Current Status of UAV's

     The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) has been on the steady rise in recent years. They are used by the military for multiple purposes, and even recreational activity by civilians. As of right now, there is not a practical use for UAV's in the United States. They are used for mainly recreation. You can buy UAV's at electronic or hobby shops. They come in a variety of sizes and have special features that may meet specific needs for the consumer. UAV's are currently under regulation as well. "People can fly model airplanes without restriction, but it is illegal to operate a drone as a civilian above 400 feet and beyond line of sight for any commercial reason unless they have received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration." (Epatko, 2013) The reason that UAV's are required to stay at or below 400 feet is due to collision avoidance with manned aircraft that are in the area. Recreational UAV's tend to be fairly small in size. With that in mind, pilot's may have trouble finding a drone while flying. There also isn't a way for drone pilots to communicate with aircraft pilots. Civilian drones do not come with a headset which would allow you to talk to ATC or aircraft traffic in a given area. Since there is no communication, there is no guarantee of visual separation of aircraft and drones except for the 400 foot ceiling. "Operators must fly under daytime Visual Flight Rules, keep the UAS within visual line of sight of the pilot and stay certain distances away from airports or heliports." (FAA, 2016) This extension to the regulation helps with traffic separation as well. Aircraft operate at very low altitudes near airports, Since drone pilots are not authorized to operate near airports, this also helps mitigate the chances of an aerial collision between an aircraft and a drone. 

     I don't see UAV's being integrated into the NAS fairly soon, but they could be opted in within the near future. Drone pilots in the military are able to talk with controllers and other aircraft they are flying with. On the other side of the spectrum, recreational drones do not have this capability. They are just like any other remote control vehicle with the acception of a camera. There has to be a way for drone pilots and aircraft pilots to be able to call out positions, as well as being able to track drones on radar before they should be able to fly in the national air space.

     Drones have been found to be fairly effective on the battlefield. They can serve simple purposes such as reconnaissance. Pilots can operate drones at the safety of their base, or even be small enough for infantry to carry for scouting unknown areas. "So if you go back to World War II, it took weeks if not, generally, months to go out and conduct the reconnaissance, then do the analysis of the reconnaissance to then determine what it is you wanted to hit. So between the time you acquired a target and hit it - months. In Vietnam, it was weeks. In Desert Storm, it was days. Now you take what's nominally known as the targeting cycle and compress that cycle from months to weeks to days to now single-digit minutes." (Deptula, 2014) UAV's can also serve as support aircraft. The can be outfitted with anti personnel missles to provide support for infantry. I do believe they are used efficiently. They are able to provide support and attack roles without putting lives at stake.

     There are countless number of jobs that a UAV pilots can find themselves in everyday life. Most of these are for aerial photography. Drones enable a quick way to take pictures for planning certain building projects, farmland, etc. Being able to take a small aircraft up for 30 minutes to take a few pictures is quick and easy money. It is also very practical. Although the industry is small, it is also new. There will be a much higher demand for UAV's for everyday business practices in the near future.

Sources:

By The Numbers Air Traffic Plans and Publications Environmental Reviews Flight Information. (2016, March 29). FAA Doubles "Blanket" Altitude for Many UAS Flights. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=85264

Epatko, L. (n.d.). How Are Drones Used in the U.S.? Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/how-are-drones-used-in-us/

How Drones Changed Modern Warfare. (2014, September 21). Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/2014/09/21/350316088/how-drones-changed-modern-warfare