Considerations for setting up a drone unit

Tom Nash and Darryl Ashford-Smith (SARAA) Discuss

Introducing Drone Capability to SAR Operations

This article discusses considerations for mountain rescue teams looking to introduce an drone capability to their SAR assets. As a volunteer organisation, facing the myriad of legislation and guidance published by the Civil Aviation Authority can be very daunting for any team, especially if it doesn't have people with an aviation background. With misuse of drones now being actively pursued, an example being a recent court case https://www.bbc.co.uk/ news/uk-england-derbyshire-64214988, teams cannot afford to get it wrong.

The author, Tom Nash, is the SARAAScotland Chair and member of the Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team. With his previous experience of over 1900 hours of military flying, owner of his own UAS business as an instructor and Civil Aviation Authority NQE Flight Examiner, Tom