| Abstract | Within an urban environment, a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) flight plan must account for restrictions in pathways, loss of visual line of sight due to buildings, a limited number of emergency safe landing locations, and avoidance of populated areas. Adding to the complexity of navigating around the city structures are urban wind characteristics caused by interactions between wind and the structures. For RPAS to operate safely in an urban environment, the effects that various forms of airflow have on their controllability and hence flight path, may be of concern.
Without detailed knowledge of specific airflow patterns for a Canadian city or the effect that the airflow has on a specific RPAS, a starting point for preparing RPAS users for urban wind conditions is to provide awareness of types of urban airflow and where/when that airflow type may occur.
To support Transport Canada (TC) promotion of safe operation of RPAS within the urban environment during the early stage of the regulatory development process, an RPAS user awareness video (Urban Airflow: What Drone Pilots Need to Know) on urban airflow characteristics was provided to TC by the NRC in both English and French languages. |
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