Written by ANDREW KACIMAIWAI
Pictures, video supplied.
TRIAL test flights involving uncrewed aircraft flying Beyond Visual Line-Of-Sight (or BVLOS) in controlled airspace has just been completed in New Zealand.
The test flights were conducted by an alliance of aviation companies and authorities, including Boeing, and announced to the media via a statement from the issued from Christchurch, New Zealand, and Mountain View, California.
The statement described the trial test flights as successful in that they demonstrated that safe, uncrewed flight operations in controlled airspace among piloted aircraft was possible.
It said that during the trials, a safe process for uncrewed aircraft to access controlled airspace was established that led to significant new understanding and capability for commercial autonomous flight operations.
Led by Wisk Aero, the trials included the New Zealand Government and industry partners including Insitu Pacific (approved Remotely Piloted Aircraft or RPA operator), the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA, as regulatory observer), Airways New Zealand (air navigation service provider) alongside Airways International’s uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system AirShare, and Maori aerospace venture Tawhaki, who provided the flight test site.
Testing involved flights between November 17 and December 1, 2023, which demonstrated that an RPA can be operated under instrument flight rules (IFR) in controlled airspace and integrated with crewed traffic. The flights took place at the Tawhaki National Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete (near Christchurch), involving take-offs, landings, and uncontrolled and controlled airspace navigation.
“The successful completion of this phase of testing demonstrates that it is possible to safely integrate autonomous aircraft into controlled airspace that is shared with piloted aircraft,” said Catherine MacGowan, Wisk’s Vice-President of APAC and Air Operations.
“The processes, data, and learnings from these trial flights will help shape the future of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and the broader aviation industry.”
Andrew Duggan, Managing Director of Insitu Pacific, said: “The successful demonstration serves as a foundation towards fielding a safe concept of operations for autonomous flight in non-segregated airspace into the future.”
Airways New Zealand’s Acting General Manager Air Traffic Services, James Evans said: “We value the chance to work with an innovator like Wisk to help shape the future by supporting it to trial the safe integration of uncrewed aerial vehicles into our controlled airspace.”
Justine Whitfield, Head of Products (Digital) at Airways International, said: “It’s great to be part of this trial with Wisk and see Advanced Air Mobility flights in action in AirShare using the UTM digital ecosystem. This trial with AITP partners will generate learnings that help inform safe uncrewed aircraft airspace integration models.”
CAA’s Deputy Chief Executive for Aviation Safety, David Harrison said: “CAA is committed to the safe and secure integration of emerging technologies into the civil aviation system in New Zealand. It’s a promising step forward for the sector that these trials have progressed safely, which is our number one priority.”
Tawhaki CEO Linda Falwasser said: “We’re proud to support world-leading innovation to take flight from our Tawhaki National Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete. It’s great to be working in partnership as part of the Airspace Integration Trials Program to chart a path for an adaptive, exciting, sustainable future for aerospace transport.”
The New Zealand Government Airspace Integration Trials Program (AITP) was announced in 2019 and is a four-year program to ensure airspace systems maintain exceptional levels of safety while balancing aviation advancements, community expectations (social and environmental), and economic benefits.
Wisk was the first industry partner in the program and has run tests since they became the first to sign an MOU with the New Zealand government in 2020.
WHO ARE THE PARTNERS?
• About Wisk: Wisk is an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company dedicated to delivering safe, everyday flight for everyone. Wisk’s self-flying, eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) air taxi will make it possible for passengers to skip the traffic and get to their destination faster. Wisk is a fully-owned Boeing subsidiary and is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• About Insitu Pacific: Located in Brisbane, Australia, Insitu Pacific was established in 2009 as a division of Insitu Inc and serves defence customers across the Asia-Pacific region and global commercial customers. They use in-house knowledge and skills to deliver uncrewed aircraft systems and end-to-end solutions for collecting, processing and managing sensor data. Insitu Pacific is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company.
• About CAA: The Civil Aviation Authority regulates aviation in New Zealand to keep the skies safe and secure. The Authority has established an Emerging Technologies Program (ETP) to act as a bridge between the CAA and emerging technologies aerospace and aviation stakeholders and innovators.
• About Airways New Zealand: Airways New Zealand provides air traffic management services in the domestic New Zealand Flight Information Region and across the international Auckland Oceanic Flight Information Region, one of the largest airspace regions in the world. They control the air traffic in 30 million square kilometres of airspace over New Zealand, the South Pacific and Southern Oceans and the Tasman Sea, from 5 degrees south of the equator to Antarctica.
• About AirShare: AirShare is an uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system to help air navigation service providers and regulators safely manage uncrewed aircraft (UA) traffic. Since its launch in 2014 AirShare enabled UA access to airspace, supported situational awareness, and reduced airspace managers’ workload via automation.
• About Tawhaki: A joint aerospace venture between Maori and the NZ Government. Since its formation in 2021, it established the country’s first National Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete, 50 minutes’ drive from the Christchurch CBD, hosting multiple users across the advanced aviation and aerospace spectrum.
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