap CEO. “With the world watching, Airways and AirMap are demonstrating how UTM technologies can safely open the skies to high-scale drone operations, today.”
