UAV's
The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) has been on the
steady rise in recent years. They are used by the military for multiple
purposes, and recreational activity by civilians. As of right now, there are
few practical uses for UAV's in the United States. They are used for mainly
recreation and photography. You can buy UAV's at electronic or hobby shops.
They come in a variety of sizes and have special features that may meet
specific needs for the consumer. UAV's are currently under regulation as well.
"People can fly model airplanes without restriction, but it is illegal to
operate a drone as a civilian above 400 feet and beyond line of sight for any
commercial reason unless they have received permission from the Federal
Aviation Administration." (Epatko, 2013) The reason that UAV's are
required to stay at or below 400 feet is due to collision avoidance with manned
aircraft that are in the area. Recreational UAV's tend to be fairly small in
size. With that in mind, pilots may have trouble finding a drone while flying.
There also isn't a way for drone pilots to communicate with aircraft pilots.
Civilian drones do not come with a headset which would allow you to talk to ATC
or aircraft traffic in a given area. Since there is no communication, there is
no guarantee of visual separation of aircraft and drones
except for the 400 foot ceiling. "Operators must fly under daytime Visual
Flight Rules, keep the UAS within visual line of sight of the pilot and stay
certain distances away from airports or heliports." (FAA, 2016) This
extension to the regulation helps with traffic separation as well. Aircraft
operate at very low altitudes near airports. Since drone pilots are not
authorized to operate near airports, this also helps mitigate the chances of
an aerial collision between an aircraft and a drone.
I don't see UAV's being integrated into the NAS fairly soon,
but they could be opted in within the near future. Drone pilots in the military
are able to talk with controllers and other aircraft they are flying with. On
the other side of the spectrum, recreational drones do not have this
capability. They are just like any other remote control vehicle with the exception
of a camera. There has to be a way for drone pilots and aircraft pilots to be
able to call out positions, as well as being able to track drones on radar
before they should be able to fly in the national air space.
Drones have been found to be fairly effective on the
battlefield. They can serve simple purposes such as reconnaissance. Pilots
can operate drones at the safety of their base, or even be small enough for
infantry to carry for scouting unknown areas. "So if you go back to World
War II, it took weeks if not, generally, months to go out and conduct the
reconnaissance, then do the analysis of the reconnaissance to then determine
what it is you wanted to hit. So between the times you acquired a target and
hit it - months. In Vietnam, it was weeks. In Desert Storm, it was days. Now
you take what's nominally known as the targeting cycle and compress that cycle
from months to weeks to days to now single-digit minutes." (Deptula, 2014)
UAV's can also serve as support aircraft. The can be outfitted with anti-personnel
missiles to provide support for infantry. I believe they are used efficiently.
They are able to provide support and attack roles without putting lives at risk.
There are many jobs that a UAV pilots can find themselves in
everyday life. Most of these are for aerial photography. Drones enable a quick
way to take pictures for development certain building projects, farmland, etc.
Being able to take a small aircraft up for 30 minutes to take a few pictures is
quick and easy money. It is also very practical. Although the industry is
small, it is also new. There will be a higher demand for UAV's for everyday
business practices in the near future.
References
By The Numbers Air Traffic Plans and Publications
Environmental Reviews Flight Information. (2016, March 29). FAA Doubles
"Blanket" Altitude for Many UAS Flights. Retrieved from
https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=85264
How Drones Changed Modern Warfare. (2014, September 21).
Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2014/09/21/350316088/how-drones-changed-modern-warfare
Epatko, L. (n.d.). How Are Drones Used in the U.S.?
Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/how-are-drones-used-in-us/
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