{"id":52638,"date":"2018-06-12T19:41:00","date_gmt":"2018-06-12T23:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-426080"},"modified":"2023-07-26T15:09:32","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T19:09:32","slug":"nasa-flies-large-unmanned-aircraft-in-public-airspace-without-chase-plane-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-flies-large-unmanned-aircraft-in-public-airspace-without-chase-plane-for-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Flies Large Unmanned Aircraft in Public Airspace Without Chase Plane for First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1367\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Aircraft maintenance crews at NASA\u2018s Armstrong Flight Research Center prepare the remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=768,513 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=2048,1367 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=900,601 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=1200,801 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?resize=2000,1335 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Aircraft maintenance crews at NASA\u2018s Armstrong Flight Research Center prepare the remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft for a test flight June 12, 2018. The test flight was performed to validate key technologies and operations necessary for the Federal Aviation Administration\u2019s approval to fly the aircraft in the public airspace without a safety chase aircraft. <strong>Credits: NASA\/Ken Ulbrich<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"NASA\u2019s remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051c.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">NASA\u2019s remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft, based at the agency\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center, is flown in preparation for its first mission in public airspace without a safety chase aircraft. <strong>Credits: NASA\/Carla Thomas<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1367\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Engineers at NASA\u2018s Armstrong Flight Research Center sit in a mission control room to monitor the remotely-piloted Ikhana\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=768,513 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=2048,1367 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=900,601 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=1200,801 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051b.jpg?resize=2000,1335 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Engineers at NASA\u2018s Armstrong Flight Research Center monitor the remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft from a mission control room during a test flight June 12, 2018. <strong>Credits: NASA\/Ken Ulbrich<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>NASA\u2019s remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft, based at the agency\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, successfully flew its first mission in the National Airspace System without a safety chase aircraft on Tuesday. This historic flight moves the United States one step closer to normalizing unmanned aircraft operations in the airspace used by commercial and private pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flying these large remotely-piloted aircraft over the United States opens the doors to all types of services, from monitoring and fighting forest fires, to providing new emergency search and rescue operations. The technology in this aircraft could, at some point, be scaled down for use in other general aviation aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is a huge milestone for our Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System project team,\u201d said Ed Waggoner, NASA\u2019s Integrated Aviation Systems Program director. \u201cWe worked closely with our Federal Aviation Administration colleagues for several months to ensure we met all their requirements to make this initial flight happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flights of large craft like Ikhana, have traditionally required a safety chase aircraft to follow the unmanned aircraft as it travels through the same airspace used by commercial aircraft. The Ikhana flew in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration\u2019s (FAA) Technical Standard Order 211 \u2014 Detect and Avoid Systems \u2014 and Technical Standard Order 212 \u2014 Air-to-Air Radar for Traffic Surveillance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The FAA granted NASA special permission to conduct this flight under the authority of a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization on March 30. The certificate permitted Ikhana\u2019s pilot to rely on the latest Detect and Avoid technology, enabling the remote pilot on the ground to see and avoid other aircraft during the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA successfully worked with its industry partners to develop a standard for Detect and Avoid technologies, complied with the requirements of the FAA Technical Standard Orders, and garnered flight approval from the FAA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ikhana aircraft was equipped with detect and avoid technologies, including an airborne radar developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., a Honeywell Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, a Detect and Avoid Fusion Tracker, and an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast capability \u2013 a surveillance technology where the aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcasts this information so other aircraft can track it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The flight took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and entered controlled air space almost immediately. Ikhana flew into the Class-A airspace, where commercial airliners fly, just west of Edwards at an altitude of about 20,000 feet. The aircraft then turned north toward Fresno, requiring air traffic control to be transferred from the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center to the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center. On the return trip, the pilot headed south toward Victorville, California, requiring communication control to be transferred back to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the return flight, the pilot began a gentle descent over the city of Tehachapi, California, into Class E airspace \u2014 about 10,000 feet \u2014 where general aviation pilots fly. The pilot initiated an approach into Victorville airport at 5,000 feet, coordinating in real time with air traffic controllers at the airport. After successfully executing all of these milestones, the aircraft exited the public airspace and returned to its base at Armstrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are flying with a suite of sophisticated technology that greatly enhances the safety capabilities of pilots flying large unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System,\u201d said Scott Howe, Armstrong test pilot. \u201cWe took the time to mitigate the risks and to ensure that we, as a program, were prepared for this flight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tuesday\u2019s flight was the first remotely-piloted aircraft to use airborne detect and avoid technology to meet the intent of the FAA\u2019s \u201csee and avoid\u201d rules, with all test objectives successfully accomplished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on NASA\u2019s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System project, visit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/go.nasa.gov\/2sx9VCn\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about NASA\u2019s aeronautics research, visit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/aeroresearch\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>-end-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.D. Harrington<br>\nHeadquarters, Washington<br>\n202-358-5241<br>\nj.d.harrington@nasa.gov<br>\nRebecca Richardson<br>\nArmstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.<br>\n661-276-2514<br>\nrebecca.a.richardson@nasa.gov<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA\u2019s remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft, based at the agency\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, successfully flew its first mission in the National Airspace System without a safety chase aircraft on Tuesday. This historic flight moves the United States one step closer to normalizing unmanned aircraft operations in the airspace used by commercial and private [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":46370,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"18-051","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"RELEASE","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[]},"categories":[2867,2660,2874,2855,2826,3306,12738],"news-tags":[12345],"internal-terms":[9514,9508],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA Flies Large Unmanned Aircraft in Public Airspace Without Chase Plane for First Time","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-flies-large-unmanned-aircraft-in-public-airspace-without-chase-plane-for-first-time\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-flies-large-unmanned-aircraft-in-public-airspace-without-chase-plane-for-first-time\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA"}],"creator":["NASA"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Directorates","Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate","Integrated Aviation Systems Program","UAS in the NAS","NASA Headquarters","Aeronautics","Armstrong Flight Research Center","Drones & You"],"dateCreated":"2018-06-12T23:41:00Z","datePublished":"2018-06-12T23:41:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T19:09:32Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA Flies Large Unmanned Aircraft in Public Airspace Without Chase Plane for First Time\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-flies-large-unmanned-aircraft-in-public-airspace-without-chase-plane-for-first-time\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2018-06-12T23:41:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Directorates,Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate,Integrated Aviation Systems Program,UAS in the NAS,NASA Headquarters,Aeronautics,Armstrong Flight Research Center,Drones & You\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"featured_image":{"id":46370,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/18-051a.jpg","title":"NASA\u2019s Aircraft Maintenance Crews Prepare the Ikhana Aircraft for a Test Flight","alt":"Aircraft maintenance crews at NASA\u2018s Armstrong Flight Research Center prepare the remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft","caption":"Aircraft maintenance crews at NASA\u2018s Armstrong Flight Research Center prepare the remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft for a test flight of Ikhana. The test flight was performed to validate key technologies and operations necessary for FAA\u2019s approval to fly the aircraft in the National Airspace System June 12, 2018, without a safety chase aircraft."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/52638"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/52638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":453194,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/52638\/revisions\/453194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52638"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=52638"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=52638"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=52638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}