DELIVERY BY DRONE

Managing failures without a pilot, UAV corridors, and heavy lift drones. A Covid ‘check flight’ opens the door onto a whole new world

- Tim Cooper

Madam was poring over a Skydemon screen. “Have you seen this?” she demanded, jabbing indignantly at a brand new bit of controlled airspace that emanated from Southampton, enclosing Lee on Solent within its 23nm radius. “It’s right down to the surface. Have they gone mad?”

I peered at the screen and harrumphed. I vaguely recalled a news item I had seen about a Covid-19 related drone delivery trial. Medical supplies were to be transported across the Solent from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight. The Tower at Lee confirmed this was the case, it wouldn’t prevent the “engine health flight” that was planned that glorious April day, they said. Tower added that the drone was sharing space in our hangar.

A blissfully traffic-free trip along the coastal motorway found us at Lee’s automated west gate. We dialed the code, the gate slid open, and hey presto! we were onto the airfield without any human contact. Strange that this counts as a success. There was little sign of life−the post-pestilence normal. Our Fuji FA 200, ‘MDAM’ would be glad to see us. What self-respecting flying machine wants to lurk in the back of a hangar on a day as perfectly glorious as this?

We drove the short distance from the gate to Tango Hangar, MDAM’s home. We were surprised to see two large vans, all bristling with antennae, parked on the small apron, and surrounded by men in masks. Intrigued, we parked on the grass at the end of the row of their cars and donned our own masks (we know whose is which because we have drawn smiley faces on them and Madam’s smile is bigger than mine). Spinner, the tiny Ugandan airport dog, perked up. She loves people. People mean treats.