# Presentation: 016727

## Unmanned Aircraft Systems 

-                           Flying into the Future
- Name: Bruce Tarbert, NAS Integration Team Lead Unmanned Aircraft Program Office, AIR-160
- Date:  January 11, 2007

**Unmanned Aircraft Systems **
***Charting the path to the Future***

## 
“... UAs are part of the future of aviation, and that future is on our doorstep right now. The system is in place today to accommodate the entry of new aircraft into the National Airspace System; this is nothing new for the FAA. It is our day-to-day business.”... “The FAA, working closely with the aviation industry, will develop safety standards and operating procedures to ensure their safe integration into the NAS.”

Nick Sabatini,Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety

- “... UAs are part of the future of aviation, and that future is on our doorstep right now. The system is in place today to accommodate the entry of new aircraft into the National Airspace System; this is nothing new for the FAA. It is our day-to-day business.”... “The FAA, working closely with the aviation industry, will develop safety standards and operating procedures to ensure their safe integration into the NAS.”
**   **
**Nick Sabatini,****Associate Administrator ****for Aviation Safety**

**Notes:**
In recent years, unmanned aircraft (UA) were primarily developed and flown by the military services. This is rapidly changing. Interest in using UAs for a broad range of purposes is increasing, not only by U.S. governmental agencies, but also by the civil aviation community. Because of this increased interest and activity, UA access to the National Airspace System (NAS) is a priority.
There are many challenges we must meet before the procedures for certification, licensing, training, inspection, maintenance and operation of UAs are standardized and routine. Further, we must find methods to support the integration of UAs in the NAS without causing delays, capacity reduction, or placing current NAS users at increased risk. The UAPO is responsible to develop the necessary guidance and regulations for UA certification and operation to ensure their safe integration into the NAS.

## Overview

** **Current Status of UAS policy in the NAS
-  Public Users – Certificate of Waiver/Authorization (COA)
-  Civil Users – Special Airworthiness Certificate (Experimental)
-  Standards Development
-  Detect, Sense and Avoid
-  Command, Control and Communications
- FAA  UAS Roadmap
-   Collaborative Partnership Efforts
-  RTCA SC-203
-   Department of Defense
-  Joint Integrated Product Team
-  International Activities

## What is a UAS?

- UAS are aircraft
*Aircraft *means a device that is used or intended to be used for flight in the air (14 CFR § 1.1)
- 14 CFR § 91.203 requires all civil aircraft to have a current airworthiness certificate
- Not just an airframe – it’s a system
- Ground control station
- Communications and Control
- Lost link/comm
- Must comply with 14 CFR § 91

## Approval Basis – Public Aircraft

**COAs for Public aircraft only**
**Airworthiness basis is the responsibility of the Public entity**
**IAW established standards and policy (MIL Handbook 516)**
**COA application process is managed by Air Traffic**
**Web based application **
**Aviation Safety reviews application to determine appropriateness of operational mitigations **

**Notes:**
Proposed Policy has been briefed to AIR-1/AFS-1/ARM-1 and is to be briefed to AVS-1 in the next 2 weeks.  This will remove a significant number of issues from a community that is exploding. 

## Approval Basis – Civil Aircraft

**Special Airworthiness Certificate (Experimental)**
**Defines operational limitations**
**Not used for compensation or hire (14 CFR ****§ 21.191,193,195)**
**Authorizes use:**
**Market share**
**Crew training **
**R&D**
**Three Special Airworthiness Certificates for UAS issued to date**

## Detect, Sense, and Avoid

**TCAS**** a multi-layered approach**

-  **DSA should:**
** ****Provide separation assurance**
** ****Single layer approach**
** ****Both cooperative and non-cooperative traffic**
** ****Standards TBD**

**Notes:**
Complex requirements:
Must work in IFR/VFR; Night/Day; Transponding and Non-transponding; with TCAS Aircraft; with ADS-B; minimal change to existing aircraft;...
Integrated approach to collision avoidance

TCAS – 15yrs, $400m development costs

## Command, Control, and Communications

**Develop Standards and Regulatory framework**
**Ground Control Stations**
**Communication Security**
**Latency concerns**
**Lost Link **
**Must be able to integrate with other NAS users**
**ATC Communications**
**Spectrum Management **
**Bandwidth requirements not yet identified**
**Future allocation **
**RFI, particularly in metropolitan areas**

**Notes:**
HF – lack of human in-the-loop feedback

WRC 210 next opportuniy

## FAA UAS Roadmap

**Outlines strategy and timelines for integration of UAS into the National Airspace System**
**Five year timeline**
**Allows Industry and Government to focus activities**
**Identifies resource requirements and commitments**
**Integrate supporting activities**
**RTCA**
**DoD**
**Other Technical review groups**
**Contract awarded September 14, 2006 to Lockheed Martin  **
**Initial document to be published March 2007**
**FAA Program Office to Sponsor a US Government-wide Conference on UAS to rollout Roadmap**
**Critical to US UAS Stakeholders Collaboration**

## Collaborative Work Efforts  

**RTCA SC-203**
**Chair is Johnny Walker**
**Designated Federal Official is James Sizemore**
**Current activities and milestones**
**The Guidance Material Document – Completed and currently under review of the Committee through the RTCA comment period process. **
**In Final Review and Comment period**
**UAS MASPS / Work Group 1 – This group is responsible for the completion of the GM as well as planning and transitioning of the group to focus on the UAS MASPS. Completion:  2010**
**Command, Control, and Communication (C3) Standards / Work Group 2 – This group is responsible for the development of communication standards that support UAS functions and operational objectives. Completion:  2011**
**Detect, Sense, and Avoid (DSA) Standards / Work Group 3 – This group is responsible for the development of DSA standards that support the safe and efficient operation of UASs within the NAS. Completion:  2011**

## Collaborative Work Efforts – Cont.

**Center of Excellence for General Aviation Research (CGAR) Deliverables**
**FY 06 Deliverables**
**UAS Detect, Sense, and Avoid – CGAR -  Report on Current State of UASs Technologies - University of Alaska – Anchorage and Fairbanks, University of North Dakota, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU)**
**Regulatory Impact Study of UAS -  CGAR **
**-  University of Alaska – Anchorage and Fairbanks, University of North Dakota, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU)**
**Technical Community Research Group (TCRG)**
**TCRG FY 07 Activities (Proposed)**
**UAV Communications, Command, and Control (C3) - ATO Technical Center**
**Flight Termination Technologies and Approaches - ATO Technical Center**
**TCRG FY 08-09 under review to align with Roadmap**

## Collaborative Work Efforts – Cont.

**DoD**** ****Joint Integrated Product Team (JIPT)**
**Centralize DoD’s UAS activities in one area**
**FAA UAPO is a key member of the JIPT**
**DoD Center of Excellence for UAS**
**Air Force Research Laboratory**
**DoD Policy Board on Federal Aviation (PBFA)**
**Expected outcomes**
**Common certification strategy for UAS**
**Plan for incremental UAS access to the NAS**
**Increases as technology improves and data supports it**
**Focused support for RTCA SC-203 workgroups (data)**
**Direct connection to DoD Detect, Sense & Avoid activities**
**Benefits**
**Information sharing**
**Accelerated program integration**

## International Activities

**EUROCAE established Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Workgroup, WG-73, in                        April, 2006**
**Dan Hawkes - Chairman (EUROCONTROL)**
**Doug Davis  - Deputy Chairman (FAA)**
**3 Subgroups formed**
**UAV Operations, Airworthiness & Continued Airworthiness,  Air Traffic Management**
**Goal is to establish performance specifications for UAS**
**Highlighted critical importance of defining operational requirements of “sense and avoid”**
**Promotes early stage international harmonization of UAS policy and guidance**
**Desire is to leverage on RTCA SC-203 work efforts**

## International Activities - Cont.

**ICAO Activity**
- Called a Global Meeting to Determine UAS Interest
- Outcome
- A core group to lead an effort to develop an ICAO paper on status of UAS activity as a “snapshot”
- Will include examples from several states
- Develop draft working paper
- Transport Canada assigned the initial lead, now lead by FAA
- Identify required changes to  ICAO Annexes
- ICAO pressed to begin internal expertise development
- ICAO resources are limited

## Unmanned Aircraft Program Office – FY07

**Doug Davis**
**Manager, AIR-160**

**NAS Integration Lead **
**Bruce Tarbert**

**Administrative**
**(Contract)**

**Airworthiness/**
**Systems Engineering**
**Lead**
**James Sizemore**

**Policy and Regulation**

**Aerospace**
**Engineer**

**Systems**
**Engineers (2)**

**Flight Standards**
**Maintenance**
**Marcus Cunningham**

**ATO Lead**

**Flight Standards**
**Operations**
**Steve Swartz**

**Flight Standards**
**Operations**
**Marcello Mirabelli**

**DoD Liaison**
**LTC Dave May**

**Directorate POC’s**

**Human Factors**
**Engineer**
**Bill Kaliardos/**
**Mike Linegang**

**UAS Software Design**
**Engineer**

**Flight Standards**
**Safety**** Mike Alloco**

**Flight Standards**
**Operations**
**Phil Potter**

**DHS Liaison**
**On duty soon**

- NOTE: projected positions in yellow (immediate) and orange, virtual positions in gray)

**System Safety **
**Assessment**

**Certification**
**Engineer**

**AIR-200**
**Rich Posey**

## Visit our Web Site

**www.faa.gov/uas**