Moonrock newsletter – March 2024

Welcome to the latest newsletter from your experts Moonrock Drone Insurance. It’s been another busy month in the drone/eVTOL market, so sit back and take in the latest developments from around the globe.

We’re drone/eVTOL specialists and this regular update is designed to help you keep on-top of the latest news, regulations, insights and technological developments in the commercial market.

In the news:

Manna expands drone delivery service to Ireland

Manna Drone Delivery has announced a new partnership with Boojum, an Irish Mexican-inspired burrito chain, and revealed that it will expands its drone delivery service to Blanchardstown in Ireland. The service will allow around 100,000 people to have fresh burritos delivered to their doorstep in just a just a few minutes.

The company already offers its drone delivery services in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States and Moonrock are delighted to support their operations as its insurance provider.

"Food delivery today can be expensive and slow. With more than 150,000 deliveries under our belt across two separate countries, we are more than ready to provide delivery service to another market – and Blanchardstown is that spot," said Bobby Healy, CEO and Founder for Manna Drone Delivery.

"Boojum is also the perfect partner to help us kickstart our expansion to the Blanchardstown area – we are both Irish-born pioneering brands, collaborating to drive innovation in the food delivery industry – and we are excited to see the reaction from the community as we get started."

The service is available seven days a week – weather permitting – beginning with select eircodes in the?Dublin?15 area, and will gradually expand across?Dublin?in the coming months.

Learn more here .

Drones Budget boost for Police

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, has pledged ￡800m in the Spring Budget to support new technologies. As part of this, according to ITV, the government will encourage the police to use the money to advance the use of drones in their day-to-day operations.

It is believed a portion of the ￡800m will go towards helping the police forces across the UK to use to drones to assess incidents such as traffic collisions. The Treasury noted that implementing tech reforms could save 38 million of police hours per year.

Read more .

Law Commission launches consultation on autonomous flight

The Law Commission has been asked by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Department for Transport (DfT) to review the law around autonomous flight, in order to support the safe development of rapidly advancing technology.

The project reviews existing legislation to identify any legislative blocks, gaps or uncertainties. The Commission will consult with key stakeholders in the aviation and innovation sectors, before proposing a series of law reforms that will ensure the UK is ready to take advantage of oncoming advances in automation.

The body published its first consultation paper, on autonomy in relation to VTOLs and drones, on 26 February 2024. The consultation closes on 27 May 2024.

The Law Commission stated that it expects to publish a second consultation paper in late 2024, followed by a final report in 2025

To respond to the consultation, please use our online form available here:?https://consult.justice.gov.uk/law-commission/aviation-autonomy

Australia develops infrastructure for drone taxis ahead of 2032 Olympics

According to The Guardian, Australia is building specialist air traffic control systems to manage a predicted influx of drone taxis. Airservices Australia, which manages airspace in the region, has hired Frequentis Australasia, to build managements systems to integrate uncrewed flights into the airspace.

The report details that Airservices Australia has estimated that drone flights in the country will surge to 60m by 2043 with these flights including unmanned air taxis and drone deliveries. The organisation has also suggested that the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games?will be a “catalysing event” for air taxis in the region.

Read more here .

Monitoring

Get the latest updates from official drone organisations, CHIRPS and ARPAS-UK

CHIRP accident report

The Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme, or CHIRP, is an organisation developed to enhance the safety of the aviation industry by encouraging the self-reporting of accidents and errors. It provides a confidential, independent reporting system to pilots and individuals involved in any type of flight in the UK. It provides feedback on the incidents with the aim of creating a safer industry for all.

The latest report from CHIRP has highlighted a few incidents from the start of 2024. One drone pilot reported a propellor icing up on a short test flight in cold weather. The incident underlined the importance of test flights if conditions are not favourable. CHIRPS reminded pilots that, even if the temperature on the ground is above zero, atmospheric conditions can cause ice to form which affects propellor efficiency.

Read the latest CHIRP accident reports here :

?

What’s new from ARPAS-UK

ARPAS-UK (Association of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems UK) is a not-for-profit trade body devoted to realising the benefits of drone usage in the UK. In its latest update the body highlights the Civil Aviation Authority survey on how the aviation sector should use AI and how it should be regulated. The survey closes on 29th March so if you wish to respond please visit the CAA website.

Read more here .

To learn more about ARPAS, and keep on top of the work it does around drone regulation, visit the ARPAS website: https://www.arpas.uk/

Thanks for reading our newsletter. If you'd like more information about drone insurance please visit our website .