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Interview

Robert Garbett, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Drone Major, shares how drones will undoubtedly revolutionise the construction sector, bringing new, safer and lower cost capabilities

You’ ve been a prominent advocate for the drone industry for years. What first drew you to the world of unmanned aerial systems, and how did that lead to the founding of Drone Major? An inspirational young lady called Tina Brevitt approached me in 2013, seeking assistance with an organisation that she had created to support UK air drone operators called the Society for Unmanned Air Systems( SUAS). Tina had found me on Linkedin and, due to my military background in the development of policies and standards for military drones as well as my CAA Airworthiness certification, she asked for my help to develop the network. I agreed and we set about developing an online software network solution, and a marketing campaign which evolved the network from 124 members to over 40,000.

Along this journey, Tina asked me to attend a meeting with the British Standards Institution( BSI) at which I was asked to represent the

UK at a new committee at the International Organization for Standardization( ISO). I led on the development of the international safety and quality standard for Uncrewed Air Systems( UAS) Operations( ISO21384- 3) until 2024 when I retired to focus on our Digital Tethering™ concept. The network was later renamed Surface Underwater, Air & Space Global( SUAS Global) and, in 2016, I bought the company and transitioned the business elements of the network into Drone Major which was launched in 2017 at the House of Lords.

Drone Major has just received CAA Operational Authority for BVLOS flights over critical national infrastructure- a UK first. Can you walk us through the journey to achieving this milestone, and what it means for the future of UK drone operations? The concept of Digital Tethering™ was born during the first Covid lockdown as I found that I had time to consider what was stopping the UK air drone industry from fully commercialising. My conclusion was that the use of GPS as a core navigation solution and the lack of sufficient flight assurance were

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