About
UAV DACH

UAV DACH is committed to shaping the framework conditions for the European drone economy in the interest of its members. 

Its aim is to promote the safe, commercial and sustainable operation of unmanned aircraft systems. 

As a strong community, the European association based in Germany organises networking and information for all relevant stakeholders from business, politics and society.

The UAV DACH

As the most important European expert association for unmanned aviation, UAV DACH unites companies, organisations and authorities and is the strong voice of more than 200 members from industry, science and research. Since it was founded in 2000, the association has been involved in numerous committees and organisations as well as provided a wide range of information to promote full social acceptance and comprehensive use of the innovative potential of economically successful unmanned aviation for the benefit of all.

The UAV DACH Board of Directors

Gerald Wissel

Chairman of the Executive Board

René Wagner

Member of the Executive Board Committees

Torsten Fiolka

Member of the Executive Board Research & Teaching

Markus Rossol

Member of the Executive Board Air & Ground Infrastructure

Jan Schönberg

Member of the Executive Board Marketing & Events

Michael Wieland

Member of the Executive Board Finance & Head of Administrative Office

The organisation structure

The association's central decision-making body is the General Member Meeting, which takes place once or twice a year and is made up of all participating members and elects a Board of Directors every two years. This currently consists of a chairman and a board member each for finance, committees, research & teaching, air & ground infrastructure and communication. The Legal Advisory Board for all legal issues, the Administrative Office for handling all administrative matters and the Advisory Committee, which in turn is made up of the permanent Competence Groups and the temporary Application Groups, are assigned to the Executive Board. The individual areas of specialisation of these Application and Competence Groups can be found below.

The UAV DACH Competence Groups

The Design & Manufacturing area of expertise deals with the technical aspects of UAS, particularly with regard to possible operation in the "Open", "Specific" and "Certified" categories. The experts in the Competence Group evaluate, comment and develop technical requirements for drones, such as those defined in EASA's Operational Safety Objectives (OSOs) and Means Of Compliance (MOC). The Competence Group therefore plays an important role when it comes to assessing the practicability and economic feasibility of new guidelines and standards from the perspective of the UAS industry. Its work helps to ensure that UAS are built in a way that they meet the industry's high safety and innovation standards and that production and approval processes remain economically feasible for manufacturers at the same time.

Head of Competence Group Design & Manufacturing: Matthias Vyshnevskyy

The work of CG Operations & Maintenance covers the entire drone life cycle, from sensible operating concepts and compliance with legal regulations to the implementation of adequate maintenance standards. In addition, the specialist group works on simplifying complex regulations such as the German Air Traffic Regulations (LuftVO) and removing operational obstacles to the ecologically and economically sustainable use of drones. The experts from the UAS industry maintain a trusting dialogue with the responsible regulatory authorities in order to facilitate application processes and develop generally recognised procedures for safe UAS operation. In this way, the Competence Group makes a significant contribution to optimising the dialogue between regulatory authorities and industry and enabling commercial drone operations.

Head of Competence Group Operations & Maintenance: Philipp Reiß

As the drone economy grows, so does the need for qualified specialists. And completely new job profiles are emerging, from pilots and flight planners to maintenance and service personnel. The Competence Group Qualification & Training in UAV DACH plays an important role in the development, definition and harmonization of corresponding standards in Europe. The declared aim is to establish comparable vocational training and certification programmes that meet the requirements for safe and sustainable UAS operations.

Head of Competence Group Qualification & Training: Andreas Ritter

Drones will characterise everyday life in both urban and rural areas in the future. The development of practicable and scalable standards for vertiports and take-off and landing zones for drones is therefore one of the focal points of the work in the CG Infrastructure Airspace & Ground. However, an adequate (technical) infrastructure is not only required on the ground, but also in the air. The specialist group is therefore heavily involved in defining the framework conditions required for Detect & Avoid or Conspicuity systems and the implementation of the European U-Space concept. The focus is always on economic feasibility and practical applicability for UAS operators.

Head of Competence Group Infrastructure Airspace & Ground: Jan-Eric Putze

The operation of unmanned, automated systems comes with a number of challenges in terms of IT and cyber security. The experts in our CG IT Safety & Security develop basic security measures (IT baseline profiles) in coordination with the responsible supervisory and control authorities to ensure resilient UAS operations. In addition, the specialist group creates data protection concepts to ensure compliance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and to protect the data of individuals and companies from misuse. This also includes the creation of practical tips to minimise cybersecurity risks.

Head of Competence Group Safety & Security: Marco Müller-ter Jung

The UAV DACH Application Groups

The members of the Advanced Air Mobility Application Group are working on the exciting future topic of urban and regional air mobility. In addition to the development of VTOL-capable flight systems, this involves the establishment of a separate industry sector that will have a significant impact on sustainable aviation in the future. The experts are working hard to harmonise industry developments with regulatory frameworks and ensure that Europe remains an international leader in terms of innovation and operations. The AG AAM is a joint working group of UAV DACH and the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI).

Head of Application Group Advanced Air Mobility: Florian-Michael Adolf

With the increasing spread of UAS in a wide variety of sectors and application industries, the need for effective technologies and concepts to reliably detect and, in an emergency, fend off improperly operated drones is also growing. The Drone Detection & Countermeasures working group is therefore developing effective and efficient solutions for detecting drones in sensitive areas such as airports and critical infrastructure or at public events. Building on this, strategies for countermeasures are being developed to counter the risks that can arise by illegally deployed, uncooperative drones.

Head of Application Group Drone Detection & Countermeasures: Olaf Grimme

The Application Group Public Security & Defence deals of course with the use of UAS in the area of public security and defence. The wide range of possible uses in this area include law enforcement, fire fighting and efficient countermeasures in emergency and disaster situations. Building on the technical possibilities offered by modern UAS technology, the work of the specialist group seeks answers to practical questions in the field of public security and defence. And by working closely with authorities and institutions, UAV DACH's expertise is channelled into practical solutions for those on the front line of public safety and order.

Head of Application Group Public Security & Defence: René Achten

From planning and construction progress monitoring to general monitoring and security: the AG Line Inspection is working to open up ways of using UAS in the vicinity of power lines, pipelines and other linear infrastructure systems. One focus is on critical energy supply infrastructure. The experts create best-practice documentation and develop practical solutions tailored to the specific needs of the application industry in order to improve operational efficiency and safety through drone technology.

Head of Application Group Line Inspection: Dirk Schmidt

Our staff units

The Legal Advisory Board helps the association's committees to keep an eye on the relevant laws and regulations associated with the operation of unmanned systems at European and national level for all initiatives and projects. The expertise bundled in the LAB therefore offers important guidance and provides valuable information when it comes to the legal assessment of draft regulations and association statements. The committee also advises on navigating through complex regulatory landscapes, particularly with regard to data protection and operational liability issues that may be associated with the commercial use of drones.

Head of the Legal Advisory Board: Dr Oliver Heinrich

The Advisory Committee is the centre of expertise within UAV DACH and consists of the heads of the Competence Groups and the head of the Legal Advisory Board. The AC advises and supports the UAV DACH Board of Directors on technical issues and coordinates the valuable work of the other committees. It also plans and coordinates the statements and recommendations to be drawn up by the Competence and Application Groups and finalises them after involving the association members.

Head of Advisory Committee: René Wagner

Numerous threads of the association's diverse work come together at the Berlin office. This is where all administrative tasks are carried out and the day-to-day business of UAV DACH e.V. is handled. In addition, the office is the first point of contact for members and for all questions from the professional public and society about the European UAS industry in general and the Unmanned Aviation Association in particular.

Head of the UAV DACH office: Michael Wieland

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Administrative Office