Inside Unmanned Systems provides actionable business intelligence to decision-makers and influencers operating within the global UAS community. Features include analysis of key technologies, policy/regulatory developments and new product design.
Issue link: https://insideunmanned.epubxp.com/i/643419
January/February 2016 unmanned systems inside 13 The Opinion includes 27 concrete proposals for a regu- latory framework for low-risk operations of all unmanned aircraft irrespective of their mass [see the annexes to the Opinion for the full proposals]. And it begins by laying out an entirely new way of classifying drones—not on the tasks for which they are intended. A complicating element for the European drone sector has always been that, under the current Aviation Safety Regula- tion passed in 2008, only drones with a maximum take-off mass (MTOM) above 150 kg fall under the authority of EASA, while those with a MTOM below 150 kg remain under the authority of national Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs). The result has been the aforementioned disarray of drone regula- tions among the various EU countries. The general consensus today, according to EASA, is that the 150 kg distinction is neither relevant nor helpful to the regula- tion of this aviation segment and it is more important that any regulation remain coherent, whatever the mass of the system. Thus EASA's Technical Opinion is operations-centric, focus- ing on how a drone will be used rather than on its physical char- acteristics. Based on this concept, the Opinion defines a set of rules that EASA says are "proportionate and risk-based." In other words, safety requirements are set in relation to the risk an activity poses to the operator and to third parties like the general pub- lic—the greater the risk the more stringent the requirements. It doesn't matter what kind of aircraft it is, Maragakis ex- plained. "The way we have always done it, a particular aircraft is certified based on its own characteristics. Now, instead, we are saying that what matters is how and where you are using that aircraft." "We are really changing a way of thinking for the aviation industry in Europe," he said. The Opinion establishes three categories of operation: 'Open' (low risk), 'Specif ic' (medium risk) and 'Certif ied' (higher risk), w ith different safety parameters for each. These include such things as how high a drone is to f ly and over which kind of terrain or populations. Other con- siderations include the distance to be maintained between the drone and its pilot and how near to restricted zones it may f ly. Brief ly, the 'Open' categor y includes operations where safety is ensured through compliance w ith operational limitations, mass limitations as a proxy of energy, prod- uct safety requirements and a minimum set of operational A miniature IMU Weight: 0,12 lbs (55g) Volume: 2,0 cu. in. (35cm 3 ) sales@sensonor.com • www.sensonor.com When size, performance and robustness matter Available now – contact us to discuss your application Certain missions demand unsurpassed precision, stability and reliability. Having perfect control and fully understanding the smallest detail is what it takes to be a world leader. With this in mind, we developed the Inertial Measurement Unit STIM300, a small, utra-high performance, non-GPS aided IMU: • ITAR free • Small size, low weight and low cost • Insensitive to magnetic fi elds • Low gyro bias instability (0.5°/h) • Low gyro noise (0.15°/√h) • Excellent accelerometer bias instability (0.05mg) • 3 inclinometers for accurate leveling STIM300 is the smallest and highest performing, commercially available IMU in its category, worldwide! … TO BE EVEN BETTER! Photo: Sindre Lundvold ENGINEERING. PRACTICE. POLICY.