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A COMPANY specialising in unmanned drone aircraft is to return to Shetland later this year to operate test flights to and from Orkney – while in a UK-first it also intends to fly from Tingwall Airport to Norway.
Windracers now has approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to operate flights between Tingwall and the Lamb Holm airfield in Orkney, with trials set to start from September.
Approval on the UK side is also in place for a future flight between Tingwall and Norway – although Windracers is waiting on the go-ahead from Norwegian authorities.
With a focus on assessing the viability of transporting cargo by unmanned aircraft, the company has previously operated test flights in Shetland, including ones in collaboration with Royal Mail, while more recently it has been in Orkney – including working in partnership with haulage firm Streamline.
But the plan is for Windracers to return to Shetland again from September for a three-month period.
The company’s head of regulation Stewart Wallace told Shetland News that the aim is to operate as much as possible during this time, depending on the weather.
Although the Ultra aircraft could carry 150 kilograms of weight, there will be no cargo on board as the primary focus is to test the route.
“We’ve got an eye to the future, saying ‘can we make this a cargo flight that we could do on a daily, regular basis’,” Wallace said.
Windracers is also working with the Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) and HITRANS, the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership, on the project.
Wallace praised the engagement the company has had with Shetland Islands Council, which owns Tingwall Airport.
The company will also be testing out sustainable aviation fuel on the aircraft – which is usually petrol powered – during the Shetland trials.
Wallace said this component is part of the UK Government funded Rural Energy Hub project, which covers Orkney and Shetland and locally is focused on the Brae Youth Centre and supporting people to transition to net zero.
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Meanwhile there are also hopes to fly – one way – from Tingwall to Haugesund in southwest Norway in September too.
The aircraft would essentially be delivered to a customer in Norway – a more interesting way of transporting the machine to the country than through the usual methods.
If it goes ahead, it would represent a major milestone in autonomous fights, given that an unmanned aircraft has not travelled from the UK to another country before.
It is more challenging from a licensing perspective given that it includes airspace of two countries.
The distance would span around 400 nautical miles and the aircraft would have to fly higher – perhaps to 5,000 feet – “because we need to fly over the helicopters that are going to the rigs, but under the crewed aircraft”, Wallace explained.
Measuring 10 metres from wing tip to wing tip, its appearance is much different than the drones commonly used for photography and leisure.
Wallace said the machine has similar features to the usual crewed aircraft – from flashing lights to connection with air traffic control.
Meanwhile Windracers’ marketing director Stephen Krajewski said the aim of the company was to create a new offering within the air cargo sector – and not replace existing services.
“Air cargo has been around forever…we’re really just air cargo, just autonomous,” he said.
Krajewski added that the ongoing test flights are here to “lay the groundwork” for regular routes potentially opening up for autonomous aircraft.
Wallace said the aircraft could be used, for example, to get items from Shetland to the Scottish mainland quicker, while it could potentially improve inter-island connections too.
He used the example of time-sensitive produce, with salmon companies among the discussions when it came to Windracers’ previous trials in Orkney.
But Wallace said “we won’t replace the ferry, and we’ll never carry passengers”.
“We’re not trying to replace a guy in a white van who’s going from London down to Bristol down the M4,” he added.
“We’re looking to add value to the places where it doesn’t exist.”
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