General aviation flight planning platform Airmate and unmanned traffic management technology provider Altitude Angel have announced a partnership that will enable general aviation aircraft to see drones safely and securely. The real-time exchange of aircraft telemetry data between the two organisations will allow the aviation industry to move closer towards a unified picture of the sky.

Private pilots can use the Airmate app to plan, manage and track their flights, while Altitude Angel's GuardianUTM platform allows drone pilots to submit flight reports and request approval to fly in controlled airspace from official air traffic management authorities around the world, including FAA's LAANC and NATS' Airspace User Portal, and, soon, LVNL in the Netherlands.

Altitude Angel's platform currently serves as a ubiquitous exchange of a myriad of manned and unmanned aircraft data from multiple providers around the world, but, in what is thought to be a world first, on a single combined feed, live flight data from Airmate's opted-in pilots will be integrated and displayed into the firm's live UTM flight management platform. This integration will enhance safety by processing flight data for both manned flights and drone operations through Altitude Angel's Conflict Resolution Service (CRS), providing a real-time situational awareness picture for flight operations outside controlled airspace. This would mean aircraft pilots and drone operators alike will be alerted to potential conflicts and presented with alternative routes, helping to greatly mitigate the risk of in-air collisions between drones and aircraft.

Currently being trialled by a number of key partners, Altitude Angel's advanced deconfliction technology allows drones to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and co-exist with manned aviation, thereby unlocking the almost limitless commercial opportunities of drone operations and increasing overall airspace safety.

Altitude Angel CEO and founder Richard Parker says: “Over the last 12 months, we have been the first to develop and launch key 'technological pillars' of UTM, including strategic and tactical deconfliction, which will serve as the foundation of the industry for years to come. Through our cloud platform, we provide services to a growing community of concerned and conscientious companies and individuals operating drones and aircraft worldwide.

“We're committed to increasing our picture of the sky by continuing to integrate real-time airspace data into our platform. Our partnership with Airmate is a crucial step forward and will allow us to supplement our tracking data for non-ADS-B and radar feeds to enhance our airspace alerts further.”

Airmate founder Daniel Mavrakis adds: “Thanks to open aviation data from aviation authorities, we brought free flight planning tools to the aviation world in more than 200 countries. Our pilot community has now reached 70,000 pilots, more than doubling every year. Since the beginning, we aimed to contribute to increase aviation safety by bringing the Airmate flight planning solution free of charge to aviators. Thanks to our partnership with Altitude Angel and its innovative GuardianUTM platform, we are now going one step further, helping pilots to get informed of potential conflicts with drones operating near them.”