UAV's in the Civilian World

     Multiple opportunities exist for civilian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations, such as aerial videoagraphy and filming, along with different types of surveying.  The FAA will approve Hollywood's request to use drones for filming, government and industry sources familiar with the process have told Forbes (McNeal, 2014).  It's practical to mention that we will see this develop wider in civilian areas in the near future.  However, there are UAV civilian areas that are currently being utilized and doing quite well.  Handwerk (2013) mentions in an article that today only government agencies, some public universities, and a handful of private companies hold the few hundred existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) permits to fly private drones.  But the Federal Aviation Administration is set to further open skies to commercial UAVs by 2015 and expects to see perhaps 7,500 in the air by 2020.  Discussions have generated that scientists might use UAVs for research purposes in the future.  In addition, hurricane hunting, which recently had a large sum of money put toward experiments, monitoring wildlife populations, mapping roads and wetlands for land management purposes, are a few more areas that are currently being utilized with UAV technology in the United States.  Kharif (2013) states in an article that congress has directed the Federal Aviation Administration to develop a plan to integrate drones into U.S. airspace by 2015 and to move faster on standards for drones weighing less than 55 pounds.   

     Unmanned aircraft are currently flying in the National Airspace System (NAS) under very controlled conditions. Operations potentially range from ground level to above 50,000 feet, depending on the specific type of aircraft.  However, UAV operations are currently not authorized in Class B airspace, which contains the highest density of manned aircraft.  Obtaining an experimental airworthiness certificate for a particular UAV is currently the only way civil operators of unmanned aircraft are accessing the NAS.  Currently, Certificates of Waiver or Authorization are available to public entities that want to fly drones in civil airspace (McNeal, 2014).  The FAA says that commercial operations are authorized on a case-by-case basis.  The FAA is working with civilian operators to collect technical and operational data that will help refine the UAV airworthiness certification process.  The agency is currently developing a future path for safe integration of civil UAV into the NAS as part of NextGen implementation.

     The United States first used UAVs, "drones", for battlefield reconnaissance.  Modern American combat drones were first utilized during Desert Storm, or "the first UAV war", which was from the development of the Hunter and the Pioneer.  According to a 1993 congressional report from the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, "The Pioneer unmanned aerial vehicle provided substantial imagery support to Marine, Army, and Navy units during Operation Desert Storm.  They were so good many more could have been used" (Miller, 2013).  The 9/11 attacks accelerated development for drones in the war on terror.  Shortly after 9/11, the first operational armed strike by an UAV took place in Afghanistan.  Since that first attack, the use of armed drones has risen dramatically to the point where drone strikes are now a common occurrence in battlefield settings.

     UAV development is without a doubt a growing industry with dependable opportunities, which would make this the right time to get in.  Until recently, the military has been the only provider to offer UAV pilot training.  With the rapid growth of UAVs and the massive list of potential civilian uses, there is no way that personnel coming out of the military pipeline can fulfill all of the industry demand for UAV pilots.        
                   

References

Caroll, J.  (2013, June 7).  Vision Systems Design.  Five ways UAVs are being used by civilians.  Retrieved from http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/2013/06/five-ways-uavs-are-being-used-by-civilians.html

Federal Aviation Administration.  (2014, January 6).  Fact Sheet - Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).  Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=14153

Handwerk, B.  (2013, June 6).  National Geographic.  5 Surprising Drone Uses (Besides Pizza Delivery).  Domino's delivery may be a farce, but drones are set to become common in american skies.  Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/06/130606-drone-uav-surveillance-unmanned-domicopter-flight-civilian-helicopter/ 

Kharif, O.  (2013, November, 1).  The Washington Post.  As drones evolve from military to civilian uses, venture capitalists move in.  Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/as-drones-evolve-from-military-to-civilian-uses-venture-capitalists-move-in/2013/10/31/592ca862-419e-11e3-8b74-d89d714ca4dd_story.html

McNeal, G.  (2014, September, 23).  Forbes.  Drones are coming to hollywood:  faa set to announce approval for use in filming.  Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2014/09/23/drones-are-coming-to-hollywood-faa-will-announce-approval-this-thursday/

Miller, J.  (2013, August 19).  Strategic Significance of Drone Operations for Warfare.  The growing strategic significance of drone operations for warfare.  Retrieved from http://www.e-ir.info/2013/08/19/strategic-significance-of-drone-operations-for-warfare/