GOF2 Urban Air Mobility drone flights in Estonia 2021-Sep-13
As of 23.01.2023, the EU Regulation on Unmanned Air Traffic Management will enter into force. This is a prerequisite for companies to be able to start using automated drone flights in business services from 2024 onwards. The need to integrate both manned aircrafts and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
The GOF 2.0 project will demonstrate how drone flights are conducted, so that the Drone companies´ Control Systems are integrated with UTMs and these in turn with the national Air Navigation Service.
How to organize air traffic when 1000 drones are flying over the city at the same time?
Tallinn trials Mission was: to demonstrate to Estonian stakeholders how the GOF 2.0 System-of-Systems uses real-time information (Flight plans + Telemetry + Alerts) exchange between Drone operators, UTM systems and the Estonian Air Navigation Service so that drones and manned aircrafts can fly in the same airspace at the same time.
Main achievement: for the first time, we conducted a three-level demonstration by the GOF 2.0 project:
1.level – Ground Control Systems of drone operators (CAFA, Threod, Ehang) were integrated with 2.level– UTM Systems (Frequentis, DRR-Pansa, Aviamaps) and in turn 3.level– EANS in Tallinn air traffic control tower. The air traffic controller had a laptop, in which the UTM systems operated. The air traffic controller using UTM systems participated as follows:
- approved the Flight Plans submitted by the drone operators, which were visible in the UTM systems;
- Monitored the location of drones in real time that sent Telemetry data to the UTM system.
- Generated an Alert as the simulated Medical Helicopter began to approach the Kayak Border Guard Base.
September 13th was a challenging day, but thanks to our great GOF 2.0 team, we were able to conduct flights successfully. It was raining in the morning and there was a strong wind, but fortunately our Command Centre Tent stayed on the ground.
By noon, the sun came out and the stakeholders and journalists had a beautiful emotion.
Physical drone flights were conducted by:
- CAFA Tech: Medicine Logistics Flight; 3D mapping flight.
- Threod: surveillance flight to support the Police.
Thank you, team!
Tallinn trials team 2021-SEP-13
