In response to the rise in drone
near-misses, UK pilot and air traffic control bodies have worked together to
create guidance in avoiding collision.
The British Airline Pilots’
Association (BALPA) and the Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO) have
created the guidelines as they were growing concerned at the lack of national
guidance in this area.
Drone sightings by commercial
aircraft are on the rise, going from zero reports in 2013, steadily rising over
the last few years, with 2017 seeing 92 reports in UK airspace - something
likely to rise further once the Airprox analysis has been completed. The UK and
many other countries do not yet have standard procedures to deal with drone
sightings near aerodromes or violations of controlled airspace by drones.
Both organisations have
issued the guidance to their members in an effort to give pilots and
air traffic controllers steps to follow should a drone be flown in
an irresponsible manner that puts other airspace uses in danger.
BALPA Flight
Safety Specialist, Steve
Landells, said, “A drone
strike can be much more severe than a bird strike, due to the
solidity of its constituent components - collision testing carried
out by BALPA, the Military Aviation Authority and Department for
Transport confirmed this. |
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“We believe that drones have the
potential to cause catastrophic accidents and one of the ways we can avoid this
is by ensuring that pilots and air traffic controllers are following the same
guidance and are able to work together to reduce the chances of a collision
should an irresponsible drone operator choose to endanger aircraft and the
public who fly in them.”
GATCO President,
Luis Barbero,
added, “Irresponsible drone use, resulting in a drone being flown in close
proximity to aircraft, poses a serious threat to the safety of aviation.
“We have witnessed recently the
level of disruption a drone sighting can cause to air traffic control, airline
and airport operations and ultimately the travelling public.
“We believe these drone sighting
guidelines will enable air traffic controllers and pilots to work together,
under the same assumptions, to deal with such an event as safely and effectively
as possible.”
Download a copy of the
guidelines |