Dear member or guest of PUCA,
Just a short message: some snippets and an invitation for those of you in command of the Dutch language. The Dutch network organization on logistics Connect is organizing a seminar about drones on Thursday, 14 February, in Delft (Netherlands). Not only the small ones; Richard Visser and myself will give a joint presentation on unmanned cargo aircraft. The meeting is meant to increase the awareness of the potential of drones in general and UCA in particular among potential users. So if you are interested in exploring business opportunities with future operators of UCA, or if you in any way want to get exposure for your UCA activities, you are welcome to come. As I said before, much attention is at present given to the safety and technical and regulatory feasibility of drone operations, but we need to mobilize potential users and give them a sense of urgency. Connekt agrees with this and wants to help us to increase the societal impact of UCA. So expect more joint activities from PUCA, XL CargoDrones and Connect. And if you can initiate similar activities in other countries, please let us know.
For more information and registration for the event, see: https://www.connekt.nl/events/connekt-talks-drones/.
And now some snippets. Denis Leblanc and Mario Vesco pulled their weights again. Denis reports that the market for delivery drones is growing healthily (Global Delivery Drones Market is Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 22.3% During the Forecast Period 2018-2026 ). But, as could be expected, not everyone is pleased by this and the economics aren’t straightforward: Package Delivery By Drone Still Faces Practical Challenges. Mario rightly notices that China is moving forward fast with UCA, led by our members of SF Express: China’s AT200 cargo UAV readies for operational evaluation. Not strictly UCA but vitally important: the first approval for fully autonomous civil UAV flights in Europe: First Approval for Fully Autonomous Drone Flights in Europe Granted . Jan van Oudheusden (Shell) spotted this use of drones in the oil and gas industry: BHGE launches LUMEN. Not UCA, but an indication of what UAVs can do. In regions where UCA have an advantage compared to manned aircraft, like in inaccessible areas, UAVs with sensors may operate as well and even support UCA operations (monitoring landing sites, communications relay etc.).
That’s all for now. Don’t forget to put the next PUCA-meeting (28 March) in your diary.
Happy landings,
Hans Heerkens,
Chairman
