I think not and am expecting a resurgence of the good old heli.
This article puts forward a lot of good arguments for the helicopter (all be it in baby terms) but do you think there is truth in these claims?
A new Chinese unmanned helicopter might be the industry’s first critical step to a functional aerial logistic platform in the near future. This unmanned helicopter, produced by Ziyan UAVexcelled its counterparts by its outstanding performance in load-bearing, safety and speed...
Sky light: Dynamic set lighting from virtually any angle. Just pop it up and hover, or use Solo’s smart technology to track with your subject. The light plugs into Solo's accessory bay, so you can even use it at the same time you use your gimbaled GoPro.....
Now that's Ground Breaking Innovation.
Breaking news on BBC.
Could be a first proper strike. Or not.
A plane approaching Heathrow Airport is believed to have hit a drone before it landed safely, the Metropolitan Police have said.
The British Airways flight from Geneva was hit as it approached the London airport at about 12:50 BST with 132 passengers and five crew on board.
After landing, the pilot reported an object - believed to be a drone - had struck the front of the Airbus A320.
Credit to British CAA for pressing ahead on sensible integration of UAVs into British air space. This document addressing congested cities including London.
1 Introduction
1.1 The purpose of this Information Notice is to provide guidance to operators of Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA) and Small Unmanned Surveillance Aircraft (SUSA) who wish to operate within congested areas in relation to towns and cities. The latest generation of commercially-available SUA have very advanced capabilities in relation to their size and cost; this has led to a surge in their utilisation for a wide range cinematographic and survey tasks and an increasing demand for their employment in urban areas. Operations in urban areas require an additional understanding of the complexities of the environment and of the safety and operational limitations that are suitable for London and other towns and cities.
1.2 In addition to the general guidance on areas of operation in this Information Notice, additional specific airspace guidance for operators wishing to undertake aerial work and surveillance (filming and photographic) operations within London is given in paragraph 5. Most of the principles and procedures described will also apply to other large towns and cities within the UK. London has been featured due to its combined characteristics of population density, commercial air traffic volumes, large blocks of controlled airspace down to the surface, two major airports, a low-level helicopter route system, a central licensed heliport and several specialised restricted areas.
1.3 All reference to SUA and SUSA in this Information Notice should be interpreted to apply to other aircraft of the same category but that may be known by an alternative name such as ‘Drone’, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV), Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) etc.
Full document here:
http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=33&pagetype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=6208
From ABC News Australia
Aviation authorities are struggling to keep up with a boom in remote controlled drones over Australia's cities.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has issued warnings to more than 100 users for safety breaches and is now scrambling to roll out a public awareness campaign.
A number of safety scares including an incident involving an athlete and a drone in Western Australia have underscored demands from some within the industry for tougher regulations.
Raija Ogden was competing in a triathlon in Geraldton when she says she was hit by a drone.
She has backed demands for better controls.
"I agree that there should be better enforcement of regulations and more appropriate penalties for breaches," she said.
The rules appear to be poorly understood among amateurs in particular.
Remote controlled drones can be bought relatively cheaply from mainstream retailers or online but they do not come with any information about how to fly safely.
CASA now plans to ask retailers to hand out leaflets explaining the regulations.
Drones cannot be flown within 30 metres of cars, buildings or people; at night; or above 400 feet.
Five industry and university collaborations have been selected to receive funding through the first round of calls via the Growing Autonomous Mission Management Applications (GAMMA) Programme and are launching in Autumn 2013.
Read more about it here:
The below Safety Notice is in relation to the UAS crash at one of Britan's X Factor auditions
Dear UAS Operator,
As a current permission holder for aerial work, we are sending you this email to inform you of a recently issued Safety Notice. Safety Notices and Information Notices are issued by the CAA with the aim of improving flight safety.
The Safety Notice is available on the following link –
SN-2013/012: Small Unmanned Aircraft - Security of Antenna Mounts
The purpose of this Safety Notice is to highlight the requirement for the operator of a Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA) to be reasonably satisfied that the flight can be safely made and that all appropriate checks on the SUA are completed before take-off.
It is possible to obtain a full list of Safety Notices and Information Notices using the following links - www.caa.co.uk/informationnotices and www.caa.co.uk/safetynotices
