Helicopters and drones: ‘Synergy is the key’ to partnership
Helicopters and drones should "work together synergistically". (Photocredit: StockCake).
“Synergy is the key” to develop successful partnerships between helicopters and drones, according to Alastair Fallon, founder of the consultancy F4 Fly Fast Further First.
Examples of this were already in action in surveillance operation of the UK’s south coast, he told Helicopter Investor. “Synergy means developing an effective team of resources that includes the pilot-helicopter and the operator-drone. Drones are now more commonly in use observing the English Channel,” he said. “This form of searching is to identify migrant boats or any other disturbance and alert the SAR Helicopters or RNLI and other coastguard vessels that there are points of interest.”
Land-based search and rescue (SAR) is another area of partnership for helicopters and drones. Drones and helicopters can work together where the element of searching and finding is crucial when the police are tasked with missing person searches. “Police forces across the UK and abroad are beginning to use drones with cameras and heat seeking infra redlight equipment to speed up their searches,” says Fallon.
Drones will help helicopters by lifting away some of the more mechanical, mundane roles that can be programmed and that an ‘autopilot’ could fly, says Fallon. This includes missions relying on observation and input from a distant control room such as during the routine inspections of pipelines and high voltage powerlines. “An example from another exhibit at HeliTech Expo 2024 showed this role and it demonstrated how the 26 hours spent flying to achieve the task of mapping an extensive area on Antarctica was 90% cheaper than if it had been done by the traditional pilot-helicopter duopoly,” says Fallon.
Primary advantage
Cost is a primary advantage of deploying drones in place of helicopters. “Inspection and observation can be established rapidly and maintained for a considerable time.” Such solutions can also be deployed in high-risk environments to minimise the safety threat to aircrews.
Delta Air Lines recently revealed it is using drones to inspect aircraft. Earlier this year it became the first US commercial operator to receive FAA Certificate Management Office concurrence for its plans to use drones for maintenance inspections across the fleet earlier this year. “The introduction of drone technology removes the risks associated with technicians and inspectors working from heights,” said the airline. “Along with reducing the risk of injuries, the technology will also help technicians and inspectors make decisions on aircraft conditions up to 82% faster.”
While advanced air mobility solutions can perform a limited number of specific tasks, they lack the flexibility of helicopters. The helicopter will still maintain its position as a multi-purpose aircraft that can multi-task, said Fallon. “It can collect high priority casualties and take them directly to the relevant medical care facility. It can deliver resources such as firefighters to precise points in the battle to control the flames; it can also collect and then dump water in the exact position to dampen down the flames.”
SAR contract
Advanced Air Mobility craft can and do perform a limited number of these specific tasks but, as yet, it cannot yet do the bulk that are so needed, he added. Some of the major players – such as Bristow, which won the recent SAR 2G contact for the next 10 years with the UK His Majesty’s Coast Guard.
Moreover, the partnership between helicopters and drone could become increasingly profitable. Fallon highlights a study from Emergen Research, which valued the 2020 logistics and transportation market for drones at $7.5bn. “That is forecast to reach $32bn by 2028, so it does invite investor interest,” concludes Fallon.
Meanwhile, the rotary industry should expect “a long goodbye for helicopters”, Dave Stepanek, executive vice president and chief transformation officer, Bristow Group told us in October. But some key helicopter roles would never be replaced, he added.
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