UAS in the NAS - ASCI 530 4.5 Research Blog

ATC needs to be able to communicate with the UAS controller whenever the UAV is in controlled airspace.  Since the UAS controller is on the ground, and most likely not in line-of-sight communication with ATC the UAS could be used to relay the communication to the ground controller via satellite communications (Pongracz & Palik, 2012).  This would allow direct communication with the UAS controller and it would be similar to contacting an on board pilot. Of course, this only works for larger UASs, most notable military controlled UASs that have access to satellite communications.

 

According to the Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 14CFR 91.111(b) “the operator of an aircraft must maintain vigilance so as to see and avoid other aircraft. The operator must also give way to other aircraft if they have the right of way”.  Since a UAS cannot see to avoid it needs to “sense and avoid”.  Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is used to broadcast to ATC the position, altitude and velocity of an aircraft. Having ADS-B built into a UAS would enable ATC to locate the UAS, any aircraft or person with an ADS-B receiver and let the UAS know of other aircraft in its vicinity and it could navigate to stay clear of the manned aircraft. A company called uAvioni has released a line of small ADS-Bs that could easily be fitted into a small UAS, some of these are only an inch by an inch in size (ADS-B Transceivers, n.d.).   

PrecisionHawk has developed Low Altitude Tracking and Avoidance System, or LATAS. LATAS is “onboard system that provides flight planning, tracking and avoidance for every drone in the sky using real-time flight data transmission based on existing world-wide cellular networks” (Say Hello, 2015).  LATAS uses existing cell towers to transmit a UAVs location to ATC, which would relay that position to pilots in the area. This is a small bit of electronics, about one inch by two inches, that can be added to any UAV during manufacturing. 

(Say Hello, 2015)

These are some options for controlling a UAS in the national airspace. As with all aviation it takes skilled people, on the ground, in the tower or in the sky to make it all work safely. Even with sense and avoid systems in place, aviation personnel will still need to remain vigilant and aware. 

  

References

ADS-B Transceivers, Receivers and Navigation Systems for Drones (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/company/uavionix-corporation/

Say Hello to LATAS (January 09, 2015). Retrieved from http://www.precisionhawk.com/media/topic/say-hello-to-latas/