UAV pilots? An oxymoron?

I think it’s reasonable to set a goal to have one-third of our deep strike tactical aircraft remotely piloted within 10 years, and to have one-third of our ground combat vehicles remotely operated perhaps in an equal number of years.

—Senator John Warner, R-VA

What do you think, are operators of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) pilots or not? And do you feel comfortable sharing your airspace with UAVs that are remotely operated? The US Air Force’s primary UAVs are the Predator and the Global Hawk. These aircraft are remotely operated by qualified pilots who once occupied manned-aircraft, normally pulled out of their primary airplane to do a 36-month tour in a UAV. The US Army, on the other hand, trains enlisted non-pilots to fly the Shadow, Hunter and Sky Warrior UAVs. Should the Air Force allow non-pilots to fly UAVs? Do you think that flying a UAV requires the same training and qualification as an FAA-certified pilot? Or is this just a video game which requires a minimal amount of exposure to the typical pilot training courses? Keep in mind that some UAVs, such as the Global Hawk, are controlled by a keyboard and don’t actually have a stick or yoke; its takeoff and landing phases are also completely automated. This ongoing debate is not only present in the military, but in the civilian sector. The MQ-1 Predator is 27 feet long and can cruise at 25,000 feet for more than 20 hours. With its ground control station, it costs $7.6 million. The Reaper is slightly different. It can cruise at 50,000 feet. It costs $13.4 million and unarmed versions (such as the CBP-104) now patrol U.S. borders. You may not have seen a UAV overhead yet, but more are flying with everyday. Capable of orbiting over an area for days instead of just hours, they are being implemented in law enforcement, hurricane hunting (NOAA’s Aerosonde) and fire-fighting (US forest service’s Predator B aka Altair).

On a different note, how do you feel about sharing your airspace with a UAV? Or having a UAV flying over your house? Currently, the operation of UAVs is tightly restricted in the US. They only operate in blocked-off zones known as restricted areas. Under certain conditions, government agencies can apply for a Certificate of Authorization for exceptions. Private operators can apply for Experimental Airworthiness Certificates which have similar restrictions. The FAA has been reluctant to make room for UAVs in the national airspace system. The main concern is midair collisions. Human pilots are required to see-and-avoid other aircraft in many cases, by using their eyeballs and looking out the window. However, I presume these small details will soon be worked out by technology. Simply using a special camera or radar would allow a UAV to identify nearby aircraft, and with better accuracy and confidence level than the human eye. Eventually, we’re left with the same question-do humans trust remotely operated aircraft? And do we trust non-pilots to fly them?

Sources:  http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/12/airforce_enlisted_uas3_122108/ http://www.uavm.com/uavregulatory/pilotcertificationandhumanfactors.html http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj05/spr05/hoffman.html

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4213464.html http://www.jetwhine.com/2009/03/uav-pilot-shortage-military-intelligence/

US Airways Flight 1549, The Hudson Landing

I was watching some of the video recordings made by passengers on US Airways Flight 1549 (Hudson landing) and I was absolutely astonished… the electricity seemed to be working, the flaps were configured and the airplane looked like it was in a somewhat “normal” configuration. Flight 1549 was cleared for takeoff at 3:24:54. Two minutes and seven seconds later the airplane impacted a flock of birds and lost thrust on both engines. Three minutes and twenty nine seconds later the airplane touched down in the Hudson. That’s not a lot of time! Speaking from my experience flying the DC-10, there are a number of tasks that have to be completed to ditch the aircraft after takeoff. If you lose all the engines the aircraft has no source of power until the pilot places the aircraft on emergency power. This restores a limited number of instruments needed to fly the aircraft. The next issue is determining what engines you have left. Looking at the engine gauges you must assess whether they are ‘windmilling’ or if they are seized up. If the engines are not windmilling, you no longer have any hydraulic power. This means your airplane is a rock; you don’t have flight controls. Some airplanes have an Air Driven Generator (ADG) which is a small propeller that hangs down from the bottom of the aircraft. The propeller will spin in the wind and produce electricity necessary to power your auxiliary hydraulic pump. This provides just enough hydraulic power to restore flight controls. What’s next? Well, meanwhile you’re probably declaring an emergency with ATC, looking for a place to land and trying to restart an engine. You also want to start the Auxiliary Power Unit, which is an onboard generator used for backup power. You must also know and fly your best glide speed for your current weight. The gear should be up. The flaps and slats need to be configured to their normal landing position without over-tasking the hydraulic system. After all this, you probably have about 10 seconds to think about how you’re going to land the aircraft in the water with no engine thrust and minimal flight control authority.

As you can see, if you haven’t rehearsed these procedures before, its going to be even harder to do them in three minutes and thirty seconds. One thing that caught my attention during Captain Sullenberger’s interviews was his mention of the training he received which prepared him for this event. I am curious, how often do airliners practice a crash landing after takeoff in the simulator? How often is ditching discussed?

Christina Croy, KC-10 Pilot, USAF