UAV's

(ONE)

What civilian purpose, if any, are UAVs currently being used for in United States? How are these civilian UAVs currently regulated (if they are regulated)? What are some of the details of the regulations that apply to the commercial use of UAVs?

-        Drones are being all across the civilian sector and bring an entirely different type of work to the companies that are utilizing them. Some of the simpler purposes of drones in a commercial capacity is inspecting hard to reach or dangerous structures. Not only can they ascend faster than a human but there is significantly less risk. Another way civilians are using drones is to track and monitor forest fires. This is more prevalent in the recent California forest fires.
-        Yes, they are being regulated. If a drone is over .55lbs and under 55lbs than it must be registered with the FAA under part 107. If a drone is over 55lbs than it the pilot must consult Section 333. Authorization will be considered and approved on a case by case basis
-        Some regulations for registered aircraft and licensed pilots are that they are not to flight earlier than 30 minutes before legal sunrise and no later than 30 minutes after legal sunset; they must have the appropriate non-collision lighting while operating during darkness. The Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) must also not exceed 400 feet AGL or 100MPHs ground speed. The UAS needs to remain in line of sight of someone (either the pilot or someone in contact with the pilot) at all times. (Part 107, 2014)


(TWO)

Are UAVs being operated commercially in other countries? If so, where and for what purpose?  

-        Yes. One less commercial practice of drones is the terrorist group Hezbollah’s using drones for low altitude reconnaissance missions over Israel. These drones were obviously unregistered but also made it in and out of foreign airspace without being detected. The Hezbollah’s later used this technique to import almost 100lbs of explosives into Israel as an act of terror.
-        India recently, as of November last year, has set up a process to let civilians legal own and fly drones. Up until this point the Indian government restricted its civilians from operating drones unless it was on the behalf of the government. They now allow people to get certificated and own licensed drones for both commercial and private use. They organize the drones into 5 classifications from Nano (under 250gm) to Larger (over 150kg).



(THREE)

Do you foresee UAVs integrating into the NAS? If so, how? Also, what problems do you foresee resulting from this? Be sure to include not only logistical problems, but also potential perception problems.

-        Yes. I think that sooner or later the FAA will approve the use of drones with no weight limit. It probably won’t be authorized for another 20 – 30 years but I don’t see why cargo carriers wouldn’t be a loud to operates VIA large drones. I do think that the military would be the first to build, test, and operate large cargo drones and that wouldn’t be until all other aircraft become so old that it is not cost efficient to continue to repair them.
-        If they become that large in the industry, I think they would first have to operate out of their own airports; which might be few and far between. Although, as soon as they establish a line of operation, like one drone flying to and from the same 2 or 3 airports, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be able to land at any airport; so long as they have an agreement and know the specific drone is coming.
-        I think that the switch to flying commercial transportation drones is still a long shot. I know a many people that are still skeptical about flying on an aircraft operated by a human, I don’t think the public would react well if they knew their airplane was being operated by a computer; even if a human was on the other end.




(FOUR)

As for the military application of UAVs, how have they transformed military strategy? Has their integration been efficient (consider all aspects - from financial to ethical)?
 
-        It has been very effective and will continue to be. The Air Force is currently using two types of large drones. The Predator and the Reaper; but they are beginning to phase out the predator because it is mainly used for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) missions. The Reaper on the other hand can do both ISR and carry ordinance to attack.
-        The main capability that drones bring to the fight is time over target. This is from the ability to easily switch out pilots when they get tired or reach their maximum safe time flying, or in the case of switching pilots to meet the requirements of the mission. The military is training enlisted personnel to fly drones in order to give officers (who historically where the only ones aloud to pilot) time to do other things. Although, officers are still the only service members aloud to dispose ordinance while PIC.


(FIVE)

Finally, do some research and find out if there are UAV jobs that are advertised for civilians (both flight and management students). If so, include this as your link. If you are unable to locate a job posting, reference your above answers to brainstorm the potential for types of UAV jobs in the future.

-        Because I’m in the military I’m going to tailor my answer to the ever-evolving Air Force. The military is putting a lot of emphasis on fighter pilots and drone pilots. Just recently the Air Force created a program that allows enlisted personnel to transfer from nearly any job within the force to become a RPAP (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Pilot). This is a big deal for the Air Force and stems from many young officers not wanting to become RPAP’s because they have the option to become a real pilot.








Citation

Smith, Stewart. “Tactical and Practical Uses for Drones.” The Balance, www.thebalance.com/military-and-civilian-drone-use-4121099.

Fact Sheet – Small Unmanned Aircraft Regulations (Part 107). (2014, September 19). Retrieved February 09, 2018, from https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=20516

Bhattacharya, A. (2017, November). “The Indian government is finally taking drones seriously” Quartz. Retrieved February 9, 2018 from https://qz.com/1118172/dgca-indias-aviation-regulator-has-finally-put-out-draft-regulations-for-flying-drones/  






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