UAVs Today
Current State of UAVs
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the United States are being utilized for work in
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the United States are being utilized for work in
aerial photography/videography/film and journalism, thermal sensing, mapping and recording
unreachable locations such as disaster areas or inaccessible terrain, crop and wildlife monitoring,
border surveillance, weather watches, and many others (Joshi, 2017).
unreachable locations such as disaster areas or inaccessible terrain, crop and wildlife monitoring,
border surveillance, weather watches, and many others (Joshi, 2017).
Civilian UAVs are currently regulated by the FAA under a relatively new series of requirements.
Drones must be registered with the FAA and provided a tail number if weighing more than
0.55 lbs (Meola, 2017). They must remain at least 5 miles away from any airport unless a prior
arrangement has been made with local ATC and an approved notification provided to the
airport (Meola, 2017). Additionally, all drones must give way to manned aircraft, remain within
line of sight of the operator and weigh fewer than 55 lbs.
Drones must be registered with the FAA and provided a tail number if weighing more than
0.55 lbs (Meola, 2017). They must remain at least 5 miles away from any airport unless a prior
arrangement has been made with local ATC and an approved notification provided to the
airport (Meola, 2017). Additionally, all drones must give way to manned aircraft, remain within
line of sight of the operator and weigh fewer than 55 lbs.
The commercial use of drones requires successful completion of a TSA “vetting process”, and a remote pilot airman certificate granted through the FAA by means of an exam. Commercial drone operators must be at least 16 years old. The aircraft itself must be registered with the FAA and weigh fewer than 55 lbs. Any commercially operated drone must “undergo a pre-flight check for safe operating conditions” (Meola, 2017).
UAVs are commercially operated in multiple countries beside the US. For example, France and Germany
both grant operating licenses for drones to be used in railroad and other infrastructure surveillance and
inspection projects (Press, 2014).
both grant operating licenses for drones to be used in railroad and other infrastructure surveillance and
inspection projects (Press, 2014).
I definitely foresee UAVs integrating into the NAS. The integration is developing every day and as it occurs new challenges are revealed. One of the problems we will face during this process include the dilemma of cooperating unmanned systems (whether fully automated and airspace-aware or not) with manned aircraft in the NAS. Additionally there is the public concern of privacy invasion and personal space protections. New regulations will need to address these concerns to ensure public safety. Logistically, incorporating UAVs into the NAS will be a hassle at first, just as any new innovation meets backlash and resistance at the start. Overall I believe UAVs have the potential to safely incorporate into our existing infrastructure and enrich the aviation industry as a whole as well as the countless other industries drone operations will aid.
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Military application of UAVs in warfighting has profoundly transformed military strategy, or
perhaps maximized existing strategy. The integration of military application UAVs has been
arguably more efficient and successful than the domestic recreational and commercial attempts.
Financially, military UAVs involve high overhead. The notorious Reaper costs the US military
over $12 million per unit and the Predator over $4 million/unit (Atherton, 2017).
perhaps maximized existing strategy. The integration of military application UAVs has been
arguably more efficient and successful than the domestic recreational and commercial attempts.
Financially, military UAVs involve high overhead. The notorious Reaper costs the US military
over $12 million per unit and the Predator over $4 million/unit (Atherton, 2017).
Ethically, there is much public debate both domestically and internationally over the ethics of
drone strikes and UAV warfare in general. Despite UAVs often considered a “surgical method of warfare”,
a 2013 study determined drone strikes in Afghanistan resulted in 10x more casualties than comparable
manned aircraft strikes (Atherton, 2017). Despite the ethics debates, US military branches are making
rapid strides in drone integration and UAV technological advances. Within the past few months the Army
and Marine Corp have partnered to create and train with 3-D printed drones fabricated for mission-specific
operations (McNally, 2017).
drone strikes and UAV warfare in general. Despite UAVs often considered a “surgical method of warfare”,
a 2013 study determined drone strikes in Afghanistan resulted in 10x more casualties than comparable
manned aircraft strikes (Atherton, 2017). Despite the ethics debates, US military branches are making
rapid strides in drone integration and UAV technological advances. Within the past few months the Army
and Marine Corp have partnered to create and train with 3-D printed drones fabricated for mission-specific
operations (McNally, 2017).
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| Reaper, mydronelab.com |
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Civilian UAV operator job listings:
Aerial Videography: https://www.indeed.com/job/drone-pilotcamera-man-2870b859025e745c
Pipeline Surveillance: https://www.indeed.com/job/drone-operator-uav-operator-pilot-19ceb5350aba4679
Drone Pilot Instructor: https://job-openings.monster.com/Cont-Ed-Drone-Pilot-Instructor-Beaufort-County-SC-US-State-of-South-Carolina/31/522ef9e9-410f-4ace-b79e-27cf11a2c627
-References-
Joshi, D. (2017). Exploring the latest drone technology for commercial, industrial and military drone uses. [online] Business Insider. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/drone-technology-uses-2017-7 [Accessed 6 Feb. 2018].
McNally, D. (2017, December 18). Army partners with Marine Corps on 3-D printed drones. Retrieved February 06, 2018, from https://www.army.mil/article/198313/army_partners_with_marine_corps_on_3_d_printed_drones
Meola, A. (2017). The FAA rules and regulations you need to know to keep your drone use legal. [online] Business Insider. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/drones-law-faa-regulations-2017-7 [Accessed 6 Feb. 2018].
Press, J. L. (2014). Other countries are surpassing the US in commercial drone flights. Retrieved February 06, 2018, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/countries-surpassing-us-commercial-drone-flights
Very interesting. It would be great to hear some of your opinions. That would add color to the article. As a pilot, how do you feel about a drone taking over your job? Could drones be hacked and then used in a terrorist attack? When do you predict AI drones? What is your opinion about civilians using drones? Drone arial battles, wouldn't that be cool.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Gracie! I agree with many of your points and you make quite a few good ones. I think UAVs can be successfully integrated into the NAS logistically, but I think they may need to educate the public on the commercial use UAV process initially to get people on board and to change the negative perceptions associated with the operations. Lastly, I would absolutely do without the unintended civilian casualties, but in a perfect militaristic world, I would much rather dispatch a drone to conduct intelligence and reconnaissance missions over risking the loss of life of US forces or allies.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Gracie, I agree theirs going to be some backlash from the public while trying to incorporate it into the NAS, and privacy may be at the top of the list. Military use of drones has had a up and down future, but with the surveillance tech being attached, troops on the ground have a better fighting chance then ever before, and 3-D printing a drone for battle? thats pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteThis was very well written and informative. I thought it was interesting that, in your post, you called for new regulations to address public safety and privacy. It would be interesting to hear what suggestions you have in mind for those regulations. Incorporating UAVs into the NAS will be interesting. There is the potential for ADS-B and NextGen to make UAV incorporation much more fluid. We will see.
ReplyDelete