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The U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is enlisting the help of the GA community. It said it could use help “educating drone users on how to fly safely.” The authority has launched a campaign, under which GA airfields, flying clubs and flying schools are being offered toolkits to run events for their local drone users.
Along with reducing the risk of mid-air collisions, the initiative’s aim is also to provide an opportunity to introduce drone pilots to GA, CAA said.
“We know that many drone users are genuinely interested in aviation but don’t always have the knowledge of how other airspace users operate. While we can run a national campaign to explain the basic rules, the GA community is much better placed to share information with local drone pilots,” said CAA’s Jonathan Nicholson, who is running the drone education work. “An airfield could arrange an evening or weekend presentation for local drone users highlighting the areas and heights where GA flying takes place. It’s also an excellent opportunity to show potential newcomers to the GA world what aviation has to offer.”
According to CAA, incident reports featuring drones is on the rise. A national study published last month, it continued, showed that GA aircraft and helicopters could be most at-risk for a drone collision.
Called “Share the Sky Safely,” the campaign is set to be launched at the Light Aircraft Association 2017 rally at Sywell Sept. 1.