Current Status of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The civilian application of drones is a quickly emerging addition to the aviation industry. The possibility of having an unmanned, relatively cheap to use, aerial vehicle poses a lot of opportunities for a very wide number of civilian companies.  It is currently difficult to find companies that are commercially using drones. That can be attributed to the current regulations set forth by the FAA, with the one main restriction requiring line of sight operations. The Federal Aviation Regulations (2016) state:

With vision that is unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, the remote pilot in command, the visual observer (if one is used), and the person manipulating the flight control of the small unmanned aircraft system must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight. (p.299)

The majority of businesses who have high hopes of integrating UAV’s into their operations are waiting patiently for the FAA to update the regulations on UAV flight to allow a more practical use, and eliminating the line of sight requirement. This process has begun, and is currently in motion. The FAA has already issued exemptions to a few companies. These companies are Trimble Navigation Limited, VDOS Global, Clayco Inc. and Woolpert Inc. These companies are using drones to, “conduct aerial surveys, monitor construction sites and inspect oil flare stacks.” (Jansen, 2014) The research gathered, regarding the four companies is a couple years old, so there very well may be more companies commercially utilizing UAV’s, but it is still very limited. The current regulations on small unmanned aircraft systems are presented in Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. These regulations require the following:

·         The remote pilot must have been issued a remote pilot certificate

·         The max take-off weight of the Small UAS may not exceed 55 pounds

·         Visual line of sight operation is required

·         Flight during the periods of civil twilight is prohibited, unless the UAV has lighted anti-collision lights visible for 3 statute miles

·         The operator must comply with alcohol and drug provisions of part 91.17 and 91.19

·         A person with a known physical or mental medical condition that can interfere with safety of flight, may not operate

·         Operation from a moving vehicle is not allowed, unless the aircraft is flown over a sparsely populated area

·         The altitude of the UAV cannot exceed 400ft AGL, unless in close proximity to a building or structure, where it is then allowed to be 400 feet above the structure.

I most definitely see UAV’s entering the National Airspace System. It is already being done in many other countries around the world, and the process is in motion in the United States. Based on the regulations already established, it looks like they idea is to integrate the UAV’s into the airspace, but to keep them at lower altitudes. Keeping the unmanned aircraft at lower altitudes provides separation between them, and the much larger aircraft operating in the airspace above. I think the problems that will arise, will stem from the overwhelming ambition of the many civilian companies who intend on integrating these UAV’s into their business. What the FAA is currently doing, is slowly entering the small UAS’s into the airspace, but once it is ok for any business with the means to incorporate drones to do so, they will be everywhere. Behind every one of these aircraft, will be a brand new remote pilot. This increases the opportunity for exception amounts of human error.

UAV’s have had numerous military applications which have transformed military strategy. This transformation is nothing too new, as the first applications began in World War 2, with the German V-1 flying bomb, which was reverse engineered by the United States, to create an almost identical counterpart. The significance of this transformation is that the military was able to take their pilots out of the danger, and deliver very destructive bombs to their destination. To fast forward to Desert Storm, UAV’s played an important role by emerging, “as a critical tool for gathering intelligence at the tactical level. These systems were employed for battlefield damage assessment, targeting, and surveillance missions, particularly in high-threat airspace.” (Miller, 2013) So all these advancements have allowed the military to have UAV’s complete tasks and missions that were previously carried out by manned aircraft. This inserts a higher level of safety, while not hindering the military strategy at all.

There are jobs currently being offered for UAV pilots. These positions are available for people with wide ranges of experience, with the most stringent one requiring the Part 107 certificate, a PPL, a Bachelors degree, and at least 3 years of multi-rotor experience. The laxest of the positions is asking for a high school diploma, the part 107 certificate, and for the pilot to own his, or her own UAV. The links to these positions are listed below:

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/industrial-skyworks/jobs/Uav-Operator-Pilot-488ccaffacc7ed4d?q=Uav

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/industrial-skyworks/jobs/Uav-Operator-Pilot-488ccaffacc7ed4d?q=Uav

References:

Aviation Supplies and Academics. (2016). Far aim. Newcastle, WA.

Jansen, B. (2014).  FAA lets 4 companies fly commercial drones. Retrieved fromhttp://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/12/10/faa-drones-trimble-vdos-clayco-woolpert-amazon/20187761/   

Miller, J. (2013). Strategic significance of drone operations for warfare. Retrieved from http://www.e-ir.info/2013/08/19/strategic-significance-of-drone-operations-for-warfare/