Moonrock newsletter: Our second update for July 2024

It’s been another inspirational, innovative period for the drone industry so please enjoy your second July round-up from your experts at Moonrock Drone Insurance.?

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:?

Future of Flight reports highlights how drones will transform aviation?

The UK Research and Innovation Future Flight Challenge has published a report outlining the role of drones in aviation. The report, revealed at the Farnborough Air Show, highlights nine drone use cases telling the story of how different services are performed today, how this will change in future, the potential scale of the operation and market, and the implications on what is needed to support and deliver the service.?

Use cases include; regional air mobility, medical cargo delivery; last and middle-mile delivery; infrastructure inspection; emergency fast response; local asset surveying; passenger airport shuttle; urban air mobility; and, regional air mobility.?

The UKRI Future Flight Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK and the Economic and Social Research Council, is a ￡300 million programme co-funded by industry and the UK government to help build the ecosystem needed to accelerate the introduction of advanced air mobility, drones, and zero-emission regional aircraft in the UK.?

Read the report

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Drone swarm show gets Las Vegas residency?

Hot on the heels of Celestial’s fantastic drone swarm performance at Glastonbury,? it is great to see another swarm show take to the skies in the party capital of America – Las Vegas.??

Atomic Golf has announced incredible two drone shows every Thursday at 9pm and 11pm featuring up to 1,000 drones.??

“We are thrilled to add this experience to our weekly lineup,” says Alex Christiansen, creative director at Atomic Golf, told Drone DJ. “With our nightly laser show already captivating audiences, a residency drone show perfectly complements our brand and enhances the Atomic Golf experience.”?

Read more ??

Ehang takes eVTOL leap?

It was awesome to see our client, Ehang, take the lead and complete the testing of EH216-S eVTOL aircraft flights.?

Advanced Air Mobility reported that the flights were conducted at EHang’s UAM Center in Europe, inside Lleida–Alguaire International Airport (LEDA) in Spain. The fights were supported by the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) which is designed to provide more accurate positioning for eVTOLs and add additional security.?

Victoria Xiang, COO of EHang Europe and Latin America, told Advanced Air Mobility: “EH216-S’s pilotless flights under SAMVA project, showcased how EGNOS precise and integer navigation guidance, can support and enhance Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management tasks and unmanned eVTOL aircraft operations, and thus enable safe and efficient Advanced Air Mobility.”?

Read more ?

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US Senate excludes DJI drone ban from National Defense Authorization Act??

The US Senate has omitted a ban on DJI drones in its version of the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA).??

The move follows the House of Representatives proposing a Bill to ban the Chinese-made DJI drones due to potential security risks, which it passed last month. After the House announced the Bill, more than 6,000 organisations wrote to the Senate Armed Services Committee to oppose the inclusion of the Countering CCP Drones Act in the NDAA.?

Drone DJ reported that the future of DJI drones in the US remains uncertain. If the Senate passes its current version of the Bill it will have to be reconciled with the Bill selected by the House, which could see the ban reintroduced.?

Read more ??

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CAA appoints Group Director for Consumers & Markets?

The UK Civil Aviation Authority announced the appointment of Selina Chadha as the new Group Director for Consumers & Markets. With a career spanning over 25 years in consumer and competition regulation, Selina brings a wealth of regulatory experience to the role and has held a variety of senior positions at Ofcom.?

In her new role at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, Selina will lead the Consumers & Markets Group, overseeing the Civil Aviation Authority’s economic regulation, competition, consumer protection, consumer enforcement activity and the ATOL financial protection scheme.?

She takes up the role on 27 August 2024.?

Read more ??

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Monitoring:?

ARPAS-UK welcomes new aviation minister?

ARPAS-UK congratulated Mike Kane, MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, on his appointment as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport.?

In a letter to the new minister, APRAS-UK stated: “There are a number of key issues that have not yet been adequately addressed to achieve the GDP and jobs growth that will help position the UK as a leader on the world stage.”?

The organisation invited Kane to attend the DroneX show at the Excel in September to meet key industry players.?

Read the letter