Page 10 - Forum-2020-JulyToSeptember

the Development of Civil Aviation Pilots 11 flights to Chongqing Jiangbei Inter- RPAS. The airspace restriction was lifted
(2018). As of Dec. 31, 2018, the number national Airport to ensure flight safety at 2215 once no additional RPAS sightings
of registered civil RPAS had increased and ground safety. In April 2017, eight were reported. Due to the timely and
to more than 180,000, with 44,573 pilot consecutive RPAS disturbances occurred proper execution of emergency protocols,
licenses for various types of RPAS, includ- in the Chengdu region, causing 138 flights there were no significant disturbances to
ing 3,131 fixed-wing, 1,624 helicopters, to return and divert. normal flight operations.
39,278 multirotor wings, 11 airships, and On the evening of Feb. 6, 2019, several An RPAS fuselage is mostly made of
529 vertical takeoff and landing fixed- RPAS disturbances occurred over Xi’an aluminum and carbon fiber composite
wing. There are eight approved cloud City, causing flight disruptions for nearly materials. After colliding with a manned
system providers for RPAS, six of which five hours. At 1734, the pilot on a flight aircraft, the degree of damage is worse
are connected to the cloud exchange at about 1,600 meters above the ground than that of a bird strike. However, due
system—U-Cloud, U-Care, BD-Cloud, 5U was passing over Xi’an enroute to Xi’an to the limited power and endurance, this
Cloud, FindDrone, and Xcloud—with a Xianyang Interntional Airport when he type of RPAS has an active radius of five
total of 988,625 flight hours in 2018. reported to the air traffic controller that to 10 kilometers and a maximum rela-
According to the report from RPAS an RPAS was spotted within 100 to 200 tive height of climb no more than one
Real-Name Registration System, as of meters directly above him. In the past two kilometer. Therefore, the impact on civil
Jan. 24, 2019, about 295,000 RPAS had years, CAAC has issued relevant measures aviation is mainly concentrated on the
been registered, including 25,000 with a for handling RPAS due to numerous dis- takeoff, approach, and landing phases,
maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of more turbances. Upon receipt of the report, the and conflicts with aircraft mostly occur
than 25 kilograms to 150 kilograms, 571 air traffic controller immediately imple- in airport terminals. While there have
RPAS with a MTOM of more than 150 mented the emergency response plan and not been any collisions between flights
kilograms, and 49 RPAS with a MTOM set up a temporary avoidance airspace. and RPAS in China thus far, there have
of more than 650 kilograms. There are This airspace covered a horizontal radius been many incidents in which RPAS have
268,000 RPAS owners, 3,720 types of RPAS, of six kilometers and a vertical radius of intruded airport runways and approach
and 1,239 manufacturers and agents 600 meters from the crew. The controller routes, resulting in serious incidents and
registered. then directed the aircraft to fly around posing great threats to safety.
the airspace, reported the situation to
Violations Cases of RPAS/RPAS subsequent flights, and continuously Evolution of Regulations
Incidents observed the dynamics of the RPAS. In 2009, CAAC issued the airworthiness
About 10 minutes later, another flight
Meanwhile, taking advantage of regula- crew reported an RPAS near the east management document Interim Provi-
tions and new technologies to supervise gate of Xi’an City. Due to poor visibility sions Related to the Administration of
RPAS attracts more attention. In fact, and fast flight speed, the crew could not RPAS (ALD2009022), which regulated the
the safety risks of RPAS are not only a determine the specific height and type registration and administration of civil
problem for China, but also for the world. of the RPAS. The air traffic controller RPAS with reference to civil aircraft man-
In recent years, there have been multi- immediately set up a temporary avoid- agement measures. Before an RPAS can
ple incidents of flight delays and airport ance airspace at the reported location fly, the RPAS operator must receive tem-
closures caused by the illegal invasion in accordance with the procedures. At porary registration approval from CAAC
by RPAS. The illegal operation of low, 1821, the flight crew of an aircraft 2,400 and display the registration on the body
slow, and small aircraft such as RPAS has meters above the ground in the south- of the RPAS according to the aviation
become a significant concern affecting west part of Xi’an City reported that a procedure Regulation on the Nationality
flight safety and even national and social black, barrel-shaped RPAS was flying at a Registration of Civil Aircraft of P.R. China
security. As the usage of RPAS becomes horizontal distance of one kilometer from (AP-45-AA-2008-01R3). Prior to each
more prevalent so, too, do the conflicts and at a vertical height of 200 meters flight, the operator should apply for a
between RPAS operators and airliners. from the crew, which is very dangerous. special flight permit from CAAC Regional
On the evening of May 28, 2016, an Due to continuous reports from aircrews Administrations according to the aviation
RPAS appeared in the airspace of Cheng- and the influence of the RPAS’s flight procedure Issuing and Managing Air-
du Shuangliu International Airport’s height on the safety of normal flights, the worthiness Certificates for Civil Aviation
eastern runway, resulting in the runway on-duty leader of the northwest ATMB Products and Parts (AP-21-05R1). RPAS
closure for just more than one hour and immediately decided to change the flight with temporary registration certificates
55 flight delays. This was the first time procedures of arriving flights and relayed and special flight permits shall operate
that an RPAS had affected the flights at that all flights should avoid flying over in accordance with the rules of air traffic
Chengdu Airport, the fourth largest avia- Xi’an City. management, operational management,
tion hub in mainland China. In the next few hours, the air traffic and radio management to ensure safety.
On April 17, 2017, in the airspace near controller instructed all arriving flights CAAC continued to carry out the
Chengdu Airport, an RPAS interfered to avoid the airspace according to the administration of RPAS and successively
with flights again. The control center of emergency plan. At about 2200, the published the Advisory Circular Inter-
the southwest Air Traffic Management controller gradually directed aircraft to im Operating Provisions for Low-Level
Bureau (ATMB) immediately implement- resume the normal flight procedures and Operation of Light and Small Unmanned
ed the emergency plan and diverted informed the crews to remain alert for Aircraft Systems (AC-91-FS-2015-31,
10 • July-September 2020 ISASI Forum