by Mark Albert
CC0
WASHINGTON (TVR) – An organization representing 38,000 pilots is calling for “urgent action” after recent drone collision tests showed “catastrophic” results to commercial airplanes and helicopters.
The testing, sponsored by the European Cockpit Association, the United Kingdom Department of Transportation, and the UK Military Aviation Authority, concluded that drones with the same mass of a bird traveling at the same speed can do far more damage to an aircraft.
“The results of the independent tests prove that there is a possibility of a catastrophic consequence from a drone colliding with an aircraft,” said Johan Glantz, Executive Board Director at the ECA.
“That means this identified risk needs to be adequately mitigated with appropriate measures, such as the qualification and training for recreational drone users, additional technology installed in drones, and effective awareness campaign among the mass-market drone users.”
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FAA’s Drone Collision Study Underway
The Federal Aviation Administration, which administers United States airspace, has also requested research into the effects of drone strikes on aircraft.
That drone collision study, led by the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) at Mississippi State University, is complete.
It is currently being peer-reviewed and is due to be published later this year, an FAA spokesperson told The Voyage Report.
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The FAA requests most private operators register their drones with the FAA.
Flying drones within sensitive areas in the U.S., such as military bases, the national capital region, and airports, is either prohibited or restricted.
Operators who fly a drone within five miles of an airport must notify the airport and the air traffic control tower and not jeopardize the safety of the airfield.
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Drone Collision Findings
The 18-page mid-air drone collision study came to several stark conclusions. Among them:
- “Critical damage” did occur to airliner windscreens at realistic speeds with drones as light as eight and a half pounds (4 kg);
- Drone components, which included exposed metal motors, “caused critical failure” of helicopter windscreens at lower speeds with drones that weighed as light as 2.64 lbs (1.2 kg);
- Drones can cause “significantly more damage than birds of equivalent masses at speeds lower than required to meet birdstrike certification standards.”
An airliner cockpit used for impact testing; courtesy: Mid-Air Collision Study
Reacting to the findings, the ECA said Monday that regulators must review the findings “as a matter of urgency and act to control this proven threat.”
The ECA is calling for awareness campaigns, “robust” qualification and training standards for recreational drone pilots, licensing for professional drone pilots, required registration of drones and drone users, and mandatory “geo-fencing” around airports, among other options.
Given the threat to aircraft, “it is particularly important that recreational drone users strictly follow the local rules and regulations on flying drones,” the ECA said.
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