Integration Into Airspace Is The Last Hurdle

The vice president of civil aviation for the Aerospace Industries Association says that civilian use of UAVs is "going to happen," with the last hurdle being how to integrate the aircraft into the national airspace.

TiaLinx Phoenix 50H File Photo

The FAA plans to propose rules to allow the operation of UAVs in domestic airspace in January, according to an enterprise report in the Los Angeles Times, which indicates that there are some 266 applications on file seeking permission to test the aircraft.

But the overarching concerns about UAVs in the same airspace as piloted aircraft have not changed. Primary among them is the lack of reliable "detect, sense, and avoid" technology the agency says is essential for the prevention of midair collisions. Others have raised privacy concerns, as well as possible use of the aircraft by criminals and terrorists.

But the industry is ready, and aerospace company officials say the potential for good outweighs the possibility of criminal use. There are an estimated 18,000 law enforcement agencies that are seen as the initial customer base for small UAVs, may of which are already under development. Some, like AeroVironment's Qube, would cost departments about the same as a police cruiser ... in the $40,000 neighborhood.

Rotomotion UAV File Photo

Other industries have their eye on UAVs. They are used in Japan for crop spraying, as well as inspection of the nuclear power plant damaged by this year's tsunami. And Russian archaeologists are reportedly flying UAVs equipped with infrared cameras for 3-D modeling of dig sites.

The FAA says the issues it must deal with are safety-related, and go beyond the midair collision potential. Other possibilities include the loss of the communications link between the operator and the drone, and what might happen in the case of fuel exhaustion.

But the industry says the march to the use of UAVs in U.S. airspace is underway, and has an inertia that is unlikely to be stopped. Gretchen West, executive vice president of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, told the LA Times that the industry is poised to jump. "We're all waiting to see what the FAA will do."

FMI: www.faa.gov