This proposal is for a Temporary change to the notified airspace design, for which a scaled airspace change process applies and a change level is not applicable.
A series of drone flight trials will be undertaken with incremental complexity in support of a navigation research programme. The flights will occupy a volume of low-level airspace (<400ft AGL) extending in a general north-easterly direction from the Cranfield Airport ATZ. Both rotary and fixed-wing platforms will be operated in the sub 20kg MTOW category and will be flown under both EVLOS and (subsequently) BVLOS rules in accordance with CAP-722.
The initial trial is expected to last for a period of up to 6 months. A range of altitudes (up to 400ft), flight path orientations (relative to the tracking assets) and meteorological conditions will be investigated starting from the most benign case and working gradually into more challenging conditions. This will in turn enable a body of evidence and documentation set to be compiled to support an Operational Safety Case (OSC) application for subsequent BVLOS flight operations in Class G airspace in the same area.
