The Potential Flight Safety Risks Associated with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and the Importance of Ensuring their Visibility

Absztrakt

In recent decades, the airspace has become increasingly congested due to the exponential growth in air traffic. Furthermore, the advent of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has introduced a new dimension to aviation safety. The integration of UAVs into the traditional aviation system presents a multitude of challenges, necessitating the development of appropriate legal regulations, innovative technical solutions, and the implementation of special procedures to mitigate flight safety risks. With the advent of sophisticated systems and equipment, even small UAVs can be effectively monitored and tracked during flight. This enables the immediate and indirect environment surrounding the UAV to be identified, enhancing situational awareness and reducing the risk of collisions. Such solutions include various existing identification systems, such as FLARM,1 OGN,2 ADS-B3 and Remote ID.4 Additionally, special lighting systems on board drones can be employed as a solution, particularly for visual recognition and identification. By utilising these systems, visual surveillance can be extended, and drones can be more easily detected by their surroundings. The simultaneous use of the aforementioned solutions can further enhance the safe integration of drones in traditional traffic [1].