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“The company’s aeronautics experts propose that a 200ft slab of air – located between 200ft
and 400ft from the ground – should be segregated and reserved for state-of-the-art drones
equipped with sophisticated communications and sensing equipment and flying at high
speeds of 60 knots or more. A further 100ft of airspace – between 400ft and 500ft – would
be declared a no-fly zone to act as a buffer between the drones and current conventional
aircraft such as passenger and cargo planes, thus mitigating fears about the impact on
manned flight or dangers posed to people on the ground.”
Segregated Low-Level Airspace
just for Parcel Drones?
Drones for Personal Mass Transport?
But are these scenarios realistic?
Christmas time is the traditional time for both parcels and snowstorms!
Massive regulatory and
technological challenges
• Drones are not yet robust enough, especially for all
weather ops
• The required data-network for operations out of the line
of sight is not existing
• Integration into the ATM system is not achieved
• Collision avoidance is an issue, especially with EMS-
Helicopters, Aerial Work Operators, etc.
• “Amazon Air 30 minute delivery service“ was already
announced in 2013 for 2015. But where are we now?
Drones can be great …
… and exciting, finally bring youngsters for low cost into GA.
Like myself: MSFS in 1983 at age 13, PPL in 1993 at age 23
What can we do?
• For GA it will be a mission impossible to stop drones/UAVs
• Drones/UAVs can be seen as the new entry-level into GA
• GA should support an early and safe integration of drones into
the aviation system (with mandatory licensing / registration /
insurance)
• GA in Europe could benefit from an aviation-mobile-data-
network built for drones/UAVs
• We should not behave as arrogant towards drone-operators
like the airlines tend to behave towards GA:
– “What do you unprofessional guys want in our airspace?“
• I would love to get a drone for X-mas