Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, is a technology that is expanding and developing at significant rates. This field of aviation is becoming more practical and suitable for use other than by the Military. The civilian sector is utilizing UAVs in ways that make jobs more efficient and advanced. Law enforcement is using UAVs for public safety, Border Patrol uses UAVs for border security and surveillance, the DNR and US Forest Service are utilizing drones for wildlife research and conservation, and even private sector companies like Amazon are looking into the possibilities of delivering packages by UAV. This area of aviation for now is very regulated, being that you need strict permits to be able to operate UAVs and they cannot be operated in Class B Airspace.
https://www.faa.gov/uas/
Personally, I believe that UAV flight will be limited for the next few decades, until technology becomes more advanced. I foresee UAV flight being limited to certain airports for takeoff and landing, certain airspaces being off limits, certain routes of travel designated or off limits, and the FAA will regulate who can fly these UAVs legally. Until there is better technology, like NextGen, I do not foresee UAVs being integrated into the NAS.
The use of UAVs in the Military has greatly helped the outreach of the battle field commander and also has changed our strategy when fighting an enemy. For example, you can send in a drone to conduct tactical airstrikes instead of sending in actual troops or actual human flown aircraft. Also, commanders can utilize this asset to help conduct reconnaissance missions, take out valuable targets, and instead of risk human lives they can conduct airstrikes by UAV.
The only jobs I was really able to locate in regards to UAVs are in the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force. There were a few others working directly for aircraft manufactures like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. One thing I did notice was there are a lot of colleges starting to offer classes and even Majors in unmanned aviation systems.
It was very hard to read this because of the text color. Other than that I agree that it will be a long time before UAVs will be a major part of the aviation industry, and I think you are right about how they will be slowly integrated with their own flight paths and even certain airports.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it will be a while before UAVs will be integrated into routine civilian use but it will happen eventually. It is good to know that some schools are already offering classes in unmanned systems. I would be interested in finding out how much the schooling will cost compared to first year pay and if it is similar to the ridiculous pilot pay situation.
ReplyDeleteI think you're completely right in saying that UAV flight is going to be limited due to technology for the next couple decades. Also, many people probably would prefer the military use unmanned instead of manned aircraft when possible to lower the number of lives put into danger.
ReplyDeleteYou say that UAV application will be limited until more advances are made in technology - what specific advancements are you referring to?
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