At the 22-26 October Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) Operations Standing Committee (OSC) meeting in London the organisation launched its ANSP Considerations for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations publication to raise awareness of UAS operations to air navigation service providers (ANSPs), inform ANSPs how UAS can be accommodated safely into Member State ATM systems to date, identify some of the issues that need to be addressed to safely achieve greater UAS integration in the future and provide information to assist in developing UAS training materials for ANSPs.
In particular the guide proposes a lost-link (LL) procedure (see above) for UAS operators and ANSPs to ensure that safety margins are maintained in the event of a loss of the communications link between the operator and the air vehicle.
“The goal is to standardise ATM procedures for a UA experiencing an LL and to ensure the UA performs in a predictable manner. Until there are standardised LL procedures, ANSPs should be aware that operators will apply different procedures based on the manufacture of the UA. Once initiated, the UA will follow the programmed LL procedure for the remainder of the flight or until the C2 link is restored. In the event the C2 link is restored, the remote pilot is expected to request an amended clearance. The generic LL procedure that follows could be used as a basis for negotiation between ANSPs and UAS operators, where agreement of the timescales between each stage of the process is of critical importance.”
For details of the procedure and more information:
(https://www.canso.org/system/files/ANSP%20Considerations%20for%20UAS%20Operations.pdf)
