Call for drones to be night visible

Manufacturers of drone aircraft sold to the public are being urged to make sure their products are visible through night vision goggles (NVGs) or infrared (IR) cameras. In a leader article in AirMed & Rescue Magazine (Issue 77, June 2016), editor James Paul Wallis has called for the LED lights on UAVs to be upgraded to units that emit wavelengths that can be seen through the NVGs and IR cameras used by helicopter pilots flying at night. They should also be permanently lit, he says, with no option for the user to disable the lights.

The suggestion comes amid growing concern over how drones can be operated safely in an air space that until recently was the domain of manned aircraft. Many helicopter crews flying at night to conduct law enforcement, air ambulance or search and rescue missions rely on NVGs or infrared cameras to help them to see in the dark. The small size of drone aircraft makes them hard for pilots to spot and avoid during daytime; the risk of collision is exacerbated at night when they become even harder to see, especially if any lights on the drone have been disabled or cannot be seen using the helicopter crew’s enhanced vision equipment.

In the article, Wallis, who as well as editing AirMed & Rescue Magazine is community manager of EMS Flight Crew, admits that it is rare for drone pilots to be authorised to fly at night, but adds: “Of all pilots, the amateur drone user is the least likely to feel bound by regulations.” Typically, regulations for manned aircraft don’t require them to carry lights that show up through NVGs or infrared cameras. However, Wallis notes: “These are large enough to have a chance of showing up under NVGs/IR – but the same is not true of UAVs, whose size makes them invisible.”