SINCE first reporting lights in the night sky over Bland Shire, this newspaper had fielded numerous reports of drones across the region.
Having heard rumours of a new drone range, we also reached out to various community organisations for comment on the issue. Murrumbidgee Police, were “unaware of any activity” while Bland Shire Council, released the following comment from Mayor Brian Monaghan - “Bland Shire Council is always proud to support new businesses and industries looking to establish or grow in our region. Innovation and emerging technologies bring exciting opportunities and Council is committed to doing everything we can to encourage economic development and create a strong, sustainable future for our community.”
Unfortunately, Bland Shire Council is unable to provide any further information regarding proposed new industries or businesses in the Bland Shire.
In the past week however, we were contacted by Robert Broad, Research and Development Manager for Flight Design Pty Ltd – a NSW Blue Mountains based company that works largely with our Defence Force. Flight Design has been working in the Bland area for over a decade, flying balloon payloads (like the one pictured left) almost half way to space.
“NASA defines space as 80kms altitude and our balloons and payload reach well over 30kms altitude. The one in the picture was over 35kms. The sky is pitch black, but it is daytime. Although the sky is black, the daylight on the payload makes it impossible to see stars. It is possible to see our 15m balloons at that altitude but it is super hard with a white dot so tiny you would never notice it. No, we can’t tell you what is in the box tilted down but it is watching a Defence site near Canberra,” Mr. Broad said.
“We have recently been contacted about drones flying at night in the area, but we are a commercial company with our primary customer being Defence. We are testing systems to sense enemy presence to make Australia as safe as possible. Flying drones at night is not our business and illegal in the manner that has been reported. We are however concerned about illegal activity in the area that many cause us safety issues.”
A team from Flight Design will be in West Wyalong for two nights starting Sunday and will be working with local farmers to get to the bottom of this mystery.
“To fly drones at night you must have proper navigation lights, register Notice To Airmen (NoTAMs) and request permission from CASA or DASA. CASA is the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and DASA is the one for Defence. None of these things have happened from our checks. We need to clear the skies for our customers’ safety. We will report our findings to the Advocate following our visit.”
Broad also said that while they are not responsible for these drones, they ‘will have something to do with drone flights in the area very soon.”
“We are about to announce the creation of a Drone Test Range in the Lake Cowal area. We are working with the Lake Cowal Conservation Centre to ensure that our activity will not upset wildlife. It is the second site in Australia.
“It is designed to test defences against drone attacks. As such the work will mainly be a single drone in flight to analyse their radio signals. A couple of large farms nearby may also host flights. None of them will wander off their assigned areas and none are expected at night. We will keep the Advocate advised of any changes.”
What does this mean for West Wyalong?
“Our aim is to make it a centre of excellence for drone and unmanned systems especially for farming. Over time it means high tech jobs in the region and of course new work opportunities. Everything from security to flight systems. It will not interfere with regular flights in the area as all flight safety will be observed.
“Unmanned Aerial vehicles are here now over the Bland Shire and we are working closely with the Bland Shire Council to ensure that the best outcomes are in place for residents to grow from our work. Whether new jobs or better farming techniques, the world of drones is here to stay and Bland Shire can benefit by being early to embrace the technology. The ground based electronics shown looks scary but is only for live TV from our payloads. It’s capable of tracking drones, balloons and even spacecraft.”
As for lights in the sky? “We hope to have some sort of answer shortly.”
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