Last week, we attended the Amsterdam Drone Week for the first time. Overall, it was a great opportunity for us to connect to our audience of drone regulators, industry, operators and pilots. Indeed, engaging with key stakholders in the whole drone value chain is key for AW-Drones, because it allows us to gather feedback and deliver results that are in line with the drone sector expectations.
This year, we took part in one of the most anticipated events: the EASA High Level Conference on Drones. In particular, we joined the Technical Session on UAS operations in the specific category to bring our point of view to the floor. Many thanks to Alexandra Florin, Drones Project Manager at EASA, for giving us this unique opportunity!
Technical workshop: UAS operations in the specific category & specific operations
The technical workshop provided an overview of the regulatory framework and applicable processes for drone operations in the specific category. EASA opened the discussion presenting the options that will be availble in the future to obtain a permit to operate in the specific category. The permit will be regulated by the entry into force, on July 1st 2020, of the EU regulation 2019/947 and 2019/945.
The panel members presented and discussed with the attendees Standard Scenarios, Pre-defined Risk Assessment (PDRA), the SORA methodology, and the Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC). EASA also introduced future developments of these tools.
Marco Ducci attended the workshop on behalf of AW-Drones. First, Marco highlighted the need to complement the current version of SORA with reference to consensus industry standards. Then, he presented the work that the project is doing in this area. So far, AW-Drones collected 600 standards and assessed more than 300 as potentially suitable to comply with SORA requirements.
The complete assessment will be handed over to EASA after review with relevant stakeholders. Stay tuned for the next updates!
Watch Marco Ducci intervene at the EASA High Level Conference on Drones 2019, along with Cristina Angulo, Alexandra Florin, Hette Hoekema and EASA representatives, in the video below.
About the Amsterdam Drone Week
Amsterdam Drone Week is the first official European global platform for the UAS industry. In short, it addresses the brightest and most creative drones users, manufacturers, services and regulators. This co-created event mainly aims at sharing knowledge on current air solutions and potential innovations. Also, it showcases the latest technology as well, helping unlock the potential and new applications of drones.
A top-level meeting point where all key players from various industries, knowledge institutes and authorities gather to co-operate. For one week, this umbrella event connects the entire UAS value chain through a diversity of events.
