Last Tuesday and Wednesday (November 29 and 30, 2022), the 60th Annual General Meeting of the UAV DACH e.V. - Association for Unmanned Aviation took place. The UAV DACH e.V. office had invited guests to the German Helicopter Center in Bückeburg. In addition to the extensive agenda items, there was of course plenty of time to talk about the drone economy and meet new and old faces.

Specialist groups and close cooperation with the authorities

The chairman of the association, Mr. Achim Friedl, led those present in the hall and those connected online through the extensive agenda. The addition of 18 new members brings the association to a total of 256 members from the various sectors of unmanned and manned aviation. Particular emphasis was placed on the work of the UAV Dach e.V. specialist group, which was carried out in closer cooperation with the various authorities.

AG Zukunft - New concept presented and adopted at the general meeting

In order to put the association on a solid footing for the future, the Future Working Group drew up a comprehensive concept. This was presented in detail on Tuesday and highlighted the association's good features and those in need of improvement. A number of resolutions were derived from this, such as the expansion of the Executive Board and a more division-specific structure. The members voted in favor of this future concept by a large majority, and the first part is already being implemented.

New interim Management Board

The new Board of UAV Dach will also be elected until the next Annual General Meeting in the new year, and an interim Board has been appointed to bridge this period. Mr. Achim Friedl, Ms. Sabrina John and Dr. Gerald Wissel were elected as interim board members at the general meeting to continue the business until the new board is elected.

Aircraft radio was introduced for communication in aviation. This was divided into different classes, including BZF I and BZF II.

What BZF is

The restricted radiotelephony certificate is a radiotelephony certificate for the flight service. There are different classes of this certificate with different authorizations. The first class (BZF I) entitles the holder to use radiotelephony in German and English in accordance with visual flight rules.

There is also the BZF II, which allows radiotelephony within Germany in German according to the visual flight rules.

You can find detailed descriptions of other classes of aircraft radio certificates on the website of the Federal Network Agency.

Why this is relevant for drones

As the BZF I and BFZ II are valid for visual flight, unmanned flying objects, i.e. UAV and UAS, are also included. For users of the VLOS, EVLOS and BVLOS operating modes, the aeronautical radio certificate is not uninteresting, as communication with the USSP will be mandatory from January 2023 as part of the new regulation.

The flight radio certificate is therefore also important for the USSP, as it must communicate with the pilots to ensure the safety of the drones.

Due to the new regulation, it is also advisable to have a radio operator's certificate in addition to a drone driver's license or remote pilot's license when flying drones.

The UAS team at b.r.m. IT & Aerospace has many qualifications and awards. The IT and UAS consultant Markus Rossol is in possession of the BZF I certificate. The license for the restricted radiotelephony certificate I for the aeronautical radio service is issued by the Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway.

The USSP b.r.m. and U-Space Norddeutschland are featured in the January issue of the trade magazine Drones to coincide with the entry into force of the EU Implementing Regulation on U-Space. The market pressure is there. Read the exclusive article here in advance:

This article was published in issue 1/2023 of the trade journal Drones, the magazine for the drone economy. This and all other available issues are available in the magazine store at https://www.alles-rund-ums-hobby.de/drones/ .

As part of the 7th North German Aviation Forum, the Weser Report interviewed Mr. Harald Rossol and Mr. Markus Rossol from b.r.m.. You can read the article on the Weser Report website or here in our blog.

Source: Weser Report / Emre Altug

Various flight zones have been introduced to make flights clearer and safer. These include a TRA and a TMZ, which must be observed by the pilot.

TRA - limited in time

A temporary restricted area (TRA) is a flight area that is temporarily restricted. Air traffic is temporarily or permanently restricted in this airspace. This is intended to prevent threats to public safety or order. A TRA is often located near military training areas.

Clearance to fly over is then issued by NOTAM. A NOTAM can also change the vertical extent of the flight restriction area.

TMZ - more transparency for more security

A transponder mandatory zone (TMZ) is a mandatory transponder zone. The use of a transponder is therefore mandatory in this area. A TMZ is usually located near regional airports, as it protects civil air traffic. A TMZ is visible on the pilot's ICAO chart and also indicates the frequencies in which the pilot must remain.

The clearance of this airspace is not required by air traffic control during the day, as this is controlled airspace E.

Basic training pilot license

Both flight zones are part of air traffic control and the basic training of a pilot. You learn about the TMZ and the TRA during training for a private pilot license (PPL). Flugschule Borkum GmbH offers such training at the Oldenburg-Hatten EDWH airfield, among others.

Harald Rossol, the founder and managing director of b.r.m. IT & Aerospace, is developing methods and approaches for the use of drones in air traffic. Under the term "U-Space", possibilities and opportunities for the use of drones are to be developed and implemented. The Oldenburg-Hatten airfield (EDWH) served as a representative location for a get-together with AVIASPACE Bremen e.V. and other industry experts.

As part of the AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. roadshow, Bremen-based IT service provider b.r.m. was able to demonstrate concepts that enable the integration of UAVs and UASs into conventional air traffic, known as U-Space. Together with the development and system service provider OptoPrecision GmbH, further innovative projects are being added to the VTOL-EGM project.

U-Space provides motivation

With the establishment of U-Space, an airspace for unmanned flying objects, EASA has created the cornerstone for coordinated civil drone aviation. Means such as iConspicuity will make air traffic safer and open up the market for U-Space service providers.

In the VTOL-EGM project, the companies OptoPrecision GmbH and b.rm. are developing solutions to make environmental monitoring more efficient. These are used for extensive measurements at sources of environmental pollution. Since pollution is present in many places that are difficult or resource-intensive for humans to access, UAS with remote pilots are used.

U-Space Service Provider

While OptoPrecision GmbH, with its many years of experience in surveillance, (AI) detection and tracking, takes care of sensor development, drone development and operation, b.r.m. assumes the role of a U-Space service provider. This includes tasks such as network identification, UAS flight approval and geo-sensitization. The Hatten-UAS test site for drone testing has already been used in the VTOL-EGM project and is located at the Oldenburg-Hatten EDWH airfield. The 16-hectare airfield is also perfectly suited as a base of operations thanks to its favorable location. Hatten-UAS can also be used for training and testing.

The commercial use of UAS must take place integratively within the airspace with other manned aircraft participants; there can be no segregation. The temporary closure of different airspaces for a UAS flight is now a thing of the past. Close cooperation between the various stakeholders will ensure that U-Space North Germany is created. The establishment of U-Space Norddeutschland will provide the innovation boost that aviation needs to open up the drone market.

Harald Rossol and Markus Rossol presented the exact procedure for this project in the AviaSpace Roadshow presentation. We would also like to thank all participants for the successful event!

You can find out more about the North German aerospace cluster on the Aviaspace Bremen e.V. website

In order to be optimally prepared for a UAS and UAV flight, pilots must be aware of new obstacles and other information in addition to the SERA. This works through information from German Air Traffic Control (DFS), the NOTAM.

What is NOTAM?

The acronym stands for notice to airmen. This is information and instructions about changes to the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). These changes can be temporary or permanent. They are crucial for orderly, safe and smooth air traffic.

Short-term and urgent instructions, procedures and information from the NOTAM serve as supplementary information for a flight. The fact that changes to the AIP are distributed by post means that they are not necessarily required for new changes.

What does a NOTAM say?

The instructions and information disseminated in a NOTAM are messages about installations, changes and conditions of any aviation facilities, services, procedures or hazards.

A NOTAM therefore warns pilots of obstacles that have been newly installed or are not recognizable due to defective lights, for example. It also contains warnings about drone activity and provides information about temporary flight restriction areas. For example, a disaster control operation site in the event of flooding. This special information is summarized for airlines in a briefing package.

Categories Briefing Package

The briefing package is divided into categories. These are Departure (departure airfield), Enroute (route), Alternate (alternate airfield), Destination (destination airfield) and Company-NOTAM (information that only applies to the airline).

New briefings on the latest amendments and new publications can be found on the DFS website. NOTAMs are also disseminated via the Aeronautical Telecommunications Fixed Network (AFTN).

The EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) organized an online workshop on 23 February 2022 to present iConspicuity. The iConspicuity roadmap, i.e. the further integrative approach with manned and unmanned air traffic, was also defined there.

What exactly is iConspicuity?

iConspicuity stands for increased conspicuity, which, translated into German, means increased conspicuousness. It refers to the state of being clearly recognizable and informed.

The iConspicuity includes the most important information for the pilot of the various drones. In addition to general flight information and information on the weather, this explicitly describes the position of other flying objects in the vicinity. This information provides the remote pilot with particularly good support before and during the flight.

Why is iConspicuity being introduced?

In the past 10 years, there have been many collisions and accidents in uncontrolled air traffic. These were mainly small flying objects, resulting in a tragic 137 fatalities (in the 2009-2019 recording period). In addition, a further 60 collisions were fatal.

In order to reduce these figures, pilots should be better informed in future. The iConspicuity is designed to help with this by enabling other flight participants to be recognized more clearly. The pilot is thus optimally prepared for the flight and possible dangerous situations in the vicinity. This enables much safer air traffic.

Who is affected by the new procedure?

EASA envisages general air traffic (GA community), helicopter traffic (rotorcraft community) and other users participating in previously uncontrolled traffic for the measures under the idea of "iConspicuity". Furthermore, from January 2023, all unmanned aircraft operating in U-Space are to be made electronically visible and supported by a U-Space Service Provider (USSP).

The Bremen-based IT service provider b.r.m. is preparing to become a USSP. The company is using its GDPR-compliant green IT data center for this purpose. In addition, employees Markus Rossol and Maximilian Strauß have specialized in the area of current and future drone traffic. They will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

With its associations and companies such as AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V., the state of Bremen is a world leader in aerospace. This is ensured by leading industrial companies and their suppliers, among others.

AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. - an aviation cluster

AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. is a network and representative for manufacturers of aerospace components. It has been commissioned by the Senator for Economics, Labor and Europe to implement aerospace strategies in the federal state of Bremen. The association's challenge is to strengthen and further develop the aerospace industry together with other important sectors such as the automotive industry and wind energy.

Main topics AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V.

However, the Bremen cluster has also addressed essential topics such as the formation of networks, technology transfer and economic growth. In addition, the association promotes young entrepreneurs and start-ups by clarifying the organizational and technical networking of end producers, suppliers or services. Furthermore, it provides access and contacts to scientific institutions at the various stages of the product cycle. This also applies to the competence areas of material development, high lift, construction, manufacturing technology, earth observation and robotics.

What does b.r.m. have to do with it?

Thanks to the new "Hatten-UAS" airfield for unmanned aerial systems at Oldenburg-Hatten EDWH airfield, b.r.m. has already prepared itself for future air traffic. In the course of this, the employees Markus Rossol and Maximilian Strauß have specialized in this as UAS Consultant and Senior Aerotechnical Consultant.

Bremen-based IT service provider b.r.m. is a new member of the association and is joining the cluster strategy. Networking is an important element in the development of new tasks and innovations.