Flight restrictions introduced off Clare coast for testing of Unmanned Aircraft System

The Irish Aviation Authority has announced that flight restrictions are to remain in place off a section of the Clare coastline for several months to facilitate testing of an Unmanned Aircraft System.

In a Flight Restriction Notice, it says a Temporary Restricted Area (TRA), which came into effect on Tuesday (March 4) will remain in place until June 4.

The area of coastline covered by the TRA is located close to Doonbeg and Mutton Island, west of Doughmore Bay.

"The purpose of the TRA is to ensure the safety of aircraft operating within and of other air traffic operating in the vicinity of the County Clare coastline whilst allowing for Unmanned Aircraft System testing," states the notice.

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The notice adds the TRA does not apply to aircraft authorised by the Clare-based company A-Techsyn Ltd which is carrying out the testing as part of the Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles for Ecological Surveys (U-AVES) project.

The company achieved a significant milestone last August when it began test flights as part of the Government-supported project which utilises cameras and sensors deployed on a long endurance VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) fixed wing UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to capture imagery of seabirds and marine mammals in the area.

The flights are used to test different cameras and sensors to determine the best configuration and optimal sensor configuration for data validation.

The visuals collected from these flights are then analysed to evaluate the capability of the system to identify and count abundance of seabirds and marine mammals.

The TRA which came into effect this week will remain valid every weekday from 10am to 6pm.

The IAA says the TRA does not apply to State aircraft, Irish Coastguard aircraft or air ambulances which are employed on an operational mission.