The Rise of Recreational UAVs

1) UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) technology has been regarded by some industry experts as the most dynamic growth sector of  the aerospace in this decade (Cavoukian 2012). Heck even my uncle and cousin that live across the street just got little drones for Christmas and are out using them. Over the past 5 years the UAV community has evolved from strictly a military technology to becoming a recreational hobby (think RC planes) and even being used commercially as well (Amazon's Prime Air). If you YouTube or Google UAV videos you can find a ton of civilians using their purchased drone taking it to new heights especially with either a GoPro attached or some drones even come with cameras attached. Just this past year there was a video that was a huge internet hit where a man flew his drone into a large firework display and it was magnificent (here's the link for those interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9KZ3jgbbmI). UAVs were being used for hunting at one point but there has recently been an uprising against drone-assisted hunting in multiple states leading to them being banned. In a FOX News report multiple men from hunting groups claim that "the use of drones to aid in hunting is inappropriate and would essentially undermine the concept of fair-chase hunting" (FoxNews 2014). UAVs have recently become a problem near airports as well. Apparently some recreational users have been interfering with the airspace close to Washington International airport that it led the FAA to construct an NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) about small UAVs. In this NPRM, it proposes that, "unmanned aircraft systems weighing less than 55 pounds and not for recreational or hobby use and with necessary equipment for safe and efficient operation can be used in the national air space." The small UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) that could be used in accordance with this NPRM are as follows: crop monitoring/inspection, research & development, educational/academic uses, power-line/pipeline inspection in hilly or mountainous terrain, antenna inspection, aiding certain rescue operations such as locating snow avalanche victims, bridge inspections, aerial photography, and wildlife nesting area evaluations. Non-recreational use of UAS is accommodated by the FAA through the use of special airworthiness certificates, exemptions, and certificates of waiver or certificates of authorization (Foxx 2015). So far the FAA has published a requirement stating that "all owners of small unmanned aircraft or drones weighing between 0.55 and 55lbs must have it registered before taking to the skies" (knowbeforeyoufly.org).

2) I do see UAVs integrating into the National Airspace and I think the way it will be done is through altitude limitations. Already UAVs aren't supposed to be out of sight of their operator and I think that rule will try to remain to be enforced if they integrate into the NAS. When a UAV enthusiast registers their aircraft, I think it will evolve to the point where they are required to have some sort of GPS tracking system on them if there already isn't one. Either that or they simply limit the altitude that UAVs can operate (maybe strictly Class G airspace)? I imagine that it would further clutter the air space in the US but as long as people follow the rules and keep them away from airports I don't see why it would be a problem.

3) UAVs have greatly aided in our decreased human involvement when it comes to aerial bombing. According to an article written by Andrew Callam, "by October 19th, 2009 had conducted 41 strikes under President Obama compared with the same number over 3 years under former President Bush. The agency has conducted 11 strikes in Pakistan in the first month of 2010." In the military the offensive capabilities of the UAV has 3 broad operational concepts. The first being to suppress enemy air defense. Second, UAVs are used in combat to support counterinsurgency operations. Third, UAVs are used to find and eliminate targets in the field of combat (Callam 2010). Now that last concept is where things can get a little gray. What exactly is a target, and is eliminating the target worth the additional casualties that could come with it? In the article previously mentioned by Callam he starts with an anecdote about a 2009 drone strike that took out the alleged leader of the Pakistan Taliban. Great news yes, but not when you consider that prior to this drone strike there were 16 drone strikes in the 14 months leading up to this assassination dealing somewhere between 201 & 321 additional casualties. The main issue with military UAVs is that although the images they can see are at most times clear; without complete intelligence on the ground drones can (and have) lead to civilian casualties.

4) http://uavcoach.com/uav-jobs/ this website has a plethora of UAV job openings that range from actual pilots and operators to field representatives and product marketing positions. Also, if no one is aware, Eastern offers an elective in UAV and the class is titled: CET 273 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles so if you're stuck looking for classes to fill your schedule this is one I recommend checking out!

Works Cited

 Cavourkian, A. (2012, August). Publicsafety.gc.ca (Canada, Information and Privacy Commissioner). Retrieved February, 2016, from http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cnmcs-plcng/cn29822-eng.pdf

Fireworks filmed with a drone [Vid]. (2014, May 13). Drone Hub.

 Eyes in the air: States move to ban drone-assisted hunting | Fox News. (2014, March 25). Retrieved February 13, 2016, from http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/03/25/eyes-in-air-states-move-to-ban-drone-assisted-hunting.html

 Foxx, A. (2015). Operation and certification of small unmanned air systems (Vol. 80, Ser. 35, pp. 3-6) (United States, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration). Washington, DC: Federal Register. Retrieved February, 2016, from https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-02-23/pdf/2015-03544.pdf. 

 

Callam, A. (2010). Drone Wars: Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. International Affairs Review, XVIII, 3rd ser. Retrieved February, 2016, from http://www.iar-gwu.org/node/144 

 

Flight and Duty Regulations in the Cargo World

1) The old saying goes, "aviation rules are written in blood" meaning that necessary changes get made in this industry whenever a significant loss of life has occurred. Colgan 3407 is no different. Now although it is blatantly clear thanks to the NTSB investigation that the pilots in this situation were severely inexperienced (or at least not the most ideal pilots to fly); some of the immediate changes made to operate in as a 121 airline pilot may be a more kneejerk reaction due to the incident. After Colgan the NTSB recommended that a few new rules get put in place in order to operate as a 121 pilot. The first being a recommendation to establish an electronic database for pilot records to improve pilot monitoring and the hiring process (Schaal 2013). The transition from paper to electronic can be a long process however so this could be a rule that isn't implemented until the database can be used nationwide by 121 air carriers. Another rule that was pushed for change after the Colgan incident was the requirement of remedial crewmen training for those who have demonstrated deficiencies or have failed a section of their training and training specifically for proper stall procedures, stall stick pusher readings as well as training to recognize flying into potential weather events like icing conditions. These rules are all directly related to the events and lack of recognition that led up to the Colgan incident. Another issue that was considered a factor was pilot fatigue and sure enough, in the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010; duty time was addressed as follows, "the Administrator of the FAA shall issue regulations based on the best available scientific information to specify limitations on the hours of flight and duty time allowed for pilots to address problems relating to pilot fatigue." In the Act, it goes further in depth on what they would look for in regards to pilot fatigue like the time of day a "duty" begins, the number of takeoffs and landings conducted in a duty period, the effects of commuting and length of commute, and rest environments among many other factors (Airline Safety & FAA Extension Act 2010). Now the biggest and most influential rule that changed due to the Colgan incident was the flight hours required in order to receive an ATP (airline transport pilot) certificate for a 121 carrier. Prior to the incident, a First Officer only needed 250 flight hours to work for a 121, but after the incident that hours requirement sky-rocketed to 1,500 flight hours just to become a First Officer in a 121 airline operation. This has had the largest effect on student pilots because on average, a pilot obtains around 200-350 hours in their pursuit of a commercial and CFI(I) certificate , so they are left with coming up with another 1,000 hours of flight give or take before they can even become a first officer for a regional air carrier.

2) According to CFR 117.11 section A subsections 1,2, & 3 states that "no certificate holder may schedule and no flightcrew may member may accept an assignment or continue an assigned flight duty period if the total time: exceeds the total time in Table A of this part if the operation is conducted with minimum required flight crew,  or will exceed 13 hours conducted with a 3-pilot flightcrew, or will exceed 17 hours with a 4-pilot flightcrew." Table A lays out a maximum flight time in reference to the time of the report which is as follows: from 0000-0459 the maximum flight time is 8 hours, from 0500-1959 the maximum flight time is 9 hours, and from 2000-2359 the maximum flight time is 8 hours. The key difference here from a cargo operator over an airline is the 9 hours that can be the max flight time rather than the concrete 8 hours of flight duty in a 121 airline operation. Also, the more pilots included in a cargo operation the longer the flight can be conducted before rest is required (refer to table C in part 117) (https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/part-117/appendix-TableC).

3) I believe that cargo operators are exempt from the new rules because due to the high demand of their operation they need pilots operating at all times. I also think it has something to do with what is carried on the aircraft. In the view of most, cargo or things that are inanimate are not seen as more important than an aircraft loaded with 200+ people or even anything over the 4-8 crewmembers that may be aboard a cargo plane should the situation get disastrous. I also believe that this is partially why a majority of cargo pilots are former military because they are used to working ridiculous hours and handling heavy workloads. I feel the cargo industry has a form of masculinity and machoness to it that isn't in place in the airline industry due to the demand and value of life on board the aircraft.

4) I think cargo carriers should be included in the new flight duty and limitation rules because if it is something that is being implemented in the airline industry I don't see why cargo carriers wouldn't be included or embrace it either. Especially with the measurement of fatigue. I think pilot fatigue affects every pilot equally regardless of the type of operation they run, so for a cargo carrier to allow an extra hour (even if it's "just an hour") during the peak times of the day (0500-1959) that their pilots can fly before requiring rest seems like pushing the envelope. I think this could be a reason why cargo carriers aren't seen as an illustrious career choice and often receive the nickname "cargo dog" because they deal with heavier workloads and worse conditions than an airline pilot goes through.

5) If cargo carriers were included in the new duty limitations then I think it would make a manager's job a bit tougher. They need for more pilots would continue to increase to a demand greater than it is already at. Also, managers of cargo carriers would have to be very careful in planning the routes and destinations that they choose their pilots to fly. Either shortening the routes or bringing more pilots on the trip would be ways that a manager could work with the new limitation rules, but that would in turn lead to paying more wages (more pilots on board) or losing revenue for the company (shortening or possibly ending further routes). I think the limitation would put a lot more stress on a manager and you could possibly see the separation of a company over a few hubs across their intended region so that way they could maintain their routes but depart from areas a few hours closer in order to make it within that concrete 8 hour flight duty limitation.

Works Cited

Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 retrieved from: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ216/html/PLAW-111publ216.htm

Schaal, D. (2013, November 05). FAA Issues New Pilot Training Rule to Fix Colgan Air Deficiencies. 

14 CFR 117 Table A & C retrieved from: http://www3.alpa.org/portals/alpa/committees/ftdt/Part-117-Flight-Time-Limitations-and-Rest-Requirements.pdf