Drones technology taking aviation sector places
By PD columnist, July 13, 2022On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful flight in history. The place was North Carolina, US. The brothers had created a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft. The gasoline-powered, propeller-driven plane was airborne for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural flight. This saw the birth of aviation. Today, 119 years later, aviation is moving millions of people across the globe and facilitating international trade and linkages that power world economies.
Thanks to technology, aviation continues to add new innovations, the latest being the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), popularly known as drones. Drones have and will continue to change aviation in ways we never imagined.
Today, drones are becoming commonplace in both the commercial and non-profit sectors. The technologically-enabled aircraft systems are breaking barriers in the way companies do business. Big companies such as Amazon and Google are inculcating drones to their business models. Facebook has huge plans to use a fleet of solar-powered drones to beam Internet access to people who can’t otherwise get online in remote locations.
For a while now, drones have been primarily used in photography, videography and news gathering, but with continuous improvement in complexity and design, they are now inculcated in several other fields as well. For instance, in agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency uses drones’ technology to manage livestock and survey crops. No doubt, farmers and ranchers can also use drones to strategically monitor livestock and spray crops.
Delivery services sector is another area that stands to benefit a lot. As drone technology is adopted, delivery services may no longer need human labour since many things the postman does can be done more efficiently by drones. As a matter of fact, drones are being used for delivering emergency supplies to remote locations and disaster areas, that would otherwise be difficult to access.
What about search and rescue efforts? Drones can go places that humans can’t. They are an ideal solution for dangerous search and rescue efforts. Heavy-duty drones can replace trucks for inventory management and moving goods between warehouses, of course a welcome move at a time when the world has put serious focus on pollution and climate change. Reducing the number of vehicles on our roads is a welcome move, and drones can play a huge part in it.
In some developed countries, the police services are using drone technology to boost security in public events. And marketing companies are now using drones to suspend billboards in the sky.
There are real opportunities presented by drones here in Kenya. Just like boda boda are being assembled here providing huge employment opportunity, I see drones as well getting manufactured here, and what a great opportunity this is for youth! Technical learning institutions should run with this opportunity.
Secondly, drones also require pilots. This is also a job opportunity and definitely this is an avenue for engaging the youth. Thirdly, as we embrace this technology, I see SMEs operating in the space of delivery services sprouting and using drones to do business. There are many more other viable business ventures that the technology can support that will no doubt flourish.
Our role at Kenya Civil Aviation Authority is to support this noble opportunity by providing an enabling regulatory environment for the drone business to thrive. Those operating drones are required to have them registered with us so that we keep stock of numbers and also report on progress realised in this cutting-edge technology.
In view of the precarious elements involved in administering UAS, the authority is working to make their use safe and secure. It is doing a lot to ensure drone technology is safely used without introducing residual safety risk to the airspace and public.
One, we are procuring an Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system that will provide separating and monitoring capability in oversight of drone operations. Secondly, automation of drone services for delivery of various drone services including importation, registration and operation of drones. Thirdly, we have developed a robust sensitisation strategy that will see that the public is well informed about the opportunities, and regulatory requirements for use of the technology.
It is crucial to think how the drones can be incorporated to business models. The future lies not to those who do complex things, but to the people who do the simple things in a versatile way. Drones can enable businesses do exactly that.
— The writer is Director General, KCAA