Europe's first urban drone-pilot training site to open in Spain

A SITE for test-driving drones and learning to pilot them within a built-up area is due to be set up in Spain – the first of its type in Europe.

Hera Drone Hub will allow people to train with drones of up to half a tonne in weight, and will be stationed in the south car park of the Expo complex in Zaragoza, the land-locked north-eastern region of Aragón's largest city.

Drones are expected to become a key feature of everyday life in the relatively-near future – they are already being used by online retailers to deliver parcels, especially to very remote areas or to top-floor homes and offices in skyscrapers, and to take medication from pharmacies to homes a long way off.

Also, they are now being used for security and surveillance, and for monitoring coastal and countryside areas for conservation reasons, such as checking out the presence of rorqual or fin whales off the western Mediterranean shores.

They have proven useful in rescue operations – and it is even thought their technology may soon be developed enough to create 'flying taxis', which could one day become airborne cars and revolutionise personal and public transport.

Mayor of the central-Aragón city, Jorge Azcón, says the 42-acre La Almozara esplanade, next to the Delicias station and right on the so-named 'Ebro corridor', has been earmarked as a venue for companies and their staff to try out drones, train pilots, carry out tests and research, development, and flight demonstrations.

Its strategic location means these crewless aircraft can be test-piloted over land and water.

As well as the city council, Spain's interior ministry and Air Force, and several private-sector corporations, have been involved in setting up the training ground.

The site will be available for use five days a week – not on Wednesdays or Sundays, when the flea market, or rastro, and clothing and textiles market are based there.

Also, all users have to check in and their credentials will be monitored, and they can book their place via the Hera Drone Hub website.

Zaragoza city council will be allowed to use the venue, employing the fire brigade's drone unit, as part of the Flying Forward 2020 scheme, to investigate using these aircraft for surveillance of major events with potentially large crowds, and keeping an eye on the public in nature reserves to ensure everyone behaves as they should and can be reached quickly if they need to be rescued.

Azcón says the Expo south car park has been 'under-used' and its new rôle is a very worthwhile one which will 'change the face of the city', making it 'more attractive' for innovative start-ups and established companies setting up in the metropolitan area.

To demonstrate how the venue could be used, a firm called Everis has flown four drones across the La Almozara esplanade, showing navigation techniques across heavily built-up urban areas, including simulations of pharmaceutical medicine deliveries, which the Aragón-based firm Delsat is working on branching out into.

ACG Drone, the first operator in Aragón with a licence to fly this type of device, gave a display of parcel delivery, as did the Chinese company DJI – a market leader in drones – using its own, brand-new Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced, a model not yet seen in Spain. 

National Police took part in the drone demonstration 'jam session' by flying a device equipped with a thermal camera – such as those used in airports to check for cases of fever among passing passenger crowds – LED lights, and loudspeakers.

Using 4G and 5G technology, a drone pilot based in the city of Valladolid (Castilla y León) was able to navigate one of these aircraft through Zaragoza.