End of DroneRadar! Rules for reporting flights have changed.
We'll talk about the new BSP drone operations reporting system and significant changes to the flight reporting rules. These tips will help you navigate the new reality. We hope that this article will partly illuminate your doubts and contribute to safer flights.
Droneradar - an explanation
DroneRadar application is a commercial product co-developed by Droneradar Sp. featuring.o. together with the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PAŻP). It was the only mobile application of its kind in Poland so far, and was used to report flights, check zones and check- in. The product was initially paid for, and then with the passage of the new regulations dot. obligation to report flights has become free. As of October 22, 2021, due to the lack of funding for the project on the agreement with the PAŻP, the development and maintenance of the application was stopped (link to the statement).
Everything worked, until early August of this year, when the problems arose, making it impossible for her to download and submit flight applications. At the time, there were also revised and, frankly, difficult rules for reporting flights. Nonetheless, negotiations were ongoing, and we hoped that full operation would be restored. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the future looks different.
Droneradar is back for some, but new information has emerged in the past few days. The day before yesterday, i.e. on September 27, PAŻP officially announced that an agreement had not been reached with the developers of the application, and the full functionality of the application will not be restored. Droneradar also adopted its position on the issue (publication link).
New system for reporting flights
The very next day, that is, on September 28, the PAŻP website published information about the launch of a new tool for reporting BSP drone operations. Now Droneradar is no longer an up-to-date application, and flight reporting is done in a new system - checkin.pansa.pl (official announcement).
Although it is a website for now, it will probably soon be transformed into a full-fledged application. Currently, the site is running in the browser at checkin.pansa.en. Both the appearance and the way of reporting flights are similar to Droneradar, but there are some modifications to the rules that you should pay attention to.
Significant changes to drone flight reporting rules
In addition to changing the system through which flights must be reported, the rules for reporting operations have also been updated. Increased the area in which it is not necessary to contact airport and airspace control services.
Just Check-in in the new system for some flights
For the benefit of pilots, the rules for coordinating flights with TWR (airport control service) and FIS (flight information service) personnel have changed. The area of operations that can be performed without waiting for permission from the flight controller has been expanded. It is now not necessary to call airport control services in case of:
1. Flights at a distance of 1-6 km from the airport up to an altitude of 30 m AGL for drones weighing up to 900 g.
2. Flying more than 6 km from the airport up to an altitude of 100 m AGL for drones up to 25 kg.
3. Flights up to 50m in green areas of South Africa only with an approved mission plan.
Previously, when the Droneradar app was not working, all flights had to be reported via email.
Operations requiring coordination in the CTR zone
Submission of other flights (those that do not fall under the above exceptions), continue to follow the same rules as before. Submit a flight plan to PansaUTM at https://utm.pansa.en/ and obtain the TWR controller's approval by telephone in accordance with the procedure described in the pAŻP's official announcement.
Note! The system will not display a "check-in" confirmation. This is due to the lack of two-way non-verbal communication between ATC services and the pilot in the new system. So don't wait for the "check-in" confirmation in the application, and remember that for flights that require notification, a phone call is necessary.
An example of how to fly a drone correctly
Here is a comprehensive instruction on how to fly a drone correctly according to the new guidelines and system:
1. After obtaining the required approvals and entering the correct BSP pilot data and information on the flight category and weight of the drone, click the button "CHECK_IN".
2. When the window with information about the flight zones is displayed, and depending on the situation (e.g., when an approved mission plan in PansaUTM is required or after telephone contact with the tower and no contraindications), click the icon "START".
3. The pilot conducts the flight in accordance with the declaration.
4. The flight is terminated by clicking the icon "STOP".
5. If you want to make another flight, you can click the "RESET" button and enter the data from scratch.
Summary
It is clear that ze topic is complicated - this can be seen both from the statements of both organizations and what we heard from Droneradar "one could talk about it for several hours". There is no doubt that the application was very good, and a lot of work was put into this project. We hope that this article has brought you closer and partly clarified the situation, and that the current changes will end up making drone operations safer.
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