UAV

With technology constantly advancing, we are capable of doing things we normally wouldn’t be capable of doing. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are quickly advancing, and they are opening up more opportunities for civilian operators. One use that I found very interesting is that farmers can now use drones to monitor their fields. Being able to monitor the fields with drones gives the farmers countless capabilities such as“ precision applications of pesticides, water, or fertilizers, which drones can help by identifying exactly where such resources are needed and delivering them there, is better for the environment and for a farmer's bottom line” (Handwerk, 2013). UAV’s are also capable of hurricane hunting, which is a huge step forward simply in regards to saving human life. I found it very interesting that NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Northrop Grumman collaborated together to use long range UAVS to monitor evolving storms.  It is extremely impressive that the “Global Hawk drones can stay aloft for 30 hours and fly 11,000 miles (17,700 kilometers) with their 116-foot (35-meter) wingspans. That lets them reach and stay in stormy areas that manned planes can't, performing valuable surveillance” (Handwerk, 2013). If there is a way to eliminate the risk of sending a human pilot into a hurricane, then why not seek further advancements with UAV’s. Currently, the FAA has regulations in place for UAVS which consist of flying below 400 feet and remaining clear of obstacles, remain clear of manned aircraft operations, keep the UAV in sight at all times, and it must weigh under 55 pounds. Also, the FAA states that civilian operators should not be “careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft – you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft” (FAA,2015). It is good to see that the FAA will enforce these regulations on civilian UAV operators, because they should be held just as liable as general aviation pilots.

Eventually, with further advancements in technology I can see UAV’s being integrated into the National Airspace System. If they utilized flight plans for UAV’s or even designated a specific altitude just for UAV use; that could be a simple way of alerting all pilots. If a specific altitude is assigned for UAV flight operations in the NAS, then it would drastically decrease the amount of potential incursions that could happen. The main problem that I see with integrating UAV’s into the NAS would be the lack of communication from UAV operators to pilots. UAV operators should be expected to communicate just as if they were piloting an actual aircraft. Lack of communication could potential cause a lot of accidents, so that is definitely an area that they would need to strongly focus on.

When it comes to military operations, they have been trying to cut back on human involvement in hostile areas, especially in 50 million dollar aircraft. The use of UAV’s takes away from pilots being fatigued from flying, and the stress of going into a hostile area. There are six general applications that the military uses UAV’s for, which include the following: security, search and rescue, monitoring, impact and disaster management, communications, and munitions. To go into more depth, security entitles operations such as aerial reconnaissance, detecting chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear condition, as well as battlefield management. Search and rescue operations can vary from all terrain search and rescue, deployment of life rafts, and marking rescue points.  The military does monitoring of waterways, shipping, pollution control and even air sampling. Impact and disaster management is self explanatory, as well as communications. UAV’s are capable of air to ground, air to air, anti-tank, wide area munition deployments, and they can even be equipped with guided shells. Although the Navy is capable of taking any target out with the use of their Tomahawk missiles, drones provide a strategic advantage with a heavier munition load.

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References:

FAA. (2015, March 4). Model Aircraft Operations. Retrieved February 14, 2016, from https://www.faa.gov/uas/model_aircraft/

Handwerk, B. (2013, December 2). National Geographic. 5 Surprising Drone Uses (Besides Amazon Delivery). Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131202-drone-uav-uas-amazon-octocopter-bezos-science-aircraft-unmanned-robot/

Cargo Industry Rest Rugulations

After the Colgan accident, the FAA and the NTSB both dug deep into the cause of the accident. Even though both pilots had well over 1,500 hours, the FAA has now made this a new requirement in order to make it to the commercial level. According to the USA Today article covering this topic, it is stated that “It's not always about the hours because we see very experienced pilots with tens of thousands of hours making mistakes” (Tumulty,2014). I personally think the 1,500 hour rule is just a regulation they put in place to make the public feel better or better yet, more safe, when it comes to flying with the airlines. The Colgan accident was not due to lack of experience, but lack of rest. The flight crews were only given eight hours of rest time, and that clock started as soon as they landed. By the time the crews got to their hotels, they most likely had about 6 hours of actual rest time.  The new policy ensures that the rest time starts when the crew leaves the airport. Giving the crew a 10 hour rest period now ensures the crew a minimum of 8 hours of actual rest.

Cargo pilots are exempt from the new limitations, because their flights are sporadically planned. Cargo pilots are expected to fly flights at any time of the day, and even through the middle of the night.  According to Cornell’s law website, flight crews must have “10 consecutive hours of rest for 8 or more but less than 9 hours of scheduled flight time”.  Since cargo pilots tend to fly mostly at night, they are going to be more fatigued no matter what. The human brain is not capable of being 100 percent responsive and alert as it would be during the day. From working previous midnight shifts, I know that I was not capable of completing tasks as efficiently as I could during normal daylight hours.

Essentially, the thought process behind exempting the cargo carriers from the new regulations is due to the fact that they are not carrying passengers. Since they are not liable for other souls on board the aircraft, the FAA believes that the cargo pilots do not need the additional rest that the commercial pilots get. Also, another reason why they are exempt is due to finances.  They believe that it will cost way too much money and would not be worth the safety benefits in the long run.  This is absurd, you can’t put a price tag on safety; these companies should be paying to keep their pilots safe. They will only be losing more money if they have an accident killing innocent families when a cargo plane crashes into their house.  Cargo carries definitely need to be included into the new rules, because they are flying at the most inconvenient times, and they accumulate more flight time than commercial pilots. If they are flying more than commercial pilots, then why are they getting less rest time?

Personally, I have never considered flying cargo. Since I work at Avflight at Willow Run, I get to see the pilots from USA Jet and Ameristar all the time. Honestly, they all look like they hate their lives and don’t even like flying because of the hours they are given. If they were to be included in the new regulations, I believe there would be a drastic change in the cargo industry. They would see more pilots willing to fly cargo rather than fly 200-300 passengers if the limitations were the same. Personally, I would rather fly cargo than be responsible for the lives of 200-300 passengers.

References:

Tumulty, B. (2014, February 11). 5 years after N.Y. crash, some airline safety progress. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/11/colgan-air-crash-prompts-safety-regulations/5372353/

14 CFR Part 135, Subpart F - Crewmember Flight Time and Duty Period Limitations and Rest Requirements. (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2016, from http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/part-135/subpart-F