Flying Bull
15th Dec 2016, 18:59
Hello,
just read, that Amazon is sending out it first drones in the UK - up to 400 feet...
(Sorry - article is in german - but one of the videos is with one from top gear guys ;-))
https://www.ifun.de/amazon-prime-air-drohnen-lieferungen-starten-in-england-101627/
I´m not so sure about the inbuild "see and avoid" function, cause I´ve flown in GB - and quite a bit of low level ;-)
What Do you think - seen one yet?
JerryG
16th Dec 2016, 01:19
Although many facets of the drone industry are achieving some really worthwhile things (follow #dronesforgood) and for example I'm involved in a really exciting SAR initiative in Australia using drones, the media seem myopically obsessed with the concept of drone delivery; which surely has to be the least worthwhile proposition of all?
I was a keynote speaker at the International Drone Expo in Los Angeles last week - imparting a few mistakes we've made in the helicopter world which seem destined to be repeated by the drone industry - and learned a few interesting things along the way. First, I was surprised with the number of ongoing and serious university studies into the subject of drones versus the rest; the FAA are funding unis to throw real drones into real engines and rotors in an effort to quantify the risks. Being a grumpy old cynic I felt we could probably tell them the answers without all the cost, but at least they are trying.
But the big and relevant push is towards integrating Air Traffic Management (ATM, above 500') with Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM, below 500'). Their stated aim is to achieve a totally automated online system for UTM in which a drone operator fills out a form requesting to carry out a specific task in a specific location and the computer ... cough ... says no, or maybe yes. There will be no opportunity for human interaction in that process whatsoever. In this way they plan to exert control over the 70,000 drones forecast to be simultaneously airborne over the USA at any given moment (yes you read that figure right!). The software will base its decision on all the permanent and temporarily notified airspace that's in place to protect manned flight.
All seems like another good effort to at least keep the genie within the ballpark of the bottle, until one considers how often we as rotary pilots descend below 500' for very good reasons ... such as landing at a completely unregistered site. The days of doing that without giving at least 24 hours notice may be rapidly disappearing forever brothers! :uhoh: