Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been a controversial aviation topic
for decades. The U.S. military began experimenting with UAVs as early as
World War I. In 1916, A.M. Low's "Aerial Target" was the first attempt at
an unmanned aerial vehicle, and by the late 1950s, UAVs could be sent on
a mission and recovered.By definition, a UAV is an aerial machine that
does not carry a human operator, and is controlled remotely by a
pilot/navigator or can fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight
plans. UAVs use aerodynamic forces to provide power and lift, are
expendable or can be recovered, and can carry a lethal or non-lethal
payload. Drones are not considered UAVs because they are strictly remote-
piloted aircraft. Cruise missiles are also not UAVs because they are
designed to be expendable and not recovered.Military R&D Advances
UAVsHistorically, UAVs have been developed and used by the military as a
way to survey or spy on large areas without putting human flight crews at
risk. As technology advanced, military confidence in using armed drones
grew, but unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) have been known to not
reach their targets and incur collateral damage. Military research and
development of UAVs continues to thrive, heightened by the war on
terrorism. In fact, since 2006 more than 1,900 combat terrorists have
been killed by UAVs.This year at Edwards Airforce Base, a new generation
of unmanned spy planes are being tested over the Mohave Desert. These
UAVs can fly higher, faster and carry more weapons than UAVs before them.
One new UAV known as the Global Observer has a wingspan of a Boeing 747,
can fly for days at 65,000 feet, out of range of most anti-aircraft
missiles, and can survey 280,000 square miles - an area the size of
Afghanistan - on a single mission.Civilian Use of UAVs and FAA
ApprovalUAVs have been used for civilian domestic purposes for many
years, including aerial surveillance of pipelines, search and rescue
missions, agricultural crop dusting, animal tracking, monitoring of
forest fires and hunting hurricanes. As UAVs become more advanced and
affordable, they will no doubt be used for more civilian jobs, especially
if the Federal Aviation Administration makes it easier to get
approval.Currently, the FAA approves domestic civilian and government use
of UAVs on a case-by-case basis. This is a slow process made slower by
the increasing numbers of UAV applicants. But the approval process may
change soon. As soon as December, the FAA may release a ruling allowing
certain small UAVs to share national airspace with manned aircraft. The
proposed ruling could come out as soon as December, and will be followed
by a review period before a final rule is administered.UAVs a Hot-Button
IssueThe topic of civilian use of UAVs is a hot-button aviation issue for
several reasons. First, there is concern about the intrinsic safety of
UAVs. Are communication and control links truly reliable? Can a UAV
"think" its way out of an unexpected collision and avoid crashing into a
populated area? The Government Accountability Office doesn't think so. In
a 2008 report, the GAO stated that, "no technology has been identified as
a suitable substitute for a person on board the aircraft in seeing and
avoiding other aircraft."Secondly, there is growing concern that UAVs may
start to take jobs away from small aircraft pilots. A conference in
Montreal sponsored by Unmanned Systems Canada addressed this question.
While industry representatives think that unmanned freight and passenger
operations will happen in the next 30 or 40 years, UAVs still have a long
way to go before they start to affect human pilots.Thirdly, what if UAVs
fall into the wrong hands? The recent arrest of Rezwan Ferdaus reminds us
what could happen if terrorists turn technology against us. Ferdaus, a
26-year from Ashland, Mass., was planning to use three small unmanned
drones packed with plastic explosives to crash into the U.S. Capital and
Pentagon buildings. While Ferdaus was caught, how many terrorists are out
there planning similar attacks? The recent arrest of Ferdaus may cause
the FAA to rethink relaxing approvals for UAVs. And domestic terrorism
fears aside, the FAA is unlikely to let UAVs share significant national
airspace with piloted planes carrying passengers until they are proven to
be failsafe.