Introduction
UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) are
an emerging sector of the aerospace industry with great opportunity and market
demand that can be leveraged to high profitability in the near future. Undoubtedly,
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are the most predominant segment of the UAS
market (Lucintel, 2016) . To further grow the
sector, it is time for the UAV industry to incorporate the safety standard,
which has been practiced by commercial aviation industry for many years in mitigating
aircraft incidents and accident. More importantly, to emphasize the culture of
human factors and its contribution to overall aviation safety. For the purpose
of this research, some of the current safety practices and systems implemented
by civil aviation will be discussed.
Reduced
Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM)
RVSM was implemented to reduce the
vertical separation above flight level (FL) 290 from 2000-ft minimum to 1000-ft
minimum. It allows aircraft to safely fly more optimum profiles, gain fuel
savings and increase airspace capacity yet maintaining minimum distance between
two aircraft. Today RVSM represents a global standard for 1000-ft vertical
separation (FAA, 2016) . Although UAV carries
no passenger, crashing of UAVs jeopardize the property and people along its
flight paths. It is mandatory for regulatory body to adopt similar concept as to
impose minimum separation between two unmanned aircraft at certain altitude in
relation to their speeds and sizes.
Automatic
Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B)
Another solution to mitigate
collision and to integrate UAVs safely into national airspace is by adopting Automatic
Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) and to equip each commercial and
military UAV with similar capability. ADS-B uses GPS satellites to determine an
aircraft's location, ground speed, and other data. ADS-B Out uses onboard avionics
to broadcast an aircraft's position, altitude, and velocity to nearby aircraft
equipped to receive the data via ADS-B In and to a network of ground stations,
which relays the information to air traffic control displays. ADS-B In provides
operators of properly equipped aircraft with traffic information directly to
the cockpit (FAA,
2016) .
For UAV operation, similar information can
be delivered to UAV controller at ground station. When UAV senses possibility
of collision, it triggers warning signal and generates alarm. At the same time,
the warning system will generate check list to guide controller how to maneuver
UAV safely. More importantly, the warning system enhances controller’s
situational awareness even though aircraft is remotely controlled.
Conclusion
It is mandatory for the UAV industry to
adopt and implement ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) practices
to improve safety of UAV operations. Safety starts with training and awareness.
Similar to pilot training, regulatory body must standardize training framework.
It is compulsory for UAV controllers to be trained before flying or operating
UAVs. The training includes modules such as basic flying skills, knowledge of
human factors and situational awareness. Finally, controller must accumulate
minimum flying hours before permit- to-fly can be granted by aviation authority.
Reference
FAA. (2016, Sep 02). Automatic
Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast. Retrieved from
http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/update/progress_and_plans/adsb/
FAA.
(2016, Sep 02). Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (. Retrieved from
https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/separation_standards/rvsm/
Lucintel.
(2016, Jun 18). Growth Opportunity in Global UAV Market. Retrieved from
http://www.uadrones.net/civilian/research/acrobat/1103.pdf
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