Are We Ready for Drones in American Airspace?

Aeryon Scout UAV in flight

Wikimedia Commons

June 11, 2012 6:30 AM Text Size: A . A . A

What benefit will American society get from allowing unmanned aircraft to freely fly in our skies?

We use the four Ds: the dirty, dangerous, difficult, and dull missions. When you look at natural disasters, when you look at hazardous situations, when you look at difficult operational environments?darkness, weather, heat, hurricanes, things of this nature?anyplace where human beings are at risk of loss of life or to be injured, there is an opportunity to utilize this technology. UAS are capable of saving time, saving money, and, most importantly, saving lives.

Is there really any way unmanned aircraft will be able to safely share the skies with manned aviation just three years from now?

There is existing sense-and-avoid technology. One of the issues that has to be determined is, what are the requirements? You have on cars today the backup cameras, sensors, things of this nature that tell you when you?re getting too close to an object. So . . . what requirement are you talking about to have this capability and have it in a 360-degree manner, such that for anything that comes inside the bubble you?re looking to fly in, there?s time to be able to safely react?

Isn?t there still a lot of risk involved?

We recognize that the automobile brings us tremendous value and efficiency and effectiveness, and we utilize it everyday. But it does come at a cost, and right now in the United States we lose over 35,000 lives and we have over 6 million accidents each year. But that?s the cost that it takes in order to have the goodness that comes with that technology.

We remain committed to ensuring that UAS are integrated into the U.S. airspace in the manner that ensures the safety of all aircraft?manned and unmanned.

A lot of people are worried about what the new law means for individual privacy. The ACLU says our laws aren?t adequate to protect us from government or neighbors using drones to spy on us. Columnist Charles Krauthammer recently called for an outright ban on them in the United States.

Well, anytime you have any new or unfamiliar technology, there?s always going to be a concern about how that technology is used. It?s concerning to me that someone of that stature has not taken the time to fully understand the technology. There has got to be constructive, thoughtful dialogue with individuals and organizations to make sure that those privacy issues are addressed and are adequately taken into consideration.

As the FAA rule-making process continues to unfold, there will be many opportunities to engage in an open and thoughtful discussion surrounding the responsible use of UAS and how the data the UAS collect is stored, used, and deleted. AUVSI and its members are committed to continuing to work with groups and individuals from all industries, political affiliations, and ideological backgrounds to ensure privacy concerns are addressed while moving forward with this beneficial technology.

What?s your vision of where the unmanned aircraft revolution is taking us?

The economic potential behind wider use of UAS is enormous. In 2010, an AUVSI study estimated that the integration of remotely piloted vehicles into national airspace would result in 23,000 new jobs by 2025. These jobs, which [include] UAV pilots, systems engineers, and maintenance specialists, are skilled, high-quality positions. Integrating UAS into the national airspace will fuel job growth by increasing revenue for the aerospace industry that manufactures them while helping lower costs for the businesses and governments that use them.

Future applications could involve fast delivery of organ transplants or medical supplies to rural villages in developing nations. They could deliver tacos or run errands. The potential is virtually limitless.

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