Drone deliveries are something of a contentious issue with the UK public.  A recent survey by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers entitled 'Public Perceptions: Drones', only 23% of those surveyed support drone deliveries, citing fears over package thefts, accidents in the sky, and invasion of privacy as the main reasons for their reticence. Against this somewhat bleak backdrop, it is clear that plans being formed by Solent Transport to pioneer drone deliveries of blood samples and chemotherapy kits [...]

In a groundbreaking move aimed at assisting the UK in leading the way in unmanned aviation, the CAA have published the first guide on making BVLOS drone flights part of everyday life. It's widely acknowledged that BVLOS legislation and technology holds the key to unlocking much of the drone's commercial potential.  It enables the much talked about possibility of drone deliveries, long distance infrastructure surveys as well as remote surveillance at incidents or accidents to aid the emergency [...]

With DJI drones believed to account for over two thirds of the global civilian drone market, it makes sense that the UK would look to them to pioneer a drone detection system.  Their answer to meeting the potential security and safety challenges posed by increased UAS usage is Aeroscope. This multi-layered system has now been approved by the UK's Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure and is being added to it's Catalogue of Security Equipment. All existing [...]

The aviation industry in general is awash with acronyms that can be baffling to uninitiated and drone pilots have certainly cornered their share. You can quite often see these terms bandied about by pilots on their websites and if you don't know what they mean, they can make understanding what they are saying a little tricky.  So this handy tool will explain some of the most common ones, including the brand new ones that are coming into force [...]

Hydrogen powered fuel cells have long been vaunted as the future solution to all of our energy problems and it seems that the world of UAVs has taken a big leap closer to being able to leverage this fuel source with a successful project created by a team at University College London. Moving far away from the hydrogen powered vehicle that most people historically think of, the Hindenburg, this is a pioneering project started when Dr Enas Abo-Hamed [...]

Channel 5 Series Trucking Hell Drone footage was something new to the production company in charge of creating the programme 'Trucking Hell' for Channel Five. They were keen to increase their production value and offer a different viewpoint for the second series of the documentary that men and women working in the heavy recovery business, as they tackle jack-knifed lorries, crashed HGVs and roadside breakdowns.  Drone videography offered them the perfect way [...]

The tragic death of Erica Tishman, an architect killed by debris falling form a dangerous building facade in Manhattan, has prompted calls for a change in the approach to drone usage by New York City Officials. According to the current state of play, it is illegal to fly drones in most of the city but there is a call to change this - deploying drones as 'tools not toys' to speed up the building inspection process.  It is [...]

The CAA have taken steps to reassure new drone owners about what they need to do to safely and legally enjoy their new hobby. In anticipation of there being a surge in first time drone owners after Santa has been to visit, the CAA have issued some advice about how to get started with the aim of calming the nerves of first time flyers.  Here's what they recommend... Read the Instructions.  It might sound obvious but even small drones [...]