For the latest news, visit these sites: <= /p>

AUVSI= News Site: http://www.auvs= i.org/AUVSI/AUVSI/News/Default.aspx =

Fligh= t Global UAV News: Latest News

Space= War UAV News: http://www.spacewar.com/uav.html<= /a>

Auton= omous Undersea Vehicle Application Center (AUVAC) News: http://auvac.org/resources/news/<= /a>

Embry-Riddle To Train Unma= nned Aircraft Pilots

Thu, 11 Feb '10

Anticipates Increasing Demand For UAV Pilots In The U.S. In= Two Years

As early as 2012, thousands of civilian unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) could take to the sky, if the FAA allows them to share U.S. ai= rspace with other aircraft. When that happens, professionals will be needed to ope= rate them remotely, both as pilots and as sensor operators, when they carry video and audio equipment.

Embry-Ri= ddle Aeronautical University is stepping up to fill that need with a new minor in Unmanned Aircraft Systems that begins on the university's Daytona Beach, FL, campus in the fall semester of 2010. The 15-credit minor will consist of fi= ve courses: Unmanned Aircraft Systems; Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations and Cross-Country Data Entry; Operational Aspects of Unmanned Aircraft; UAS Robotics; and Unmanned Sensing Systems.

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Students= in the program will learn about the uses of civilian and military UAVs, how to select UAVs = for civilian use, regulations governing their operation, and maintenance requirements. When they graduate they will be qualified for jobs as UAV pil= ots and sensor operators with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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Embry-Ri= ddle's Next Generation Advanced Research Lab is developing a virtual-reality air traffic system that will allow students to fly a simulated unmanned aircraf= t. While unmanned aircraft normally make news for military uses, such as reconnaissance and attack missions in Afgha= nistan and Pakistan, UAVs can also be used for many civilian tasks. = UAVs patrol the U.S.<= /st1:country-region> borders with Mexico an= d Canada and soon they will monitor the east= coast of Florida. They also are used to detect forest fires and relay images to firefighters.=

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Police f= orces have envisioned missions for UAVs as well, but = the FAA currently restricts their use in civilian areas unless prospective users can prove the UAVs won't be hazardous to airpla= nes or people on the ground. The approval process can take 45 days.

"UAVs can do things that are impossible or too dangero= us for regular aircraft to do," says Ted Beneigh,= who initiated Embry-Riddle's new academic program. "For example, tiny 'ins= ect UAVs' equipped with audio and video sensors can fly t= hrough windows and into limited spaces to assist with a rescue or security. In Japan, they're used as crop dusters, and i= n Canada = model airplane-sized UAVs equipped with sensors fly o= ver fields and identify which crops are healthy and which need help."=

November 19, 2009=

UAS not ready for civi= lian airspace, FAA says

FAA Administrator Rand= y Babbitt has told the Aerospace Industries Association during a speech in Phoenix that unma= nned aerial systems (UAS) aren¹t ready for ³seamless or routine use&su= p2; in the civilian airspace system.

Babbitt¹s speech confirmed AOPA¹s stance that UAS must be able to ³sense and avoid² other aircraft and noted two committees that the association is participating in to oversee how the vehicles will fit into the national airspace system. AOPA has been actively advocating on behalf of members on = the UAS issue for many years.

³The issue here stateside is safety, and it is rule number one for everyone in the NAS,² Babbitt told the audience. ³And being abl= e to see-and-avoid is a fundamental part of that rule.² Pilots have express= ed safety concerns to AOPA about the ability of the UAS to sense-and-avoid.

³We can¹t gi= ve you the thumbs up,² he said bluntly. He noted t= hat UAS are the wave of the future, and designers of the next generation air transportation system are considering unmanned aircraft.<= /p>

³While the UAS is undoubtedly the way of the future, my concern must be on today, and right n= ow, the era of the unmanned aircraft system in civilian airspace is just not he= re yet,² Babbitt said.

Babbitt also explained= the catastrophic ramifications of an accident between a UAS and manned aircraft= .

³We know the head= lines following the helicopter accident over the Hudson on Aug. 8. That was followed by = two Congressional hearings and calls to immediately shut down all traffic over = the Hudson or sharply = curtail these operations,² Babbitt said.=

&s= up3;Now can you even imagine if one of those aircraft had been an unmanned system?<= /span> With the headline: ŒUnmanned robot plane crash kills 9.¹ How d= o you think the Congress would react to that headline‹after they confirmed = my replacement?²

Babbitt said in fiscal= year 2009 there were 20,000 UAS flights in civilian airspace for a total of 2,500 flight hours, and that the number of such flights approved by the FAA has tripled since 2007. But he said sense-and-avoid systems must improve before= UAS are granted routine access.

The flights were either conducted in restricted areas or in limited cases by certificate of authorizations with highly restricted limitations (line-of-sight operations= at very low altitudes) in order to safeguard pilots flying in the national airspace system.

³Given that unman= ned aircraft are becoming the method of choice to conduct mapping, fire detecti= on, scientific missions, weather mapping, volcanic sampling, search and rescues, disaster response and security surveillance, the need for standardized regulations has never been more paramount,² Babbitt said.

His blunt message seem= ed to indicate there is industry pressure to put UAS into the broad national airs= pace system immediately, and that there are markets waiting for that to happen.<= o:p>

³To assist and be= ready for UAS reaching maturity, we have special program offices in our aviation safety and air traffic organization, military and other government organizational liaisons for UAS. We are doing what we can to help get you to market. My senior executives in Aviation Safety and Air Traffic, including = Hank Krakowski, our COO, are meeting with the govern= ment executives that operate UAS in Dallas as we speak,² Babbitt said. He added that U= AS are at the same point as jet engines when they were first coming into use.=

November 19, 2009=

Drones take flight at Dugwa= y

by Jamie Belnap

Sep 24, 2009 |= 1109 views | 0 | 1= 4 | |

AeroVironment Inc. flight = test operator Jason Rohr launches an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Wednesday morning= at Michael Army Airfield on Dugway Proving Ground.=
- photography / Maegan Burr

slideshow

Unmanned aircraft te= sting in the county’s west desert will bring 250 new jobs

While the presence of Dugwa= y Proving Ground is already visible on the world’s battle fronts as a result of the chemical and biological testing that determines the reliabili= ty and survivability of all types of military equipment, it will soon be known= for another reason entirely.

Military dignitaries broke ground Wednesday morning on a new Rapid Integrat= ion and Acceptance Center to the west of the installation’s Michael Army Airfield. The center will be used for the development and testing of Unmanned Aircraft Systems [UAS], which are sent overseas to provide soldiers with an aerial view — via video feed = 212; of combat situations.

“What is happening here is not the core mission of Dugway,” said Major General Roger Nadeau, commanding general of the U.S. Test and Evaluation Command. “But it very much belongs here.”

Dugway was selected after a year-long search fo= r a location where the Army could consolidate UAS project efforts going on at various military bases across the country. It was selected as a front-runner because of its large unrestricted airspace, unprecedented 10,000-foot long runway and lack of radio frequency interference that may be present in more populated areas.

“We can accelerate interoperability by having all the equipment and t= he experts in one place, to test to improve, to deploy,” said Col. Grego= ry Gonzalez, project manager for the UAS program.

Gonzalez said what’s unique about the program is that new technologies are often determined by the warfighters themsel= ves and not high-ranking military officials.

“Who knows better the tools needed in the theater than the warfighter serving there today,” he said. ̶= 0;If a soldier says ‘Col. Gonzalez, I need to fly more air vehicles at the s= ame time with just one ground system,’ then it becomes my job to figure o= ut how to make that happen. I should tell you that it doesn’t bother me a bit to have those young soldiers tell me what to do. It is my pleasure to t= ake those orders and deliver what they need.”

Not only will the program’s relocation to Dugway= benefit soldiers, it will also be an economic boon for the surrounding community, Gonzalez said.

“This will bring in up to 250 total contractors and government workers from both the local community and other locations,” he said.

Dugway Commander Col. William King echoed Gonzalez’ view saying more jobs means more money spent locally to boo= st the economy.

“Having the UAS program come to Dugway is strategically and economically smart,” he said. “The local economy benefits with the influx of UAS employees= who live and spend their paychecks in the region, and the hiring of additional local contractors to support the programs. This is a win-win for all.”= ;

The first drone to relocate to Dugway was the S= hadow, which made the transition in June. Gonzalez said other drones will arrive i= n December or by late spring 2010.

Aircraft tested at the new center will range from those with 55-foot wingsp= ans that can operate as high as 25,000 feet, fly all day, and weigh 2,350 pounds down to the Raven, which has a wingspan of 4.6 feet, can reach 4,000 feet a= nd weighs a mere 4.2 pounds. These varying characteristics allow for the diffe= rent needs of soldiers to be met, whether flying into uncharted territory or marching in with 100 pounds of gear on their backs.

Smaller drones are launched with only the fling of a human arm, while heavi= er and bigger craft are sent airborne via a sling shot-type launching device. Smaller drones aren’t equipped with typical landing gear and instead break apart when making contact with the ground, but are easily reassembled= in a minute or less. After launch the drones are piloted remotely with hand-he= ld video gear.

“Any time you can do anything unmanned we protect our special resources,” said Brigadier General William Crosby, UAS program execut= ive officer. “Those resources are our soldiers.”

Crosby said Dugway&= #8217;s location along the original Pony Express trail makes for an interesting comparison between times when riders wrote history as they blazed new transcontinental roads and the new technologies being developed today.

“In the same pioneering spirit those passionate and dedicated riders served their country, we serve our country and our war= fighter today,” Crosby said. “The RI= AC will allow us to serve our soldiers faster and that’s what they deserve.”

While there’s no absolute time period for how long testing and development of military drones will take place at Dugw= ay, Crosby said it is likely to maintain a l= ocal presence for years to come.

“This is not a drive-by fielding,” Crosb= y said. “When we made this decision we knew it would be long term.̶= 1;

On hand to take part in the ground-breaking ceremony, Utah Lt. Gov. Greg Be= ll said he was proud to be present in the west desert when Dugway was putting Utah<= /st1:State> on the map.

“It’s quite touching and overwhelming that we are going to these ends to protect our [soldiers],” he said. “It is a brave new wo= rld out there with lots of risks. We have to be out there and we have to be qui= ck. Thanks for cutting the red tape and making this happen.”

Jamie Belnap: jamieb@tooeletranscript.com

CONGRESS EYES NEW LEGISLATION FOR UAS FLIGHTS IN CO= NUS AIRSPACE

Inside the Air Force - 8/14/2009

House and Senate conferees plan to meet after t= he August recess to hash out new legislation that will allow both military and commercial unmanned aerial systems to operate in the national airspace.

Competing versions of federal guidance for UAS operati= ons in the continental Unit= ed States were included in House and Senate versions of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. The f= ull House approved its version of the bill May 2. The full Senate has yet to vo= te on the bill.

Members in both chambers “tried very hard to rea= ch a pretty balanced approach” in terms of the implementation deadlines proposed in the bills, according to a congressional source.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon h= ave had a longstanding relationship on issues concerning UAS military operation= s in national airspace, the source said. Currently military drones are allowed to fly in the CONUS within restricted airspace, outside areas where commercial aircraft fly. But if approved, the bill would be the first time overarching federal guidelines would be put in place that allow manned and unmanned air= craft to occupy the same airspace.

While a marked improvement from the current rules on military and civilian UAS operations in the CONUS, DOD may still have to ad= here to restrictions, even if the new guidelines are approved by Congress, the source said.

“Department of Defense rightly wants to be able = to use these things [in national airspace]. They have seen the advantage of them o= ver combat zones, and they want to be able to leverage what they have learned a= nd utilize it here,” the source said. “And FAA, rightly, says, ‘Wait a second, totally different airspace, totally different mission.’”

The debate between DOD and FAA “is going to take awhile, and it is not going to go exactly how DOD wants it,” accordin= g to the source.

“They are going to have to cooperate. They are g= oing to have to figure out how to move forward,” the source added.

But staffers in both chambers “have heard good things” from industry officials regarding language included in both bills, the source said, adding that FAA has not been “highly critical” of the mandates being proposed.

The House version, the more detailed of the two bills,= calls for a “comprehensive plan to safely integrate” UAS platforms in= to the national airspace.

As part of that plan, members of the House Transportat= ion Committee are calling for a research and technology review “that will assist in facilitating the safe integration of commercial unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system,” the House version states.=

The review will provide recommendations and “def= ine acceptable standards” for UAS certification, licensing and registrati= on to fly in the national airspace.

Those recommendations will include guidance on needed technologies enhancements “to effect the safe and routine operations” of UAS platforms, and plans for a “phased-in approach” and associated time line to integrated UAS aircraft into the national airspace, the House bill states.

However, the transportation secretary can determine a specific UAS is not fieldable prior to the plan’s completion, but also must develop new requirements to allow th= at aircraft to fly in the CONUS, the House proposal states. The House bill also requires the secretary to develop test ranges for other governmental agenci= es “to test and operate unmanned aircraft systems.”

If approved, the plan will be due to lawmakers not lat= er Sept. 30, 2013, according to the House language.

The Senate bill proposes a “pilot project”= to facilitate UAS operations in unrestricted airspace. Specifically, senators = want FAA to establish two national test sites as part of the pilot project by 20= 12.

Future UAS testing at the sites will help establish processes “to develop certification, flight standards, and air traffic requirements” for CONUS operations, and leverage current “resea= rch and development activities” by NASA and DOD on military and civilian unmanned aerial systems, the Senate bill states.

The source predicted elements of the more detailed Hou= se proposal would be included in the final legislation.

“There are deadlines, but they are not totally o= ut of whack with what FAA can possibly do,” the source said of the House language. “I do not think that this is going to be a big, controversi= al issue. I think everyone wants to address it . . . I would think [they] woul= d be able to pretty quickly come to a resolution on it.”

The bicameral backing for mandates of some sort repres= ents the growing recognition that military -- and eventually commercial -- UAS operations in national airspace are inevitable, the source opined.

“This is coming, we better do it and we better d= o it right,” the source said of that recognition among lawmakers. “Y= ou can keep everyone safe if you don’t let anyone fly, but that is not g= oing to work.”

The Air Force’s recen= tly released UAS “flight plan” called for a new concept of operatio= ns for sense-and-avoid capabilities for unmanned aircraft by the third quarter= of 2010, as reported by Inside the Air Force.

Capt. Bob Dishman, program= manager for the Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance UAS, said the sea ser= vice is also looking at implementing the same technology into its BAMS fleet, du= ring a briefing at an Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference in Washington.

The capability allows unmanned aerial drones the abili= ty to safely fly in the same airspace as manned aircraft.

The technology is a key prerequisite for allowing UAS flights in non-restricted airspace.

The creation of FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Program = Office (UAPO), and the inclusion of military officials from DOD, Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security, represents a “huge step for FAA,R= 21; the source said of the interagency participation within the UAPO. Further, members of a recent interagency task force, consisting of representatives f= rom Air Force, FAA and the DHS are mulling operational plans for the use of UAS= in national airspace (see related story).

“Clearly FAA is starting to get the message,R= 21; the source said. -- Carlo Muñoz <= /p>

AIRFORCE-20-32-15

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Other news

UAVs in Alaska

http://www.anchoragepress.com/articles/2009/08/19/news/d= oc4a8ca62373b5b538281429.txt

Shepard Unmanned Systems M= agazine – August/September 2009 (click on the page to enlarge, click again to shrink)

http://mags.shephard.co.uk/uvonline/2009/issue5/pageflip.= html?ntp=3D197@403@74428

FAA and UAV’s

GE Aviation, FAA to research next-generation air traff= ic control systems

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/08/10/daily14.html

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