UAS Crew Selection

UAS Crew Selection

Boeing Scan Eagle

            The Boeing Scan Eagle normally requires two people for its operation, a controller to set way points for the system to follow and a payload operator to work the camera. Recently, research has been done in which one pilot was responsible for three aircraft at once (Pappalardo, 2007). This experiment was successful, however since this software is still in the testing phases it is advisable to stick to proven crew configurations.

General Atomics Ikhana

            The Ikhana is a Predator B system that has been re-purposed as a scientific research and test bed aircraft. The Ikhana is currently owned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Ikhana is equipped with sensing equipment that is used to measure anomalies in the Earth's atmosphere ("NASA Armstrong...", 2014). This system also typically uses a two man crew, one to pilot the aircraft and one to operate the payload.

Ideal Candidate

            The ideal candidate needs to be someone with the skills, knowledge, and the DESIRE to work on the project. This means that our candidates will need prior experience operating military UAV systems. It also means that a preferable candidate would also have a scientific background of some sort, most likely related to the specific topic at hand. For the Ikhana there are many Predator B crews with more than enough experience to operate the system. Finding a scientific person might not be too hard because the Air Force requires their pilots to be Officers, which means they have at least a bachelor’s degree. This should mean that the chances of finding someone with a scientific background are better.

Qualifications for Operations in the National Airspace System

            Currently the FAA has only issued a notice of proposed rule-making for drones under 55 lbs. The proposal does state that the operator will have to have a drone certificate, much like a pilot license. Also, as of now, the operating agency will need to acquire a Certificate Of Authorization (COA) to operate any drones commercially within the NAS (Nicas & Pasztor, 2013). The current proposed rule-making only concerns ling of sight operations which means permission must be acquired from the FAA to operate beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS).

REFERENCES

Pappalardo, J. (2007, August). Flocking Scan Eagles; When it comes to operating UAVs, six heads aren't better than one. Retrieved from http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/flocking-scaneagles-20369494/?no-ist

Nicas, J. & Pasztor, A. (2015, February 15). FAA proposes rules to allow commercial drone flights in the US.  Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-issues-privacy-rules-for-government-drones-in-u-s-1424015402

(2014, February 28). NASA Armstrong Fact Sheet: Ikhana/Predator B Unmanned Science and Research Aircraft System. Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-097-DFRC.html#.VPT3MS5vCO4