Shropshire experts join forces over drone danger
RAF chiefs in Shropshire have joined forces with drone experts to raise awareness about the potential impact they could have on aircraft activity.
The RAF base in Shawbury has been working with Jonathan Gill, a licensed drone operator and researcher at Harper Adams University in Newport, who hopes to raise the profile of the risks the drones pose for larger aircraft.
Drones are aircraft either controlled by "pilots" from the ground or increasingly, autonomously following a pre-programmed mission.
Experts said today that there have been multiple near-misses with helicopters and drones around the country, and officers have heard about experiences with drones more frequently over the last year.
Mr Gill's work looks at drone use for monitoring crops in agriculture and he says regulation is key to safe drone use.
He said: "It is not licensed operators that are going to be causing problems, it is people that use drones as a hobby.
"People need to understand their equipment and understand what the drones are capable of."
Mr Gill said that drones can reach up to weights of 20kg – and with the small flying robots nearly impossible to spot, collisions with helicopters are a real threat and can have life-threatening consequences.
He now hopes that he can work with the base so people understand the need for safe flying and regulation.
Squadron leader Gary James, station flight safety officer, said: "We are all for the use of drones, the potential really is huge.
Our only concern is that they could endanger aircraft.
"The potential impact between helicopter and drone could be catastrophic."
Drone users should visit www.caa.co.uk to look at regulations.
