Drone safety campaigner receives RAF award

20 November 2017

Squadron Leader James was awarded the LG Groves Award for his drone awareness campaign, which has educated, informed and changed the behaviour, and perceptions of drone users. Squadron Leader James is an advocate for the use of drones and positively encourages their use but is extremely conscious of the requirement for them to be used safely and with consideration to other airspace users and members of the public.

...This campaign has included ground-breaking work with the National Centre of Precision Farming (NCPF), Harper Adams University. Given the size and slow speed of a drone, it is very difficult for pilots to see them. Agricultural drones are being used at lower levels; they are designed to work just above crop height to disperse seeds or pesticides and to analyse the soil. Therefore, a key objective is to improve the visibility of drones to reduce the risk of collision, as there is currently no regulation regarding the colour of drones. The first airborne visibility test, involving an agricultural drone and an RAF helicopter, was carried out in September 2016 

Read the full article via shropshirelive.com.

Read about the work at Harper Adams here