{"id":3570,"date":"2019-08-28T09:13:59","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T07:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/?p=3570"},"modified":"2019-09-02T08:51:53","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T06:51:53","slug":"the-eu-seeks-new-regulations-for-the-use-of-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/the-eu-seeks-new-regulations-for-the-use-of-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"The EU promotes the use of drones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unmanned aircraft (UAVs, RPAs or drones) are nothing new; these kinds of aircraft have been used as aerial targets to test weapons for more than a century and, indeed, the popular term \u2018drone\u2019 was coined by the British military in reference to the sound that these devices made. This is demonstrated by the fact that they were mentioned at the Convention on International Civil Aviation in Chicago, in 1944, which saw the creation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO); in fact, Article 8 prohibited the use of unmanned aircraft without the express authorisation of each state.<\/p>\n

Spain is one of the most active countries in terms of numbers of AESA-registered operators and is also the world\u2019s tenth largest drone manufacturer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, it was the evolution of microelectronics that enabled the sector to break into the mass market. Since the beginning of the 21st century, drones have been increasingly used by the military, although it was not until this decade that the technology started to become available for civilian use thanks to its gradual reduction in price. The low cost and ease of use of these small remote-controlled aerial vehicles, usually multicopters, has rapidly increased the popularity of their use in both recreational and professional fields. Growth of the sector in the last five years has been exponential, as shown by the number of drone patents issued. This growth is not surprising given that this technology has myriad applications, especially in imaging and photography, cartography and topography, surveillance and security, but also in agriculture, emergency support, environment, infrastructure maintenance, etc.<\/p>\n

Spain is one of the most active countries in terms of numbers of AESA-registered operators and is also the world\u2019s tenth largest drone manufacturer according to the Global Trends of Unmanned Aerial Systems<\/i> report published by the Danish Technological Institute in 2019. Ineco pioneered the use of this technology for bridge inspections in 2015.<\/p>\n

Ineco is actively participating in\u00a0the SESAR projects related to the development\u00a0of U-space: TERRA,\u00a0IMPETUS and DOMUS<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

First steps<\/h4>\n

Drones also pose risks, of course, especially if they are operated in residential areas, controlled airspace close to manned aircraft or when drones are flown out of sight of the pilot on the ground. These hazards need to be carefully considered for both recreational and, especially, professional use: they include device failure, loss of control link, in-flight hacking and loss of the navigation or traffic separation systems.<\/p>\n

For this reason, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has stipulated that drones with a take-off weight exceeding 150 kg must undergo a certification process, similar to that for manned aircraft, for both manufacture and operation. However, lighter drones, which are not intended to carry people on board, are not subject to such rigorous safety mechanisms. Consequently, their components and manufacturing are less robust, especially in the case of drones manufactured in large production runs, and standards are more appropriate for toys than aircraft.<\/p>\n