Australian Aviation - July 2018

JULY 2018 85

and intensive training for the pilots for
the 54-minute flight.
More tests are in the pipeline.
The country’s air traffic controller,
Airways New Zealand, Graeme
Sumner said that New Zealand’s
regulatory environment and relatively
uncongested airspace made the
country an attractive option to safely
support more complex operations and
facilitate new entrants.
It has developed a nationwide
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
traffic management system which

would enable drone activity across

New Zealand airspace through a

safe integration into the national air

traffic network. Some South Island

drone pilots are putting its AirMap

drone traffic management platform

through trials that involve how to plan

flights, seek authorisations and get

information about the terrain they are

operating in.

The next phase is tracking tools

that enable accurate monitoring of

UAVs once they are beyond the pilot’s

line-of-sight and detect and avoidance

capabilities to keep them safely

separated from other aircraft.

Australian Aviation talked with

three innovators in the New Zealand

UAV commercial space.

University of Canterbury

(Christchurch)

Canterbury University’s Wireless

Research Centre and Spacial

Engineering Research Centre are

attracting interest from universities

around the world wanting to

collaborate on drone projects.

Inspecting the Auckland

Harbour Bridge by drone.ASSET

INSIGHT