Page 9 - World Airnews Magazine October Edition 2020

OPINION OPINION

livering takeaways and online purchases to allow their drone industries to grow so Gateway” which allows anyone working
they can be major players in the emerging
the next door neighbour. However, these on a new aviation development to submit

challenges can be overcome by the correct field. In South Africa, although Part 101 questions to the UKCAA and obtain quick

combination of regulation and technol- of the regulations, does allow the SACAA answers on regulatory related issues. The

ogy. In Europe, the Volocopter is making to approve BVLS operations for drones, second structure is a “Regulatory Labo-

rapid progress with the development of this authorisation is provided on a very ratory”. This laboratory brings together

limited, ad hoc and discretionary basis.
passenger drones that can be used as “Air regulators, academia and the public to

Taxi’s and Xwing has recently successfully Therefore, Part 101 cannot be regarded as develop potential regulatory models and
flight tested a Cessna Caravan flown from recognising drones as equal and integrat- avoids duplication between government

the ground. ed users of the airspace. agencies. The third structure is the so-
Meanwhile, Avion Solutions in the INNOVATION DEPARTMENT called “Regulatory Sandpit” where the

United States has developed safe and ef- A recent development in the United UKCAA gives initial guidance to innovators

fective operating systems for drones that Kingdom is worth noting and could be on the development and potential approv-

record, manage and monitor all flights something that South Africa could emulate. al of ideas.
Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLS). By lim- Realising how important the adoption of It is anticipated that the establishment of

iting drone operations, to Visual Line of new technology will be for the future of the innovation department will significantly

Sight (VLOS) operations only, many reg- their aviation industry in a Post Brexit and change the way the UKCAA works with in-

ulators have curtailed the development Covid 19 era, the UKCAA has just estab- dividuals and companies in the innovation

and application of drones in the same lished a special innovation department to sector and will allow for a quicker and more

way that the early development of the facilitate innovation in aviation. efficient adoption of innovative ideas and

motor car was stifled by the law requiring technologies.
a porter to carry a red flag in advance of This department is funded by the UK If South Africa is serious about wanting to

each vehicle. But not all countries are department of business, energy and create opportunity in the aviation indus-

industrial strategy, the equivalent of
against innovation.
WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES tial of drone technology and are looking South Africa’s department of trade and try post Covid 19, it would be worthwhile

for our aviation authority to follow the
China and India recognise the poten-
industry (Dti). The UKCAA innovation team

UKCAA’s example and set up an innovation

has created three structures to facilitate

ANOTHER OPENS at adopting regulatory regimes that will their work. Firstly, there is an “Innovation department. Q
By Luc Skywriter
photo credit: ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

war era. The Chicago Convention in 1944 state owned enterprises and a failure by
created the regulatory structure that fa- certain authorities to regulate in a way

ut of adversity comes oppor- cilitated the adoption and implementation that allows the Industry to implement
Otunity - that’s if we choose to of these technologies and systems. equipment and operating changes,
be bold and harness the opportunities There is no denying that the technolo- quickly and cost effectively. If the South

that innovation and technology can bring. gy and methodology we inherited from African aviation sector is to recover after

the pandemic and replace the thousands
And opportunity is something desperate- the war has served us well, for more of jobs lost, then Industry as well as
ly needed by the aviation industry as it than 70 years. However, in the last three government will need to change the

recovers from the COVID 19 pandemic - the years or so it has become increasingly way they do things and become more
evident that many things in aviation are

direst event to strike aviation since the not working optimally anymore. Change innovative and co-operative.
Second World War. and reform is needed on the safety and
No one needs reminding how COVID economic front and in the structures DRONES
19 has devastated every sector of civil that internationally and domestically With respect to nurturing and implement-

aviation - from airlines to flight schools, promote and regulate the industry. Most ing emerging technologies, there has

airports to maintenance organisations. It importantly we need to improve the way been a failure by most aviation regulators
will take many years for the industry to we nurture and bring on line emerging to establish an equitable regulatory
recover and some businesses may never aviation technologies. framework for “urban air mobility” and
return. However, the pandemic does pres- especially incorporate drone technology
ent an ideal opportunity for South Africa SAA into civil airspace so that viable businesses
and other countries to introduce new At home, many feel that South Africa’s can be created.
ideas and technologies that have started standing as the predominant aviation New technologies can bring challeng-
to emerge and undoubtedly represent the power on the African Continent has es as well as opportunities and this is

future of aviation. been substantially eroded over the past especially the case with drones. There

Much of the technology and method- decade and we have been eclipsed in are indeed valid safety, security and

ologies used in aviation today date back various aviation activities by Nigeria, privacy concerns regarding the operation
to the Second World War. The airline Ethiopia and Kenya. The success of of drones in urban environments. Well

industry was built on surplus C47 aircraft Ethiopian Airlines versus the failure of publicised instances exist where drones

operating from airfields constructed South African Airways is one example have threatened airport airspace security

during the war, flown and maintained by of this. The reasons for this decline and intruded into the flight paths of large

personnel trained by the military. Radar, are wide ranging such as South Africa’s passenger aircraft.
jet propulsion and pressurised cabins decade long economic stagnation, a Also, the public are concerned by the

were cutting edge wartime technologies weak and unstable currency, decline, prospect of swarms of unregulated drones Photo credit: Felipe Vieira on Unsplash

harnessed by civil aviation in the post corruption and inefficiencies within intruding onto their properties whilst de-

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