UAVs

The use of drones in the United States has grown significantly in the past decade as the technology and popularity continues to grow in the field.  These drones are used for various tasks including recreational use, aerial photography, film making, and surveying.  As the technology continues to grow, it is also becoming more affordable to the average person.  The LA Times reports that drone use is becoming an issue as they note that drone crashes are becoming more frequent (Serna, 2014).  Eric Hansen stated in an article for Outside Online that the United States National Parks Service banned the use of all drones within any of the national parks (Hansen, 2014).  There are little to no regulations on civilian use of UAVs in the United States and this is a growing concern for some.

In order for UAVs to continue to be used by civilians for personal use I feel that they will need to be integrated into the NAS.  As the technology continues to become more advanced, some regulations or restrictions will have to be placed on civilian use.  It is only a matter of time before civilian UAVs become large enough to cause potential harm to aircraft in the skies.  If these UAVs remain out of the NAS, accidents and incidents are practically inevitable.  Communication would be a big potential problem between UAVs flying near airports because of landing and departing traffic. A system would have to be implemented to prevent this issue.  The FAA is already working to propose regulations to attempt to regulate UAVs for the civilian market in order to make the system safe.

The military has seen a large rise in the use of UAVs.  These are very popular in our overseas campaigns to assist the war being fought outside of the United States.  The application of drones for military use is huge since it prevents having to put a human life in the way of danger in order to carry out tasks such as military strikes.  A plan drawn up for the future of the US air force shows a plan to continue to implement more UAVs and fewer manned aircraft as well as aircraft that can enter combat without human intervention (Pappalardo, 2010).  As for cost of military UAV operation, it is much more cost effective.  Given that the new F-35 fighter jet can cost roughly $91 million USD with an operating cost of $16,500 per flight hour.  The Reaper drone used in many attacks in Pakistan has a unit cost of nearly $6.5 million USD plus an operating cost of about $3,250 per flight hour to operate.  This is not to mention the benefit of not putting the pilot in danger during operation.

I found a local position available for a start-up company looking for a software engineer to assist designing algorithms for UAVs that will be designed to assist in disaster relief.  The potential for UAVs is large given they can pretty much replace any job that would require air transportation of goods.

References:

Bennett, W. (2014, September 1). Civilian Drones, Privacy, and the Federal-State Balance. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2014/09/civilian-drones-and-privacy

Ehrenfeld, R. (2015, February 20). Drones in the U.S. National Airspace System. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://acdemocracy.org/drones-in-the-u-s-national-airspace-system/

Hansen, E. (2014, August 20). Drones Grounded. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/gear-shed/design-tech/No-More-Drones.html

McLean, W. (2014, June 25). Drones are cheap, soldiers are not: A cost-benefit analysis of war. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://theconversation.com/drones-are-cheap-soldiers-are-not-a-cost-benefit-analysis-of-war-27924

Pappalardo, J. (2010, February 25). The Future For UAVs in the U.S. Air Force. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a5383/4347306/

Serna, J. (2014, June 21). As hobby drone use increases, so do concerns about privacy, security. LA Times.