managing safety in the drone industry: a practical guide

The drone industry is one of the most exciting and dynamic sectors in the modern world, growing and developing at an exponential pace. With an increase in the usage numbers and technological sophistication advances of these devices, their future development and application are only limited by our imagination. Managing Safety in the Drone Industry: A Practical Guide has been written with the aim of helping those involved in drone operations develop safety structures and practices capable of tackling the increased risk of accidents and incidents as more drones of various sizes begin to fill our skies.

This book is designed to suggest practical guidelines for managing safety primarily for the new drone industry, particularly those of a safety critical nature. Based upon the author’s 50 years of experience in the Aviation Industry, this book uses tried-and-tested best practices and current aviation principles adapted to drones and attempts to predict the trends of evolution which are believed to become mandatory regulations in the future. Real-life case studies are aligned with the text. Written in a style that adopts short and succinct chapters, this guide will allow the reader a thorough overview of drone safety and the future trends that the industry will face.

This book is an ideal read for any professional working in a safety critical industry needing practical guidance on drones or manned aviation. It will particularly appeal to those in aviation, health and safety, logistics, business, and management and in any industry using or considering the use of drone technology for their operations.

Geoff Bain is a retired Airline Training Captain and Flight Simulator Instructor, with 55 years’ experience flying worldwide on 32 different aircraft types and totalling 16,500 hours. He now delivers Human Factors and Safety Management System training for all industries. He specialises in unmanned aerial vehicles, fixed wing and rotary operations developing training programmes.

Mark Blaney has worked in the UAS industry since 2008. Initially a Military UAV Operator and Intelligence Analyst in the Royal Artillery, Mark operated the Hermes 450 Tactical UAV, and deployed to Afghanistan twice in this role. After leaving the British Army in 2014, Mark then worked as a Chief Remote Pilot for a UK-based fixed-wing drone manufacturer. Since 2015 Mark has been employed as an RPAS Instructor, firstly at a National Qualified Entity (NQE) in South Wales, and since 2020 by the Recognised Assessment Entity (RAE) heliguy(TM). Mark took on the role of Head of Training for heliguy in 2021 and recently moved into the Accountable Manager role. In his time at heliguy(TM), Mark has written and developed training course content, most notably the TQUK Level 5 Award for UAS Operations Managers.