UAS Integration in the NAS
Radar
systems have long been used in the United States to safety control the
movements of aircraft within the National Airspace System (NAS). However, with
air traffic increasing in the NAS, the FAA has deemed it necessary to continue
development of the Next Generation Air Traffic System (NextGen). NextGen has
been in the works for many years, but as time passes, the potential benefits of
NextGen continue to push the FAA to finish this new system. NextGen is not a
single system; it is made of a series of initiatives that will make the NAS
more efficient and safe (Houston, 2016). NextGen was formed in 2000 and
officially started in December of 2003. NextGen was designed to be a
multi-agency, multi-year modernization of the current, outdated air traffic
system (Houston, 2016). The NextGen air traffic system has many benefits. These
benefits include better travel experiences, fuel savings for operators, a
reduction in emissions due to more direct routes, reduced separation between
aircraft due to more accurate systems, reduced congestion, better
communications across the NAS, easy access to in flight weather information,
and improvements for on board technology (Houston, 2016).
Automatic
Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a critical component of the NextGen
system. ADS-B will affect all segments of aviation. ADS-B will allow pilots and
air traffic control to review real time information regarding the airspeeds,
headings, altitudes, and other information of various aircraft equipped with
ADS-B. With ADS-B, pilots and air traffic control will receive continuous
updates from air traffic, allowing pilots and ATC to have unprecedented amounts
of situational awareness (NextGen, 2016). With real time updates on other
aircraft, both commercial aviation and general aviation will become safer.
ADS-B for general aviation will provide pilots with traffic updates, in flight
weather information, and access to flight information services. The national
airspace system (NAS) is experiencing growth at a rapid rate; ADS-B will
increase safety and airspace efficiency for aircraft flying within the national
airspace system and for aircraft flying into controlled airspaces. ADS-B will
improve safety on the ground and in the air. This technology will also reduce
costs for operators due to more direct routing and will also reduce harmful
effects on the environment (NextGen, 2016).
UAS
integration into the NAS is already beginning. UAS have become a large part of
military and government operations, ranging from the Department of Defense and
Homeland Security to all branches of the military for surveillance and bombing
missions. UAS are also becoming popular for non-military operations. These
operations include border patrol, search and rescue operations, flooding impact
studies, and even for erosion and crop damage control (Paczan et al., 2012).
Currently, UAS are not to be flown for commercial operations, but UAS operators
can operate under a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization. In 2011 Customs and
Border Protection utilized the surveillance abilities of the MQ-9 Predator-B to
seize more than 7,600 pounds of illegal narcotics (Paczan et al., 2012).
UAS
within the NAS will require special considerations based on data communications
and enhanced automation systems. With the NextGen system, there will be
enhancements to the two way data communication links shared between aircraft
and ATC. Data communications have been designed to provide pilots and ATC with
routine and strategic information that will impact the various phases of flight
(Paczan, Cooper, & Zakrzewski, 2012). Benefits to data communications
include greater amounts of information displayed for pilots in the cockpit, new
sophisticated automation tools, smarter, more efficient coordination between
ATC and pilots, and less congestion on ATC frequencies (Paczan et al., 2012).
Automation systems will streamline operations between ATC and pilots. Automation
systems will be critical to the safety of UAS within the NAS because controller
workload will increase as the ratio of UAS to manned aircraft increases (Paczan
et al., 2012).
UAS
integration into the NAS will face several challenges. Detect, sense, and avoid
technology is still rather new, but with ADS-B becoming a requirement for
manned aircraft by 2020, ADS-B has been identified as a solution for UAS within
the NAS. The limitation for ADS-B usage is that any non-participating aircraft
flying within the NAS will not be seen by other aircraft equipped with ADS-B.
If UAS are required to have ADS-B, other operators and ATC will have more
control over the safety of the NAS. Another challenge for integration of UAS
into the NAS will be based around flight plans. Flight plans are an integral
component of air traffic operations within the NAS (Paczan et al., 2012). Flight
plans allow controllers to safely and effectively manage the various classes of
airspace within the NAS. When UAS are being integrated into the NAS, specific
contingency routes must be considered before flight. In the event of an
emergency, where should a UAV operator fly the unmanned aircraft? Contingency
routes are normally pre-programmed into the flight computers on the aircraft,
but with unmanned aircraft, there could be hundreds of specific contingency
routes. Paczan et al., (2012) suggest having a storage mechanism in place to
maintain all contingency routes for a UAV. These routes would have to carry
specific activation conditions in the event of an emergency.
There
are other human factors considerations that must be researched before UAS can
be integrated into the NAS. This author believes complacency and lack of
awareness will be human factors that may play a role in future UAS accidents.
Complacency occurs when routine activities become habitual; tasks that are
repeated on a daily basis become “easy” and therefore the operator will use
muscle memory to fly the UAV. Simple flight routes that are flown repeatedly
will cause the operator to become relaxed rather than being alert (The Human
Factors, n.d.). Complacency can also occur after a near miss or recovery from a
potential disaster. The relief that will be felt by an operator after a
potential accident can result in a state of relaxation and reduced situational
awareness (The Human Factors, n.d.). In addition to potential accidents, too
little pressure can also cause complacency. Too much stress causes fatigue, but
too little stress causes complacency. Therefore, some stress can actually be
beneficial to the operations of UAV operators.
Lack
of awareness is also a potential hazard to UAV integration into the NAS.
“Working in isolation and only considering one’s own responsibilities can lead
to tunnel vision; a partial view, and a lack of awareness of the affect our
actions can have on other and the wider task” (The Human Factor, n.d., para.
29). Lack of awareness can lead to unnecessary stressors, an increase in the
levels of fatigue, and loss of situational awareness, increasing the chances
for an accident. While ADS-B will increase awareness for manned aircraft,
unless UAVs within the NAS are required to have ADS-B, UAV operators will not
be as aware as they should be. ADS-B will also only allow operators to sense
other aircraft with ADS-B technology. Unless there is a mandate to have ADS-B
on UAVs, non-participating aircraft will be a threat to other manned and
unmanned aircraft in the NAS.
In
conclusion, UAVs and NextGen technologies can be integrated to create a more
safe and efficient airspace system for UAV usage. UAV operations will continue
to grow in the United States, and with this in mind, the FAA must continue to
consider how to safely integrate UAVs into the NAS. With ADS-B technology, UAVs
should be able to operate within a section of airspace dedicated to for UAVs.
However, even with NextGen technology, the FAA must consider what regulations
should be developed in order to ensure UAVs have detect, sense, and avoid
technology, particularly for commercial operations.
References
Houston, S. (2016, August 14).
NextGen in a Nutshell: The Next Generation Air Traffic System. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/nextgen-in-a-nutshell-282561
N. M. Paczan, J. Cooper and E.
Zakrzewski, "Integrating unmanned aircraft into NextGen automation systems," 2012
IEEE/AIAA 31st Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC),
Williamsburg, VA, 2012, pp. 8C3-1-8C3-9. doi:
10.1109/DASC.2012.6382440
Next Generation Air Transportation
System (NextGen). (2016, October 26). Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/programs/adsb/
The Human Factors "Dirty
Dozen". (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/The_Human_Factors_%22Dirty_Dozen%22
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