The Current Status of UAVs

     There are many civilian drone purposes that are being used in the U.S., this is due to keeping people safe. One purpose is that National Park Service Units are utilizing drones for resource management and fire management missions; for any other reason the use of drones are prohibited due to wildlife interference. Another purpose would be relaying radio and wireless internet hot spots to restore service after a natural disaster. When the hurricane wrecked a telecom infrastructure in Puerto Rico, AT&T used a drone called Flying COW (Cell on Wings). It provided wireless connectivity, such as data, voice and text message services, this was a successful first time experimental technology that was ever used. If you plan on flying for fun there are less strict requirements, however if you plan on making money with your UAV, you will need to pass a FAA test and receive Part 107 certification. To operate UAVs, it should be below 400 feet and should be within the “line of sight” rule, which mandates that drone operators must keep the unmanned aircraft within eye shot always. It also should be under 55 lbs.; drone pilots must be at least 16-yr-old and unable to fly within controlled airspace near airports without prior FAA permission, otherwise be at least five miles away without notifying the control tower.

     In Rwanda, about 30,000 people receive blood transfusions yearly. Once a month, hospital would send out an employee to drive about three hours to collect blood donations. That’s only if the roads are passable, due to weather wiping out dirt roads in rural areas. A California robotic company based in California are developing a plan in utilizing drones to deliver blood supplies across Rwanda. Their goal is to make 50 to 150 deliveries a day to 21 transfusion centers. If the supply is running slow, the facility places an order, then packaged in a controlled temperature storage bag wrapped in a parachute. The drone has a speed of 50 to 85 mph to the facility, parachute ejects when it arrives and then begins the return trip back. The aim of the drone is to never have them touch the ground, just “drop and go.” The goal of Zipline Company is to be the delivery service for the world which focuses on delivering healthcare. 

     Yes, UAVs currently play a significant role in aviation, they’ve become effective, efficient, and affordable creating more jobs and economically beneficial. If the UAVs level of safety to people and property in the air on the ground remain the same importance as general aviation, then achieving this goal would become quite beneficial. I believe there will be more rules or guidelines programs that could only be confusing, since UAVs varies on what they are being used for, operated by a public entity, commercial operator, or a hobby/recreational user. As with anything that is new to the industry, laws aren’t up-to-date or coded for the current situation. Ex: Prisoners are fighting over care packages delivered by UAVs, but no one thinks about what if those drones are delivering bombs or weapons to be used against the guards. This is getting out of control, guards are unable to shoot them down due to the laws in place of using counter-measures against them. They are also prohibited from using jamming technology required to combat drones because of the current rules. The problem isn’t a technological one, or a training issue; it’s a legal concern. The technology exists, but legally, we aren’t allowed to use it. 

     UAVs are used in situations where manned flight is considered too risky or difficult. They provide troops with a 24-hour “eye in the sky”, seven days a week. Each UAV can stay aloft for up to 17 hours at a time, loitering over an area and sending back real-time imagery of activities on the ground. The United States Air Force range from small intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance craft, some light enough to be launched by hand, to medium-sized armed drones and large spy planes. Cost is the key debate when it comes to the use of UAVs in war. They are cost-effective of achieving national security objectives. While UAVs will never completely replace soldiers, this debate is becoming less important in the current strategic climate. They do this creating low civil conflicts, the end goal is inflicting high economic costs to the adversary. 

     Just when you thought operating a drone could be by a public entity, commercial operator, or a hobbyist. They are currently looking for someone to participate in drone racing, known as “Formula 1”. - https://www.indeed.com/cmp/The-Drone-Racing-League/jobs/Project-Manager-028dc953347da3f0?sjdu=QwrRXKrqZ3CNX5W-O9jEvWIuBcfYv3mrYLqkE6Hctuq0_HRJrovS1jvNqFNizQFCqmrPJY4GDejrn8YCKBD1aw&tk=1c5ur5olua1dacap&vjs=3.  For someone who has just graduated from EMU that holds a commercial pilot certificate and has knowledge pertaining to the aviation field, this would be great for you

https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=e5225bf84fb60574&tk=1c5vlt3pua1daeti&from=serp&vjs=3. As I search for UAV jobs, there’s a great demand for anyone who holds a 4-year degree and holds a FAA pilot certificate rating.

Brodkin, Jon. (November 6, 2017). An AT&T drone is now providing cellular service to people in Puerto Rico. Retrieved February 6, 2018 from https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/11/att-drone-brings-lte-access-to-hurricane-damaged-puerto-rico/.

Federal Aviation Administration. (December 15, 2017). Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Retrieved February 6, 2018 from https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/.

Should Cargo Carriers Be Exempt From Flight/Duty Changes?

The Federal Aviation Administration announced a couple of new regulations for co-pilots after the fatal Colgan Air crash in 2009. Pilot fatigue, training and qualifications were all factors in that crash. One of the new regulations, which don't apply to cargo pilots, require that pilots get at least 10 hours of rest between shifts. Eight of those hours must involve uninterrupted sleep. In the past, pilots could spend those eight hours getting to and from the hotel, showering and eating. Pilots will be limited to flying eight or nine hours, depending on their start times. They must also have 30 consecutive hours of rest each week, a 25% increase over previous requirements. Another new regulation requires co-pilots, to get 1500 hours of flight time as pilots for their certification to fly passenger and cargo planes. Previously, co-pilots were required to have 250 hours of flight time. Another regulation in place, new standards for flight simulators evaluation and qualification. Making them experience a more accurate and realistic scenario involving stalls, upset recognition and recovery techniques, maneuvers in icing conditions, takeoffs and landings in gusting crosswinds, and bounced landing recovery. Cargo pilots fly under older rules that do not require as much rest, permit longer times on duty, sometimes 16-hour work days and allow them to fly beyond eight hours in certain conditions. Those rules do not impose any special limits on flight time at night, that's when cargo carriers do much of their flying. 

While the FAA rule did not apply to air cargo pilots, the FAA encouraged air carriers to voluntarily comply as well and improve the rest facilities for pilots while cargo is being loaded and unloaded. Every pilot is sharing the same air space and operating complex equipment; safety becomes a major concern. But air cargo pilots tend to run shorter flights than passenger pilots do, which means that regulations should not be the same for both fields. Cost of implementing the FAA regulations to the air cargo industry is also another major factor. This is probably why the FAA didn't enforce the rule in the first place. 

Personally, I do not think that passenger carriers and cargo carriers should be put into the same category, just as the air cargo carriers' states that the FAA regulations should not be "one-size-fits-all." There are more lives at stake than there is in transporting cargo.

From a pilots' perspective, it would take them much longer in reaching the minimum hours required and from the  managements' perspective it could lead to a financial loss due to a much slower process in transporting products. 

Federal Aviation Administration. (December 21, 2011). FAA Issues Final Rule on Pilot Fatigue. Retrieved from 
https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=13272.

Federal Aviation Administration. (November 5, 2013). FAA Issues Final Rule on Pilot Training. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=15314.