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NZALPA reiterates its call for the safe integration of Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS) or ‘Drones’ into NZ Airspace

October 10, 2015  3002  3002   

The New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (NZALPA) remains committed to its call for government, aviation safety regulators and the aviation industry, to have a collaborative approach to the safe integration of RPAS/drones into New Zealand airspace.

Speaking to Fairfax Media in an exclusive interview, NZALPA Senior Technical Officer Dave Reynolds said that the safe integration of RPAS would complement ‘conventional’ aircraft in areas previously inaccessible to manned flight and open up new markets for their application.

“However integration must maintain an equivalent or enable higher levels of safety than currently enjoyed by airspace users” Mr Reynolds said.

“We remain concerned that these devices are not registered/traceable as without ownership there will be no liability i.e. the person/persons responsible for a device are effectively ‘anonymous’ and as such can flout any rules governing their operation without fear of consequence.” he said.

He reiterated NZALPA’s stance that these devices should be ‘chipped,’ have a data plate and or markings linking them to the operator/owner and that this is needed now.

Mr Reynolds said devices in the proximity of aircraft present a significant risk to aircraft, crew and passengers, both in terms of the consequences of an impact and due to the ingestion of toxic materials into aircraft air systems.

In addition the current certification of aircraft engines to ensure their continued operation following a bird strike, utilise weights far lower than those of the RPAS certified to operate in NZ i.e. 2kg for a bird versus up to 25kg for an RPAS.

“There is currently no technology in place to ensure separation from RPAS and aircraft. The development and application of automatic ‘see and avoid’ systems between devices and aircraft should be a priority, as should that which ensures that they cannot enter areas where they will pose a threat to conventional aircraft. Devices despite their ability to operate above 400’ are not limited automatically to this legal ceiling. Their actual height is very difficult to judge visually. An automatic altitude limiter should also be fitted to all such devices as a result.”

“Current devices are usually ‘monochromatic’ in colour and therefore difficult to discern against most backdrops – the sky in particular. The use of strobes, lighting and hi-visibility paint schemes should be applied to aid in their sighting by other airspace users,” he said.

“Available control technology is not robust enough to prevent the loss of control of a device. ‘Fly home’ technology is also not robust enough and not universally available to ensure that if control is lost that it safely returns to its operator.”

The proliferation of RPAS far exceeds any estimates previously made. The US Federal Aviation Authorities (FAA’s) 2010 estimates for the total number of devices in use within the US by 2020 are now already exceeded by current monthly US sales alone. Sales over the Christmas period are estimated to exceed 1m in the US alone.

Mr Reynolds believes there is significant pressure on governments from entrepreneurs and very big business (Amazon, Google) to fast- track RPAS introduction.

In addition, governments wish to be seen as ‘leaders’ marketing theirs as the ‘come to’ place for the support, rapid development and the introduction of RPAS.

A combination of commercial pressure, welcoming governments, the breath-taking rate at which RPAS numbers are growing, together with a lack of safeguards to prevent these devices coming into contact with manned aircraft, should be a very worrying prospect for all of us – not just pilots.

The question must surely be asked - Have the many painful lessons learnt by a century or so of conventional manned flight have been so quickly forgotten by governments and regulators?

Dave Reynolds
Senior Technical Officer
NZALPA