Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System Coming soon to airspace near you

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Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National
Airspace SystemComing soon to airspace near
you..UAS-101
Presented At Pecora Conference/ Unmanned
Aircraft Systems By Roger Trevino, Team
Manager, Operations Support Group, Central
Service Area Date November 19, 2008
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What are UAS?

• Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) historically were
  called by various terms
• Drone/ROA/RPV/UAV/Model/R-C
• Today they are Defined as
• Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
• Aircraft Control Station
• Command Control Link/s
• Pilot

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Characteristics

• UAS can range in weight from a few grams to
  thousands of pounds and can operate at altitudes
  from near surface to the edge of space.
• Some UAS can remain aloft for minutes or days for
  others.
• Future designs allow for the possibility that
  some UAS will be able to remain aloft for months.
  
• Some UAS fly slowly while others are capable of
  very high speeds.
• Some UAS require a prepared runway while others
  can be launched and recovered from unprepared
  fields, ships, aircraft, rooftops, or by hand.

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Who is Operating UAS in the NAS

• Public Use Aircraft Certificate of Waiver or
  Authorization
• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Defense
• Department of Energy
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of Interior
• Department of Justice
• NASA
• State Universities
• State Law Enforcement

• Civil Aircraft Special Airworthiness
  Certificates - Experimental
• Issued in all 3 Service Areas
• Raytheon
• AAI Corporation
• General Atomics
• Boeing
• And more

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What are they doing?

• Operational Missions
• Training for Operational Missions
• Research
• Sensor Development and Testing
• Marketing
• Border Patrol
• Firefighting
• Disaster Relief
• Search and Rescue

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When are they doing it?

• Daily
• Mostly Daylight Operations
• Some Night Operations

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Where are they doing it?
United States Special Use Airspace Part 73 of
Code of Federal Regulations, Title 14 . . .
Activities must be confined because of their
nature . . .

• 6 Flavors of Special Use Airspace only 3 provide
  for confined airspace
• Prohibited Areas (Regulatory)
• Restricted Areas (Regulatory)
• Warning Areas
• Other types of airspace that may not require
  observers
• Class A
• Class C
• Temporary Flight Restrictions
• 99.7
• 91.137 (a) (1)

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Where are they doing it (contd)?

• Class A, C, D, E, and G Airspace
• Domestic and Oceanic
• Outside of SUA

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How are they doing it?

• Specific authorization is required for
  operations outside of active restricted/warning
  area airspace, with aviation activities
  authorized
• NO EXCEPTIONS
• Certificate of Waiver or Authorization
• Public operators
• Special Airworthiness Certificate, Experimental
  Category
• Civil (commercial operations are not allowed in
  US at this time)

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Challenges Integrating UAS into NAS

• No see and avoid capability
• Must be mitigated
• Restricted Areas
• TFRs
• Visual observers
• Chase aircraft
• With RADAR in Class A
• Lost control link procedures
• Lost Comm procedures
• Latency
• (response delays)

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Certificate of Authorization (COA)

• FAA Form 7711-1
• Authorization to operate UAS in the NAS
• Consists of multiple provisions
• General Provisions
• Safety Provisions
• Airworthiness Provisions
• Pilot/Observer Provisions
• Special provisions - specific to mission
• Special Provisions Air Traffic Procedures

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FAA/DoD Memorandum of Agreement

• Signed September 24, 2007 by FAA Administrator
  and Deputy Secretary of Defense
• Provides for Enhanced DoD UAS Access to the NAS
  in Class D and G Airspace
• Applies to all categories of DoD UAS operations
  conducted wholly within Class D airspace that
  have an associated DoD-controlled, non-joint-use
  airfield, provided2
• Operations are not conducted over populated areas
  or within airspace covered in Section 91.215
  (b)(2) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations
  (14 CFR 91.215(b)(2)).
• DoD shall develop uniform air traffic control
  procedures to be applied at all locations. These
  procedures will be developed in coordination with
  the FAA prior to implementation and a Certificate
  of Waiver or Authorization issued to the
  appropriate DoD air Traffic facility.
• _________
• 2The DoD, as a service provider for this
  airspace, does not have the authority to issue
  waivers to 14 CFR Part 91.

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FAA/DoD Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) (contd)

• Operations that are conducted within Class G
  airspace, below 1200 AGL (not applicable to
  airspace identified by 14 CFR 91.215 (b)(2))
  over military bases, reservations or land
  protected by purchase, lease or other restriction
  provided
• The UAS weighs 20 pounds or less
• The UAS remains within clear visual range of the
  pilot, or a certified observer in ready contact
  with the pilot, to ensure separation from other
  aircraft.
• The UAS remains more than 5 miles from any civil
  use airport or heliport.

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UAS Challenges

• Ensuring safety of the NAS
• For all users and public on the ground
• Safety impacts
• Inherent low visibility of many UAS aircraft -
  more difficult to visually detect
• Increased time between detection and avoidance
• UAS aircraft performance limits in collision
  avoidance
• Developing standards, procedures and separation
  standards for an industry already in operation
• Supporting national defense expanding access
  requests
• Other Government Agencies into the mix

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Trends

• FAA UAS Office has seen a 100 increase in COA
  requests.
• Active COAs 119 (80 issued in CY 2008)
• 49 of 119 belong to DoD
• Currently working 84 applications (29 DoD)
• Moving from routine to more sophisticated UAS
  missions requiring extensive coordination with
  multiple affected ATC facilities.

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Information

• http//www.faa.gov/uas

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Points of Contact

• Ardy Williams
• Air Traffic Manager, Unmanned Aircraft System
• 202-497-7688
• Ardyth.Williams_at_faa.gov
• Roger Trevino
• Team Manager, Operations Support Group,
  CSA
• 817-222-5595
• Roger.Trevino_at_faa.gov
• Doug Davis
• Manager, Unmanned Aircraft Program Office
• 202-385-4636
• Kenneth.D.Davis_at_faa.gov

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QUESTIONS?