#	Pagina
attuale pagina	/open-h2020/projects/217263/results.html

Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DRAMS (Drone-based Radio Aid Measuring System)

Teaser

Summary

In air transport, navigation aids (also known as Navaids), are a safety guarantee that help pilots land. The instrument landing system [ILS] is the most used landing aid in the world. This radio-based system guides pilots along the correct landing course, even in reduced visibility. Another navigational aid is the very high frequency omnidirectional radio [VOR] range, a long-range navigation system that allows aircraft to determine their position and stay on course by receiving radio signals transmitted by ground beacons.
Like any other system, ILS and VOR require periodic calibrations of strict and mandatory enforcement. For several decades, the market has relied on manned flight inspection aircraft to calibrate these navigations. The procedure is effective but has several drawbacks: 1) Low availability of specialized aircraft. 2) Safety regulations require periodic reviews of the performance of ILS / VOR systems, which added to the low availability of specialized aircraft creates bottlenecks for inspections. 3) Manned aircraft for flight inspections are expensive. 4) This type of aircraft produces pollution and noise due to their specific flight maneuvers.
Our society needs safe and affordable air traffic. The problems associated with manned flight inspection aircraft directly influence air traffic because they represent high costs for airports, low availability of inspections and considerable noise and pollution on each inspection.
Therefore, not only societal but economical and management issues demand a reliable alternative to manned flight inspection aircraft.
We aim to tackle the problems associated with manned Flight Inspection Aircrafts described above. The final objective of DRAMS project is to perform the complete set of flight inspection tasks with an RPA and obtain the necessary certifications to commercialize it worldwide.

Work performed

The objective of this Feasibility Study was to ensure that the DRAMS project fulfils the technical, regulatory, commercial and financial requirements for a successful market launch after the subsequent implementation of Phase 2 of this project.

Regulatory - ICAO defines ILS/VOR regulations. ICAO defines a difference between ground and flight inspection of ILS/VOR. This difference means that DRAMS shall include two different phases with separate procedures and RPAs used. Local CAAs evaluate and issue flying authorisations according to ICAO guidelines. Air Navigation Service Providers inspect ILS/VOR in some countries.
International requirements for the certification of RPAs in airspace and aerodromes are still under definition. Because of this, national guidelines rule this field.

Technical - There are few technical issues for DRAMS; all of them solvable with the proper strategy. The comparisons of the relevant equipment providers led to define the best options in the case of ILS/VOR receivers, Fixed-wing Drones and Multicopters. Besides, we havenâ€™t found any serious risk that threatens the feasibility of the DRAMS project. Moreover, this feasibility study has showed us that we can enrich our Phase 2 approach by including other Navaid inspection systems such as Distance Measuring Equipment [DME]. Although some industrial features still need to be reviewed during Phase 2, yet they are only related to adaptation to the final testing and regulatory procedures.

Commercial - There is a substantial market pull in which a solution like DRAMS will thrive. Given the fact that all calibration methods based on the use of unmanned aircraft are very recent technologies, still in the development stage, there are no IP conflicts so without we can market DRAMS serious challenges.
The key point in the sales strategy is to gain the trust of critical stakeholders as soon as possible.

Financial - DRAMS represents an excellent business opportunity not only for CANARD but also for suppliers, licensees and manufacturers. The increased profitability, competitiveness and growth of CANARD and the associated suppliers in the value chain will also highly benefit Europe as a whole.

Business Plan - We reviewed and updated our preliminary Business Plan merging the information derived from the regulatory, technical, commercial and financial sections of the feasibility study. Those results, together with the conclusions collected from the business analytical tools, allowed us to identify our position in the market and the steps to follow from now on. This Business Plan will serve as a baseline, once DRAMS has been validated during Phase 2, to define strategic goals and outline tactical actions to reach our target markets

Final results

The DRAMS project will provide the first commercially available fully certified alternative to manned Flight Inspection Aircrafts.
The success of the DRAMS project will impact several areas:

Socioeconomic Impact - Aircraft Industry:
- Economy: Operational costs of flight inspections will be reduced up to 66% compared to the solution currently dominating the market.
- Airport management: Today, customers have to queue on long waiting lists for flight inspections. DRAM will give them immediate access to flight inspection procedures.
- Time saving: DRAM will reduce the inspection time of Radio Navaids by 60%.
- Safety: piloted aircraft are subject to human error. DRAMS software will allow reproducible calibration with centimeter-level accuracy.

Wider Societal implications:
- Environmentally friendly inspections.
Flight inspections based on unmanned aircraft are an environmentally friendly solution. They do not produce noise or carbon impressions, unlike the estimated 52T of CO2 per year released by flight inspection aircraft.