Plane Conversations

Photo by Mark Blanks

In just a few days, the aviation world will come together to experience the largest display of aeronautical hardware, services, and performances in North America at EAA’s annual AirVenture Oshkosh event. I have been blessed to attend AirVenture for the past two years and I now find myself sorely disappointed that I will not have the same opportunity this year. However, this provides me the perfect opportunity to reflect on my love of, some may say my addiction to, aviation and the way that I see others who experience the same passion of this singular activity.

I have attended many different airshows and have worked at an airport for most of my adult life. Yet, there is still something about watching an old warbird taxi by that makes my heart flutter and I often find myself hearing an old radial engine coming to life in my dreams. However, all of my love for aviation becomes insignificant when I watch a young boy tug at his father to point at another fascinating aircraft or a young girl ask her father to hold her higher so that she can see. What exactly is it about aviation that inspires so many? From the small boy to the old man, there is something inexplicable that strikes a common cord among mankind. So, what is aviation?

There are many explanations that could be offered to describe why people are so fascinated by aviation and flying. I could argue that taking to the sky is symbolic of man conquering a realm that for thousands of years was available only to creatures born with wings. Or, I might launch into a discussion of the freedom that flight provides and how we are able to experience the world in a completely unique fashion. Further still, I could provide examples of how aviation makes the entire earth accessible and allows us to interact with people and cultures from across the globe in a single day. However, none of these explanations could even begin to explain the glint in a child’s eye when they take their first plane ride.

I encourage you to take a window seat on your next business flight and ponder over the experience of flight. Better yet, fly on a private airplane and truly enjoy the freedom that you have to go where ever you want without any kind of hassle. And even better still, take a kid flying and watch for that spark in their eyes and then you will see what aviation is. The spark IS aviation.

Photo by Mark Blanks

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When most people think of UAVs, they think of the attack drones used in Afghanistan and Iraq, such as the Predator and Reaper. These are large aircraft with wingspans up to 65 feet and weighing over 10,000 pounds. However, there are only a few aircraft types of this size that are currently in production. The vast majorities of UAVs are much, much smaller and designed to perform a plethora of different missions. Some UAVs are so small that they can be launched by hand and are no larger than a bird. The implications for this new breed of air vehicles to the aviation industry are enormous.

Hopefully, we will never have the need for widespread use of Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) in the United States civilian airspace. Instead, UAVs will allow aviation operations to expand into amazing new arenas that were once only seen in science fiction films. Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of a small UAV is the ability to fly undetected within close range of people and equipment on the ground. This has particular benefits for the law enforcement industry which is waiting eagerly to be able to use UAVs for surveillance in urban high-crime areas.

Looking past law enforcement applications for UAVs, there are virtually unlimited potential uses for unmanned flight and new roles are being discovered every day. Some of these applications might include pipeline surveys, air pollution sampling, endangered species monitoring, aerial searches for mineral deposits or oil, water body temperature surveys, and the list goes on and on. The aviation industry needs UAVs because they will provide vast new opportunities for new companies, new jobs, and new technological development. It would be shortsighted to think that UAVs are a fad and will pass in time. Unmanned civilian flight is coming and it is the role of the aviation industry to maximize the potential of this diverse new technology.

This may very well be one of those crucial turning points in technological history where one can either resist new technology only to be left behind or embrace the advances and lead the pack into unexplored territory. Who knew that the internet would change the entire world? We may someday look back and wonder how we ever lived without the marvels of unmanned flight. My point is: unmanned flight will likely affect your life in some way, whether you are a pilot, mechanic, aviation manager, or just someone interested in aviation. I encourage you to look for ways to help make unmanned aviation a positive influence on the aviation industry and not resist the inevitable with unfounded negativity. This does not mean that you have to “like” the idea of unmanned flight, but I would encourage that criticism at least be constructive.

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A vastly expanding civilian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market is leading to the day when UAVs must be allowed to operate freely in the National Airspace System (NAS). The main obstacle preventing this from happening is the distrust of the ability for a UAV to avoid collisions with manned aircraft. There has been a vast amount of effort put into researching UAV Detect Sense and Avoid (DSA) systems with the hope that an Equivalent Level of Safety (ELOS) can be achieved for unmanned compared to manned flight. The current debate is what type of DSA will provide the required level of safety to prevent increasing the hazard to manned aircraft operations.

There are many different types of DSA systems currently undergoing research, from visual cameras interpreted by humans to automatic detection systems incorporating lasers. ASTM International, an organization that develops industry consensus standards such as those that govern Light Sport Aircraft design, has released a standard (F2411-07) on the requirements for an Airborne DSA system that specifies the minimum capabilities of a DSA. However, this ASTM standard does not (and should not) mandate what type of system must be used.

The overriding question regarding what type of DSA will eventually be used is whether or not the pilot operating the vehicle should be “in the loop”. Can a UAV’s computer detect an aircraft and maneuver to avoid a collision automatically as effectively as a pilot on the ground could view a high resolution video screen and perform the same operation? There are many factors that must be considered before this question will be appropriately answered, such as pilot/computer response times and communication latency. However, a human has the ability to make decisions based on variables that may never have been identified as pertinent by a computer software engineer. Thus, a human interaction with the DSA system may not be the most “precise” option, but probably the most dynamic. Will we ever see 100% autonomous UAV operations in the NAS? Only time will tell.

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UAVs and the Future of Aviation: Crash and Burn or Taking Off to New Heights?

There has been a lot of discussion in the aviation industry recently regarding the imminent operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), called Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) by the FAA, in the National Airspace System (NAS) and their impact on the safety of manned aircraft operations. However, there has been little attention paid to the economic impact of UAVs on the aviation job market.

Some pilots are concerned that widespread use of UAVs will reduce the number of pilot positions that are available and do further damage to an already weak job market. There are also other considerations such as whether or not UAVs will be maintained by licensed A&P mechanics or a special UAV technician. If manned operations become unmanned, there is a popular belief that the aviation economy as a whole may be damaged.

In actuality, the fears of UAVs having a negative impact on the aviation industry are most likely unfounded. The FAA has stated that UASs are civil aircraft in accordance with 14 CFR §1.1 and are therefore required to be operated by pilots certificated under the requirements of FAR Part 61. In addition, the aircraft will also have to be maintained by FAA certified technicians. Since these regulations apply to UAVs in the same manner as manned aircraft, it is likely that demand for pilots and maintenance technicians will only increase with the introduction of UAVs into the NAS. Beyond the need for airmen, UAVs will open up new jobs for engineers, avionics technicians, flight test personnel, and communications experts. Also, many new types of aviation operations will be possible with the use of unmanned aircraft and such an expansion of aviation can only lead to a boost for the aviation industry.

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