A Working Group of UK drone operators and other industry stakeholders was set up on 22 November 2018 at City Hall, London, to assist the UK’s Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority in their work to develop guidelines, operational protocols and standards for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and UTM operations.
The working group will present its findings at a further meeting in January 2019.
According to Robert Garbett, Founder of Drone Major Group Ltd and Chairman of the BSI Committee on Drone Standards, the gathering of the UK drone industry’s leading figures “has been necessary in order to harness our world-beating expertise and knowledge, focusing it towards drone protocols which bring forward the ‘Beyond Visual Line of Sight’ flying and ‘Vertical Take-Off and Landing’ necessary to enable the industry to flourish and reach its true potential.
“This week has also seen the release of the ISO draft International Standards for Drone Operations. These Standards will undoubtedly lead to a new confidence in safety, security and compliance within this dynamic industry, resulting in a massive expansion in the availability and use of drone technology in the years to come. I strongly encourage anyone with an interest in this critically important industry, to respond to the consultation by the 21 January 2019 deadline.”
