Originally published at: Poll: How Can Manned Aircraft and BVLOS Drones Share Airspace?
How should manned aviation be protected as drones increasingly share low-altitude airspace?
Collision avoidance technology for BVLOS drones is not adequate yet. Integrated LIDAR, visual, IR, ultrasonic and radar are necessary but data interpretation algorithms need to advance more to detect conflicts. A lot more unbiased testing by 3rd parties is needed for public safety. BVLOS drones need to avoid airports within 5 miles where manned aircraft are below 500 AGL for takeoff and landing. The stakes are much higher for manned aircraft than they are for unmanned drones so manned aircraft should have right-of-way priority.
This requires technical analysis to see whether existing technology is suitable for the operation.
- Drones are invisible around corners and between buildings, popups will be a bigger issue.
- they operate much closer to each other than airplanes, is GPS resolution and accuracy adequate?
- A new WAAS scheme will be needed for multiple ref stations providing coverage around corners.
- what is the saturation point before drone ADS-B congestion starts causing packet collisions and multiple retransmits, affecting latency for commercial and GA traffic?
- Maybe a new low level localized grid (like Roomba uses) in areas where GPS signals are blocked or only poor satellite configuration is available.
I commonly fly below 400 feet AGL for oblique landscape aerial photography over sparsely populated areas maintaining a horizontal separation of at least 500 feet from any person, vehicle, vessel, or structure (14 CFR § 91.119(c). I see and avoid. Pilots are taught from the beginning the importance of “See and Avoid” so as not to hit another airplane, terrain, bird, structure or other object. The FAA has built 70+ years of collision avoidance policy around the idea that pilots must see and avoid other aircraft and other stuff regardless of equipment. “See and Avoid” is a statutory requirement for crewed aircraft. It is not optional. It applies even when ADS B, TCAS, or other electronic conspicuity devices are installed. ADS B, Remote ID, or DAA sensors do not replicate human visual scanning. FAA publications repeatedly emphasize the limitations of human vision but still require it. The FAA has never removed the pilot’s duty to visually avoid other aircraft. Even IFR pilots in VMC must see and avoid. Even ADS B equipped aircraft must see and avoid. How will BVLOS see? How will it see a flock of waterfowl?
There was a report of an Amazon drone colliding with a building recently. If an unmanned drone can’t see and avoid a building, how are drones going to be able to avoid manned aircraft? If required to use ADS-B are they going to be able to receive both ADS-B frequencies in the US? Remember most light aircraft below FL180 use the UAT frequency, not the 1090 frequency that bigger planes have that can fly up high. Wait until a drone hits and brings down a C172 full of youngsters, into a school in session. Or worse an airliner flying a ILS approach into LA where you would be flying over buildings lower as you get closer to the runway. The lawyers will have a feeding frenzy of lawsuits over these!
There are rumors that some electric auto autodrive systems are actually manned remote workstations. Perhaps this is the plan? 14 yo kids on monitors in in a third world trying to see what the drone misses and avoid your NORDO J3 cub?
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