June 27, (THEWILL) – In this piece, ANTHONY AWUNOR examines drone regulation, focusing mainly on the challenges and opportunities that the technology brings to the air transport business
In 2005, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and United States Department of Defence adopted the term Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) in their 2005-2030 UAS Roadmap. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Union used the terms UAS and RPAS to emphasise the importance of elements other than the aircraft, such as ground control stations, data links and other support equipment. The Canadian Government adopted the term RPAS under its new Regulations which came into effect on 1st June 2019.
Before now, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has been relatively silent, with regard to the issue of UAVs and the inevitable integration of manned and unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace. Nonetheless, experts are of the opinion that if regulated and operated correctly and safely, unmanned vehicle technologies can revolutionise future air transport, airport operations, cargo operations and ground handling, beside others.
Back home in Nigeria, the trend is fast changing. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is becoming aware that the integration of manned and unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace is inevitable and that stakeholders may as well start working together and fast to ensure safety in the skies for everyone.
Making a presentation on the topic, ‘Drone Essence, Growth and Regulations in Nigeria’ at the recent Airport Business Summit on Cargo Aero Logistics and Drone Technology Expo, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt Musa Nuhu, said the huge demand for drones and the pace of development of the drone market, for both recreational and commercial purposes, is incredibly fast.
Giving the assurance that the NCAA will create a strong regulatory framework to ensure safety and security, Nuhu stated that already the NCAA and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), are on the same page in trying to synergise with government and stakeholders to getting key security issues resolved and mitigate risks posed to national security and public safety by people who are not playing by the rules.
Explaining that the use of drones was originally developed for the military and aerospace industries, Nuhu said that drones are now used for monitoring climate change, goods delivery, search and rescue operations, filming agricultural surveillance and so on
Capt Nuhu said, “Drones can be referred to as the following; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs). Before now…Though, originally developed for the military and aerospace industries, they have however found their way into the mainstream because of the enhanced level of safety and efficiency they bring ‘’.
“Drones have a long and established history that dates back to centuries, but presently there is a paradigm shift. Their original use was as a weapon in the form of remotely-guided aerial missile deployers. Today, drones have found a wide range of applications for civilian use. Its essence can be described with one word ‘Versatility’.
“Currently, there is a huge demand for drones. The pace of development of the drone market, both recreational and commercial, is incredibly fast, with its vast use for monitoring climate change, goods delivery, search and rescue operations, filming, project inspection, photography and agricultural surveillance”.
According to the NCAA DG, there is need for regulation of this vastly versatile technology and regulation will create a level playing field for RPAS/UAV operators, as well as address the following and other issues – registration of drones, owners and operators security approvals
“The NCAA and the ONSA are on the same page on the aspect of security, while synergising with government and stakeholders to get key security issues resolved. Safety is key to the Nigerian Airspace System. Our goal for unmanned aircraft remains complete and total integration safety and security is a shared responsibility for stakeholders and UAV operators.
“There is a need to mitigate risks to national security and public safety, posed by people who are not playing by the rules. We must ensure that the Nigerian Airspace remains safe and that the benefits of UAV operations are well understood and well implemented.
“I have no doubt that the current legal framework and collaboration with operators, stakeholders and ONSA will provide a robust structure and system for the regulation of drone operation and its structured growth in Nigeria,” Nuhu said.
Also in his presentation, the Commissioner and CEO of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Engr Akin Olateru revealed that the agency is currently undergoing certification by the NCAA to authorise it to operate drones. The agency is therefore conducting tabletop exercises using the drones preparatory to actual deployment to site when the call comes.
Looking at the topic: ‘Drone Essence In Accident Investigations’ as the Special Guest Speaker at the Drone Technology Conference Exhibition; DRONETECX 2021 held recently, Olateru said the AIB would pioneer the use of drones for accident investigation in the West African sub-region.
He disclosed that agency had already acquired 4Nos. MAVIC-2 Pro and 1No. Matrice 300 RTK DJI drones for this purpose, adding that the Bureau had also trained quite a number of their accident investigators as pilots to operate the drones.
Highlighting the benefits of drones, he described the use of drones in accident investigation as limitless, adding, “It does not only offer a cheaper and faster deployment on arrival at accident sites than helicopters, but also offers less interference on the site due to absence of significant downwash as compared with helicopters” .
“In addition, in-flight separation or breakup and mid-air collisions of aircraft are known to leave a huge trail of wreckage spread in wide geographical areas that may require thousands of man hours to process. However, a drone could do the same accurately under a relatively shorter period of time with less human resource”.
The areas in which drones can be useful to the agency, according to Olateru, are wreckage and site surveys; wreckage searches in difficult to access terrains; tree/object heights and distances estimations, using photogrammetry 3D images; site safety assessment limiting exposure of human to unknown risks; wreckage mapping and flight path reconstruction/visualisation.
On the advantages of using drones for accident investigation, he added that with drones, the cost of acquisition, as well as operational and maintenance costs can be significantly reduced.
Other advantages include immediate deployment on arrival at accident sites; live streaming of the images and video; enabling investigators to have full control over the images and videos that are taken at the sites and can also be flown close to trees and wreckage to obtain close-up images without disturbing them with rotor downwash, etc.
On challenges of using drones in Nigeria, Olateru said that drone regulations by NCAA is at work-in progress level, which rarely separates commercial drone operators and non-commercial/ recreational operators.
The implication, he observed, is that a government agency like the AIB cannot operate its drones at accident sites in close proximity (5 miles) to the airport areas, which are tagged as NO-FLY-ZONE unless cleared on case-by-case basis by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the NCAA.
“Obtaining the needed clearances upon occurrence of an accident would take longer than the desired time and keeping in mind that most aviation accidents occur around the airport area, this limitation will hamper our ability to deploy the drones as soon as we arrive at the accident sites in the restricted zones, since the drones are programmed not to operate within the zone unless unlock codes are obtained”, he said.
According to him, requests to ONSA for permanent unlock authorisation did not receive a favourable response.
Other challenges that Olateru identified include the need to maintain currency requirements by providing the necessary training to the pilots.
He also pointed out that as drone and camera technologies develop rapidly, the need for constant upgrading of the drones and the software components cannot be over-emphasised.
He, therefore, reasoned that, with commercially available off-the-shelve drones becoming more affordable and more advanced, the world would definitely witness an upsurge in their usage during accident investigations, even in less developed countries.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
