Report on the webinar "Traffic over our heads" - 14.12.2023

With the increasing use of UAVs in crisis situations, future flight operations over a crisis area will become increasingly complex. As UAV flights are carried out rapidly and simultaneously by multiple institutions, ensuring safety and good coordination is a challenge.

An additional level of complexity is represented by flights of manned aircraft. Currently, when UAV flights are performed then manned flights are halted, or vice versa - when manned flights are performed, UAV flights are halted. The webinar focused on ways to change this situation so that flights of both types of aviation can be safely and effectively coordinated during a crisis operation.

During the meeting, Jakub Ryzenko and Emil Wrzosek presented the problem based on a case study of a forest fire in the Biebrza National Park in 2020. Due to the safety regulations in place, the full potential of the UAVs could not be exploited, since they  were only allowed to fly during dusk and dawn (approximately 30 minutes per day) because of manned aircrafts being deployed during the forest fire event as well. This was considered ineffective and inefficient. Another aspect discussed was how to introduce innovations into organisations that do not have adequate structures to find and adopt them themselves.

The solution proposed in Poland is the Search&Help system, in which  properly trained air traffic management personnel can be involved  in a crisis situation. With this application, manned and unmanned air traffic can be streamlined and even allowed to operate simultaneously in the same airspace. This solution was operationally tested and validated during two trials: exercises of the State Fire Service together with the Regional Crisis Management Centre dedicated to forest fire scenario in 2021 and flood in 2023.

The main conclusion to be drawn from this webinar is the importance of getting the maximum benefit from UAVs and using them in the most efficient manner. A specific approach to air traffic management is essential and also highlights the great potential for the U-Space / DTM systems (including deployable solutions).

More information here.