Successful association work by UAV DACH brings practical relief. Until now, every single drone used in a drone light show has been treated as an independent aircraft with separate insurance requirements. This device-based insurance assessment led to disproportionately high costs, considerable administrative effort, and limited planning security.
Thanks to the rapid and constructive exchange with the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV), a working group within the UAV DACH industry association, led by Peter Smiatek, succeeded in achieving a viable result within a few weeks, which was confirmed by the responsible department LF19 “Future of Aviation” in the form of a clarifying letter to insurance companies.
According to this, drone shows are to be assessed “technically and operationally as integrated overall systems with central control, uniform responsibility, and a closed safety concept.” As proposed by UAV DACH, this classification enables insurance assessment based on the system rather than the device, which is oriented toward the realistic overall risk of the system and does not depend linearly on the number of drones used. This has created greater legal certainty, reduced costs, simplified approval processes, and sustainably increased the competitiveness of European providers.
(Photo: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann)