A week of drones

This week we’re supporting and speaking at the Royal Aeronautical Society’s conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems – or drones – in daily life. The event is bringing together people from all spectrums of the industry – from NATS and the European Aviation Safety Agency through to Facebook and the European Space Agency – to discuss what is undoubtedly one of the biggest but most exciting opportunities and challenges facing the aviation and air traffic management industry today.

We’ve written on here many times about our work exploring how we can safely integrate drones alongside civilian aircraft, as well as the importance of today’s drone users being conscious of what they need to do to fly their drones safely. We’ve already carried out landmark trials on the integration of larger RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) into our airspace and we’re continually looking for new ways to help ensure the RPAS industry can grow safely alongside existing airspace users.

This week, we thought it would be good to offer readers of our blog the chance to hear from people other than just NATS; to get their perspective on both the exciting opportunities and the serious challenges that growing use of drones presents. Over the week we’ll have a range of guest authors offering their perspectives and insights on the RPAS debate. We hope you enjoy the read.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed by guest authors on the blog are their opinions; publication by NATS does not imply that we endorse or necessarily share that opinion.