UAS Crew Member Selection

UAS Crew Member Selection

Simona Teodorovic

July, 2018 

For safe operation and integration of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS), selecting and employing qualified and competent personnel is crucial. This indicates complying with the regulations set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as obtaining appropriate certifications. 

Both the Insitu ScanEagle and the General Atomics Ikhana have similar features, which keep them in the same category of UASs (United States Air Force, 2011; NASA, 2015). Small and designed for long-endurance, the Insitu ScanEagle flies at low-altitude (up to 10,000 ft). The General Atomics Ikhana is composed for flying at medium-altitude (above 40,000 ft) in Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) conditions. Although some systems that are from the small UAS category do not require more than the operator, the Insitu ScanEagle and Ikhana require a flight crew that comprises out of the pilot, and the operator that oversee the sensors.  

The specific mission these systems are intended to operate is an oceanic environmental study. First, for this type of operation, there would be a need for an airworthiness certificate that would grant the operators a legal and safe entry into the NAS (FAA, 2012). Dividing the two systems and describing them in more detail will give a better preview of the qualifications and requirements needed from the operators of these systems.  

The Insitu ScanEagle UAS requires two operators, one that sets up the flight plan and the other that manages the sensors and payload. Once the vehicle is airborne, the crew reduces to just the operator. The Ground Control Station (GCS) is a “point-and-click real-time control” (Insitu, n.d.).

General Atomics’ Ikhana is derived from the company’s MQ-9 Predator and is constructed to take up to “400 pounds of sensors and over 2000 pounds in external under-wing pods” (NASA, 2017, p. 14). Although similar in category and some features, their operational requirements are dissimilar.

As previously-mentioned, regulators are facing important challenges for safely integrating UASs into the NAS. With this in mind, forming the standards and guidelines operators have to comply with, is not an easy task. Based on the operations these systems are planned on flying, the assumption is that both UASs have a two-person crew. For the individuals to qualify for these positions, they would have to go through six-month basic training for operating the systems. However, prior to enrolling in the training program, there would be a stage of evaluating personalities, characters, and skills. To operate in such a stressful environment, there must exist an abundance of discipline and control.

Currently, it is preferred that operators have no prior aviation-related experience and medical certificates for qualifying. It is proposed that this changes. As equal users of airspace, there should be complacent, similar regulations for unmanned systems operators, as there are for pilots of commercial flights. As stated in the International Civil Aviation Organization Circular Advisory (2012), the “licensing and training requirements will be developed similar to those for manned aviation and will include both the aeronautical knowledge and operational components” (p. 34). Additionally, operators should have knowledge of the principles of aviation.

Many of the specific requirements can be found in the FAA’s Advisory Circular 10A (see Figure 1). However, for BLOS operations there should be added specifications, such as holding a FAA pilot’s certificate for operating in multiple airspace classes, under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and in night time operations (FAA, 2008).

Figure 1 Regulations

The minimal and ideal set of criteria for selecting a qualified UAS operator is widely discussed. However, with the increased use and complexity of each operation, determining one set of standards is challenging. It is evident that there cannot be a universal rule for operating the systems, however, complying with the rules of airspace must be imperative.

References

Federal Aviation Administration (2008). Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations in the United States National Airspace System (Interim Operational Approval Guidance 08-01). Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/DBCERTLab/Downloads/723339.pdf on July 19^th, 2018.

Federal Aviation Administration Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Section 333, 62-68 (2012). Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/uas/media/Sec_331_336_UAS.pdf on July 18^th, 2018. 

Insitu (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.insitu.com/images/uploads/pdfs/ScanEagle_SubFolder_Digital_DU032817.pdf on July 19^th, 2018.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2015). NASA Armstrong fact sheet: Ikhana predator B unmanned science and research aircraft system. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-097-DFRC.html on July 18^th, 2018.   

United States Air Force (2011). Scan Eagle factsheet. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20130710112005/http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=10468 on July 18^th, 2018.