Association of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems responds to Heathrow incident.
It is with concern that ARPAS-UK notes today’s reported incident involving the apparent misuse of a drone at Heathrow which was believed to have resulted in a collision with an aircraft on approach to the airport. Chairman Craig Lippett said
“ If proved correct, this irresponsible activity undermines the high level of professional operations I see every day by commercial operators who hold UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Permissions for Aerial Work (PfAW). ARPAS operators pride themselves on a consistently high standard of safety when operating in the UK, attained through comprehensive training and assessment and continuing development of their profession. This is the second safety related drone incident in a week and fortunately, neither incident had serious consequences. However, it underlines the need for a far greater level of awareness amongst leisure users of drones, achieved through a range of education initiatives.”
ARPAS-UK is working closely with CAA, DfT, NATS and other professional bodies to develop and agree actions for safe drone operations, and will be discussing with partners how this process can now be accelerated.
