Dr Owen McAree MEng PhD
Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Work email Owen.Mcaree@liverpool.ac.uk
About
Personal Statement
Owen graduated from Loughborough University with an MEng in Aeronautical Engineering in 2009 and a PhD in 2013. His thesis focused on the safe integration of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) into complex civilian airspace and was awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society UAS Innovation Award for the novel approach to understanding artificial situation awareness. Following this he has worked on research projects ranging from safety verification of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based UAS control systems through to the development of bespoke UAS for monitoring endangered wildlife.
His practical experience with UAS extends to the approval of numerous novel operations by various international aviation authorities, including single-pilot multi-aircraft and Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Owen has provided engineering and safety consultancy to a number of organisations internationally and is actively engaged with the policymaking teams within the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). He is a founding member of SEAD Artists, a consortium of partners developing the use of UAS for environmental and agricultural purposes, such as the Drone RePeat project undertaking peatland restoration. He is leading on the development of the Operating Safety Case (OSC) for the HexCam BVLOS Temporary Reserved Area trial pioneering true integration UAS into unsegregated airspace within the UK.
Working with the Association of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems UK in 2023 he developed an introductory training course in risk quantification for BVLOS operations which has been delivered to over 50 leading organisations including a number of police services. The course gave operators increased confidence in working under the upcoming Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) framework for UAS authorisation.