Engineering news
Government and industry have played down safety concerns and calls for more regulation after a drone struck an aircraft during its descent into Heathrow airport.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the pilot on the flight from Geneva on 17 April reported that a drone had struck the front of the aircraft at an altitude of 1,700ft while over Richmond Park. The A320 landed safely and showed no signs of damage.
Following this, French media reported that a drone had a near-miss with an Aer Lingus A320 near Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on 21 April. The incidents are the latest in a series which have led many to call for stricter regulation, including registration, of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Speaking at a Lords committee meeting, transport minister Robert Goodwill played down the concerns, claiming the Heathrow impact could have been “a plastic bag”. He said: “Regulation mustn’t stifle innovation. Some of the reports have been inflammatory.”
Baroness Detta O’Cathain, said: “The big issues are licensing and insurance. Drones are just as lethal as a gun, car or a dog. We are on the cusp of something really bad happening.”
Goodwill said the government was working with the Civil Aviation Authority and the police on updating regulations to cover low-altitude drones. He added that an effort to educate drone users through a campaign of leaflets and online videos was vital.
The government is also considering technical solutions to protect airports from UAVs, such as mandatory geo-fencing, where software pre-programmed into drones restricts their use from certain GPS coordinates, and radio frequency jammers. Paul Cremin, head of aviation operational safety and emerging technologies at the Department for Transport, said: “We’re also working with Nasa and involving UK industry in the development of an unmanned traffic system, but that’s a bit down the road.”
Adam Bailey, director of drone operator Kingfisher APS and chairman of the UAV trade association Arpas-UK, said: “Commercial operators spend a lot of time and effort making a living out of drones and understand air law. They have a right to be in the airspace just like pilots. But the onus is on us to be responsible. However, the new breed of ‘enthusiasts’are either ignorant or belligerent to the regulations.”