The deployment of drones at an aerodrome in an emergency situation increases safety by providing the emergency service units (e.g. RFFS) with accurate situational data enabling them to provide the most effective and more rapid emergency response.

This UAS-Piloting Drones for Emergency Management at Aerodromes Training Course adresses the governing of a drone flight when deployed for emergency situations at aerodromes, the acquisition of data from the drone’s sensors and the dissemination of this information under stress and urgency conditions.

The training course includes evaluation of the competencies required by a remote pilot tasked with flying a drone in various meteorological conditions (e.g. visibility), at different locations inside or in the immediate vicinity of an aerodrome and to respond to aircraft emergencies (e.g. presence of smoke, fire, wounded people, etc…).

This training course hence addresses the management of contingencies which may arise when responding to emergencies of different sizes and the collaboration with other stakeholders (e.g. ATCOs, RFFS, Airport Operators etc.) under stress conditions according to the Aerodrome Emergency Response Plan and discusses the required practical skills to fly the drone to destination, use and distribute information collected by the drone’s sensors and the management of the drone’s residual energy.

The training course includes the latest information from the Project ALBATROS, funded by Horizon Europe through CINEA and coordinated by NLR, which inter-alia explored possibilities for using drones (UAS) in emergencies at aerodromes and specifically with aircraft that in the future, due to advancing technologies, may be affected by a hydrogen leak, which would require the quickest possible response.

The Training Course consists of 16 lectures covering:

1. Course introduction and objectives
2. Correctly use the drone in accordance with the rules and with the capabilities and specifications of the drone
3. Identify key constraints for UAS operations at aerodromes
4. Check the emergency situation (e.g. meteo);
5. Localise the aircraft making use of the drone
6. Effectively use the UA sensor kit and record video footage and other data streams
7. Assess damage to the aircraft
8. Monitor possible presence of humans inside or outside the airframe and possible injuries
9. Transfer information on the emergency
10. Describe the situation to other stakeholders with a right amount of detail
11. Manage communications under stress
12. Monitor external factors
13. Provide more in depth information to emergency respondents
14. Determine when the UA should return for energy replenishment
15. Organise and store data collected during the flight, including video footage, sensor readings, and telemetry data
16. Provide comprehensive debriefing

• Explain the role of different personnel involved in UAS operations (e.g. FM, FOO, VOs) of other personnel involved to respond to the emergency (e.g. ATCOs, RFFS) and the meaning of univlved person.
• Appreciate the relationship between the aerodrome emergency response plan and the use of a possibly highly automated remotely piloted aircraft.
• Effectively use the sensor kit of the drone and rapidly distribute the information to other respondents to the emergency.