Emirates’ Delhi-Dubai flight diverted to Sharjah due to drone activity at destination airport

New Delhi: Emirates’ Delhi-Dubai flight on Sunday was among the two flights that could not land at their destination city as the airport there had to be shut down for some time due to suspected drone activity. The flight, EK-511, had to be diverted to nearby Sharjah.
In a statement, Emirates said: “Dubai International airport (DXB) was closed from 12.36 pm to 12.51 pm local time due to suspected drone activity in the surrounding airspace. As a result flight, EK 433 from Brisbane and Singapore to DXB was diverted to Dubai World Central (DWC) and flight EK 511 from Delhi to DXB was diverted to Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).”
“The diverted flights will return to DXB as the airspace has now reopened. Emirates will assist affected passengers with alternative re-booking options and hotel accommodation where required. Emirates regrets any inconvenience caused but the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised,” she added.
22/09/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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A flight plan for tech regulation

Drones have captured headlines this week. The spectacular drone attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities knocked out ~5% of daily oil supply. The Maharashtra government announced that it signed up with a global private firm to “use a logistics network of autonomous delivery drones to help transform emergency medicine and critical care”. The Economist, on its latest cover, highlighted that ‘flying taxis take off’ even as earlier this year, the Gatwick airport closed for a day and a half over “drone sighting”.

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), have become common in a wide variety of more beneficial, mundane and practical applications in agriculture, infrastructure asset maintenance and supervision, geological and property surveys, entertainment and a wide variety of upcoming fields. Management consultants routinely highlight the billions of dollars of new opportunity that this technology unleashes. The progress in battery technology (which allows the vehicle to be light enough to be propelled), improvement in communication, navigation and tracking technologies, and the development of unmanned traffic management (UTM) systems have contributed significantly to the proliferation of drones.
Over the last few years, India went from a complete ban on drones to a more nuanced policy of ‘No Permission, No Take-off’ (NPNT), which is to be coordinated using the Digital Sky portal and application, which is now under development. The eventual expectation of Digital Sky is that the NPNT process will be real-time, dynamic and online.

New technologies bring with them challenges of regulation. The key challenges facing regulators in the context of drones are privacy, safety and security. This means that policy-making inputs and control rest with a large number of governmental entities dealing with internal and external security, aviation and urban development authorities, and privacy and safety advocates.

This is not a new or a unique challenge. When automobiles first started to appear ~150 years ago, societies and governments grappled for a long time to come to terms with ‘autonomous’ vehicles that did not require animal power. Among the various laws that governed transportation using mechanical carriages were the (in)famous ‘Red Flag’ laws, both in the US and the UK. A sample law: “One of such persons, while any locomotive is in motion, shall precede such locomotive on foot by not less than sixty yards, and shall carry a red flag constantly to warn the riders and drivers of horses of the approach of such locomotives and shall signal the approach thereof when it shall be necessary to stop, and shall assist horses and carriages drawn by horses, passing the same.” It was more than two decades after the coming of Model-T that the system of signals, road customs, and signs began to resemble the ones that we are familiar with today.
20/09/19 Akhilesh Tilotia/Financial Express

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DGCA to make licence mandatory for UAV pilots

Mangaluru:  If everything goes smoothly, DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) would kick-start issuance of licenses to pilots flying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) of various segments in India. This also means, for anybody to fly notified UAVs, licence shall be mandatory.

The DGCA may start issuing licenses in another three to four months, a move which is being hailed by many professional pilots and seen as a positive step towards streaming the profession. It should be noted this rule is applied to UAVs weighing above 2 kilograms. There won't be any requirement of licence for those flying drones or aeroplanes between 250 grams to 2 kilograms. However, their flying machines should be registered with the DGCA and prior police permission should be secured.

"In three months licensing may become reality. This will stop amateurs from flying," Raghavendra BS, flaying trainer and instructor at one of the FTOs (Flying Training Office) in India told Express.

There are 8 FTOs in India and one is based out of Bengaluru. It should also be noted that FTOs play a key role in the process of licensing to UAV pilots. Explaining the process of licensing, Raghavendra, who closely worked with DGCA on this said the pilots who wish to secure licence should undergo training at FTOs.
20/09/19  Shreyas H S/New Indian Express

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DRDO drone crashes in open field in Karnataka

Bengaluru: A Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) drone crashed in the Chitradurga district of Karnataka early Tuesday morning.
No injuries have been reported in the crash.
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in an agricultural field in Jodichikkenahalli, Chitradurga district on Tuesday. The drone crash took place at 6 am in the morning.
The incident created quite a scare at Jodichillenahalli village as a loud noise was heard after the drone crashed. Soon, a large number of people gathered at the spot. Videos of the broken UAV went viral on social media.
A statement released by DRDO said, "An unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) being developed by the DRDO on experimental flight trial in new configuration crash-landed in fields near ATR Chitradurga. Data is being analysed."
The DRDO has a test range very close to its Chitradurga district headquarters. The Challakere Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) is an out-door testing and evaluating facility being set up by DRDO exclusively for unmanned and manned aircraft.
Confirming the incident, Chitradurga Superintendent of Police Arun K said that the UAV crashed in the areca nut farm this morning, but no one was injured.
17/09/19 Nagarjun Dwarakanath/India Today

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Two US Citizens Held After Flying Drone Near Indian Presidential Residence

New Delhi: Two US nationals have been taken into custody by Delhi Police after flying drones in the high security zone surrounding Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official home of the President of India in New Delhi, police said on Monday.
Flying drones is banned in the airspace surrounding the Parliament building and Rashtrapati Bhavan as the area is designated as a 'red zone' by India’s aviation authority. An official document, known as an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit, is needed in order to pilot a drone and foreigners are currently not allowed to fly drones in India
The father-son duo, identified as Peter James Lynn, 65, and Guillaume Leadbetter Lynn, 30, arrived in India from the US on a tourist visa on 14 September.
During questioning, the two revealed that they were recording the video for the online portal they work for. Both men claimed to be unaware that the use of drones is banned in Delhi.
According to police, nothing suspicious has been found as yet but the investigation remains ongoing.
16/09/19 Sputnik

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Explained: Where can you fly a drone in Delhi? What permissions do you need?

A father and his son, both citizens of the United States, were detained on Saturday for flying a drone fitted with a camera above the high-security zone in Lutyens’s Delhi. The drone was spotted above Rashtrapati Bhavan around 6.45 pm Saturday, and its camera was found to contain footage of Central Secretariat and nearby buildings.
Flying of drones is banned over Delhi, and specifically over the Vijay Chowk area — something that the two Americans, Peter James Lynn (65) and Guillaume Leadbetter Lynn (31) have reportedly claimed they were unaware of.
While this prohibition follows a specific security threat from terrorists, the general guidelines issued by the civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), also lay down specific no-go areas for drones.
These guidelines, issued last year, classified civilian remotely piloted aircraft systems into specific types, and made it legal for ordinary enthusiasts to operate drones in India, subject to various requirements and clearances. The guidelines came into effect on December 1, 2018.
DGCA has identified multiple categories of drones, which can be broadly classified as ‘Nano’ (weighing up to 250 g), ‘Micro’ (more than 250 g but less than 2 kg) and ‘Small and above’ (weighing 2 kg or more).
Every drone that is bigger than a ‘Nano’ must obtain a unique identification number (UIN) from the aviation regulator (similar to the registration number for a car). This number must be displayed on the remotely piloted aircraft.
16/09/19 Indian Express

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Aarav Unmanned Systems’ Small Drone First To Be Certified By Government

India’s civil aviation authority directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has certified a drone in the small drone category developed by Bengaluru-based Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS).

Aarav’s drone was found to be compliant with the drone guidelines set by the government under the ‘no permission, no take-off’ (NPNT) protocol for commercial drone flights within the country.

AUS is the first drone startup to be granted the certification under the small category as all previous certifications were for drones under the micro category.

The DGCA categorises drones based on weight and payload capabilities. Drones weighing between 2 Kgs and 25 Kgs are considered small drones, while micro drones are ones which weigh between 250 g and 2 Kgs, including the payload.

Small drone capabilities are much higher than the Micro drones as indicated by the increase in their payload size and weight. These often have higher quality sensors on board and larger payloads, which are in line with what businesses and industries working with drones seek, AUS said.
04/09/19 Kritti Bhalla/Inc42

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