The Current Status of UAVs

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) also referred to as unmanned aerial systems or drones have been around for quite a long time in the military (Wingfield 2016). Over the past few years, UAVs have been growing in use by the civilian world. A UAV is a unit that can be piloted from the ground by a radio controller. With increases in technology, autonomous flight has become a reality where a drone can fly to GPS coordinates that the user places on a map (Wingfield 2016). According to Business Insider, "Shipments of consumer drones will more than quadruple over the next five years, fueled by increasing price competition and new technologies that make flying drones easier for beginners (2016)." Advancements in the technology and increased consumer demand have made owning one in the current times a reality. According to Nick Winfield, "...2.8 million consumer drones will be sold in the United States in 2016 and revenue will reach $953 million(2016)." With increasing numbers of UAVs out there, there is a concern for the safety in the National Airspace System. The government was very slow to put out any kind of regulations enforcing the certification and use of UAVs in our current airspace system. Before I go into the recent legislation regarding UAVs, I will first talk about the uses.

There are currently many uses of unmanned aerial systems in the civilian world. Current uses include police departments using them for photographing accident sites, the department of homeland security uses them to patrol the U.S. boarder and firefighters in places like California use UAVs in monitoring forest fires (Epatko 2013). Other practical uses include aerial photography, taking pictures or video for real estate firms or for construction/inspection uses (Orcutt 2016). There are so many more applications for drones but the ideas are limited by the current regulations. On August 29, 2016, the FAA's drone rules finally went into effect. These regulations were a relief for many businesses looking to use drones commercially (Orcutt 2016). Prior to this regulation, The Department of Defense and FAA worked together to create a system where the operator could get a 'certificate of authorization' allowing the operator to operate a drone in the NAS. Getting a waiver is a long drawn out process that could take months (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-5). The new drone rules deal with the certification of drone operators and the use of drones. In order to receive your remote pilot certificate, you must take an Aeronautical Knowledge test under part 107. After successful completion of the test, you must fill out an FAA Airmen Certificate/rating on the FAA's IACRA page (FAA n.d.). There are many guidelines for permitting  commercial use of drones. Some of these include: weighing under 55 pounds, operated in daylight hours, maintain visual contact with the drone at all times, operated in a way to not interfere with other aircraft, remaining at or below 400 feet above ground level or structure and fly no faster than 100 miles per hour (Mcdougal n.d.). The use of drones on farms would be very useful as farmers could check their crops. One problem however is the rule where you must be in line of sight of the drone. This doesn't help farmers who have crops on several acres of property that would be out of line of sight (Masunaga 2016). In order to get around these rules, a person would have to apply for a waiver from the FAA which could take a good amount of time. Using drones as a means of delivery of packages is still not legal (Wingfield 2016).

I foresee UAVs integrating into the National Airspace System. I don't think it will happen in the immediate future because it took a good amount of time to get the current regulations passed. In addition, the integration of UAVs poses a number of issues. The first issue that is arguably the most important issue is collision avoidance. There is potential for catastrophic events with other aircraft. One specific way to solve this issue is to create technology where the UAV can see and avoid other aircraft (DeGarmo 2004 p. 2-3 — 2-5). Under FAR 91.113, the right of way rules are spelled out for all aircraft. They say that regardless of VFR or IFR operations, operators bust maintain vigilance to see and avoid other aircraft (DeGarmo 2004 p. 2-3). That being said, in order for drones to be effectively integrated further into the national airspace system, the UAVs need see and avoid technology. Of course another major issue I force is how UAVs will be regulated to contain see-and-avoid technology. Currently, a UAV has to stay at or below 400 feet above ground level. I don't think it will be very easy to integrate UAVs into airspace higher than 400 feet unless these see-and-avoid technologies are integrated. In order for a UAV to be integrated into positive control airspace it would need some kind of surveillance equipment such as ADS-B (DeGarmo 2004 p.2-5). This creates other issues which include payload capacity. All this equipment adds additional weight. Smaller UAVs may not be able to incorporate all this technology unless advancements are made to make smaller and lighter equipment (DeGarmo 2004 p.2-5). Other logistical problems include how air traffic control will be able to communicate with the drones to allow for positive separation (DeGarmo 2004 p.2-16. Public perceptions of UAVs may be an additional problem. Privacy is one really big public problem. Trespassing and being a nuisance on ones property may create problems (Mcdougal n.d.). There are currently no rules regarding the amount of airspace a homeowner owns over their property (Mcdougal n.d.). Therefore, what constitutes trespassing? The public may question the reliability and safety of UAVs. This perception can be brought foreword through statistics. Matthew DeGarmo references "85% of all UAV accidents are a result of equipment failure (DeGarmo 2004 p.2-11)." Overall, I think that with more time, integration is necessary because there are so many practical uses for drones and their popularity is only just increasing. The current regulations take a stab at trying to integrate UAVs in the NAS and catch up with the UAV technology. Creating rules and certification was an initial step to integration.

UAV technology was first integrated in the military and has served many vital roles. Unmanned aerial systems were created as early as the American civil war with the unsuccessful use of unmanned balloons to drop bombs (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-2). In World War I a pilotless aircraft called the "Kettering Bug" was created which could fly for a specific amount of time before the wings coming off. It was never used in combat (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-2). The Germans were the first to make huge advancements in the technology in World War II with the V-1 bomber (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-3). During the Korean and Vietnam wars the UAV became very useful in surveillance as UAVs made flights in North Vietnam and China (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-3). In todays age, drones are used extensively in surveillance as each drone can stay in the sky for up to 17 hours at a time (BBC News 2012). They have also been used to target and kill militants in tribal areas of Pakistan (BBC News 2012). There are many debates on whether or not the use of drones is ethical. On one side, it is believed that the use of drones help deliver precision attacks where a manned aircraft operation might have been too risky. On the other side, it is believed to be unethical because every strike kills hundreds of civilians along with the target (BBC News 2012). Every action comes with a price to pay. Financially, the use of drones makes a lot of sense. The firepower from a MQ-9 Reaper and A-10 thunderbolt are similar however, the Reaper costs $6.4 million while the A-10 costs $18.2 million (Francis 2013). Maintenance costs are also higher for the A-10 making drones more efficient. According to David Francis, in the year 2012, the cost of American troops in Afghanistan was upwards of $51 billion (2013). The budget for drones over the next 10 years, is expected to be around $40 billion (Francis 2013). That being said, it makes sense why the use of drones has increased the last decade. It is not only cheaper, but it also keeps American pilots out of harms way. In my opinion, the use of drones has been very critical to military operations and the integration of drones was very effective. The efficiency of drone integration in U.S. was limited by the regulations as waivers could take a long period of time to receive. However, the use of drones throughout the world by the U.S. have been very effective.

After doing some research, I was able to find several civilian UAV jobs. The majority of them are contract work. The two jobs I find have to do with drone photography. The recent regulations have opened up many opportunities for jobs and I am sure with more time more will be created.  One website that I found particularly interesting was DroneBase.com. It is a website that allows drone pilots to sign up on their website. People and businesses can hire pilots from the website to get photographs for real estate or construction sites (Constine 2015). I think this is a really good idea for those looking for contract jobs flying drones. Two specific jobs I found will be listed below.

1. http://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=3f659142edfb395e&qd=EjXobnmpox62Zud1hq9TwLBIXILHFewxGNmhKF7jqBjP9_1lVQ0mcVFZTJ_Flo1f4KDDqwGCdUN8G90fRGb3KqVctS9cY7R02oKnDArGT8kOIMqHHDWPh5pThy73q1gpHqeiOfrcDO4wvLXfvaxkxg&atk=1av0cqqcoaepqfem&utm_source=publisher&utm_medium=organic_listings&utm_campaign=affiliate

2. http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Dronegenuity-LLC/jobs/Drone-Pilot-5651fea064565eb8?q=Drone

References:

BBC News. (2012, January 31). Drones: What are they and how do they work? Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-10713898 

 Business Insider. (2016, June 10). The drones report: Market forecasts, regulatory barriers, top vendors, and leading commercial applications. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/uav-or-commercial-drone-market-forecast-2015-2 

Constine, J. (2015, April 29). DroneBase lets any business rent a drone and a pilot. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from https://www.google.com/amp/s/techcrunch.com/2015/04/29/dronebase/amp/?client=safari

DeGarmo, M. T. (2004). Issues concerning integration of unmanned aerial vehicles in civil airspace. The MITRE Corporation Center for Advanced Aviation System Development.

 Epatko, L. (2013, April 18). How are drones used in the U.S.? Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/how-are-drones-used-in-us/ 

 FAA. (n.d.). The FAA's new drone rules are effective today. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=86305 

 Francis, D. (2013, February 7). Death by drones: Are they worth the cost? Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/02/07/Death-by-Drones-Are-They-Worth-the-Cost 

 McDougal, T. (n.d.). Drones and the law: The sky's not the limit. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/video/tips-and-solutions/drones-and-law-skys-not-limit 

 Orcutt, M. (2016, August 26). Now you can finally use your drone to make money. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602237/now-you-can-finally-use-your-drone-to-make-money/ 

 Wingfield, N. (2016, August 29). A field guide to civilian drones. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/technology/guide-to-civilian-drones.html?_r=0 

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