Any and all information I post will be obtained through open source materials, and any views or opinions expressed will be my own.
Flight Apps (UK)
Flight Apps!! All over the world drone pilots (professional and recreational) use Flight Apps to do a whole variety of things, from checking the weather to requesting clearance to fly in a restricted zone. What we will look at is a few Apps for the phone and internet sites I use prior to flights, so we are only looking at UK based apps etc. Some of the Apps/websites listed I only use when flying under the recreational bracket, others I use for commercial flights (a lot under this bracket I haven't listed).
Apps
UAV Forecast and Dronecast - For a fly on the day app for recreational/professional flight these two are excellent. Both offer weather services with UAV Forecast giving you wind speeds at different heights which can vary greatly from wind speeds on the ground. Both also offer a map service showing restricted areas, FRZ/MTZs etc., both of these services are different to each other, one uses the correct CAA overlays while the other has enhanced overlays which are larger than the CAAs. They also don't show NOTAMs that are in effect so take this in to consideration if using these Apps.
Drone Assist - This App was originally created by NATs and Altitude Angel the later now taking ownership of it. For seeing areas of all airspace this App is brilliant, NOTAMs and other short notice airspace restrictions are listed also areas which aren't advised to fly over/in (schools, etc.). You are also able to mark an area where your going to fly on the day or in advance so other air users can be made aware of your intentions. Some airfields will require an app like this to be used prior to you taking off and once they have given you the required permissions.
Skywise - 'allows you to stay up-to-date with news, safety alerts, consultations, rule changes, airspace amendments and more from the CAA. It replaces our previous information notices and keeps you up to date with information that isn’t safety critical, with a more instant, tailored service' this is how its described on the website. The app is good and being newish it does have a few floors but every time I go on the updates seem to fix the problems as and when they arise.
Websites
Met Office - Although the Apps above have meteorological outputs they are best suited for the then and there, for flights that are planned in advance the MET Office website is the best for the UK weather systems. If you have done GVC or other flight training etc. you will be able to use METARs and TAFs.
Aeronautical Information Service (NATs) - On this website you are able to get information like:-
UK Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), including Amendments and Supplements (SUPs)
Aeronautical Information Circulars (AIC)
Aeronautical Charts
NOTAMs
Digital Data sets
Foreign AIP Information
Most of this is only relevant if you fly commercially but as a recreational pilot it is always good to have an understanding of this information.
CAA - Unmanned Aircraft Section - So this is your go to web page for everything UAS, whether updating your flyer/operator ID, checking for the latest updates and any new rules and regulations you can guarantee you will find the information your looking for here. However sometimes they have a tendency to use complicated language or have the information hidden in a 200 page document, my advice is if your unsure ask a professional, there are loads out there that can help. That being said there are also a lot of cowboys so beware.
Any and all information I post will be obtained through open source materials, and any views or opinions expressed will be my own.
Interpol's Full Scale Exercise
For the first time an international organization planned and executed a CUAS exercise in an operational airspace environment, although the results of these tests won't be available to the likes of you and me, it shows the real threat drones pose to critical infrastructure and the lengths organizations will go to to defend it. This isn't a new thing the military have been doing this for years, we are now seeing the threat move from just military to civilian as well, and with so many unproved systems out there this gave a few companies a place to showcase there kit.
From the 28th - 30th of September 2021 Interpol headed up a Counter-UAS Exercise in Oslo, Norway. The intention of this exercise was to test and evaluate CUAS systems and countermeasures in an active airspace environment. 17 different systems capable of a variety of different measures where used in an airspace environment to see their interoperability with existing manned aircraft technology. The main aim of the systems used were detection, tracking, and identification of drones and their pilots, I'm pretty sure a defeat method was tested but due to laws governing the use of this tech most countries can't use it. Without seeing or partaking in the exercise and only being able to get bits of information from the internet I'll keep this short otherwise I will be just speculating on what I thought happened, find the links below to stories linked to this post.
Any and all information I post will be obtained through open source materials, and
any views or opinions expressed will be my own.
Next time
RPAS/SUAS - The A1 class!!!.
C-UAS - We will have a look at the DJI C-UAS System
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