Drones in the Airspace of the Republic of Poland - steps to Safe Flights of UAS Over Poland

Abstract

The emergence of a new user of the airspace of the Republic of Poland, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - drones, as part of regular flights, implies the need not only to provide an appropriate legal framework, but also to rebuild the entire air traffic management ecosystem for the integration of manned and unmanned aviation. The first attempts to include UAS in the integrated air traffic system in the Warsaw FIR were based on the electronic/digital planning, coordination and management of UAS flights called Pansa UTM (Polish Air Navigation Services Agency Unmanned Traffic Management). This system is an innovative solution used by the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) and potential drone users. The operation and development of the Pansa UTM system generates the need for air traffic management entities to take specific actions by planning and establishing regulations, rules, safety criteria and flight conditions for the new airspace user. This requires involvement in projects, pilotages and technology demonstrators aimed at creating adequate tools for the safe implementation of UAS flights in Poland. These activities, both already implemented and at the planning stage, aim to achieve a state in which it will be possible to talk about integrated and safe controlled air traffic over Poland. Due to the dynamic nature of the subject matter, this study is only an attempt to present a number of projects undertaken by a wide range of aviation-related entities that may allow achieving an acceptable level of air traffic management over the territory of the Republic of Poland.