Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

or

How I learned to stop

worrying and love drones!

Dr. Charles O’Neill

Aerospace Engineer, UA Professor, Pilot

charles-oneill.com or aerofluids.com or aero.ua.edu

Brief History of Drones

Kettering Bug (1918)

Cruise Missile – 75 mi

Walden Aerial

Torpedo (1915)

German Mistel 4s (1945)

FW190 on Ju88

Project Aphrodite

U.S. B-17 (1944)

Ryan Firebee

(1955 – 2003)

Target & Scout

D21 Recon Drone

Aerial Launch from SR-71

(1969 – Cancelled 1971)CC

Brief History of Drones

MQ-1 Predator

(1995)

• Engine from manned

experimental/sport a/c

• Missiles from helicopter

Griffon Aerospace Outlaw-Seahunter

(present)

• Redundant, modular, 2kW

• Huntsville, AL

http://griffon-aerospace.com/

Public domain

Brief History of Drones

DJI Phantom (present)

The archetypical “drone”

• Commercial Quadcopter

• Camera on Gimbel

• Radio link to iPhone

• 30 minute flights

• Tracks objects

• GPS navigation system

• ~$1500By Marco Verch (DJI Phantom 3 Professional Drohne) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Technology driving Drones/UAVs

Micro Electro-Mechanical Sensors

High Capacity Lithium Ion Batteries

Microprocessors (low weight and power)

Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio Systems

Brushless Electric Motor & Speedcontroller

Blade Nano QX

$60

0.58 oz (~ 3 US quarters!)

Stability Augmentation System

National Airspace System (NAS)

The FAA owns the sky.

• Airports

• Navigation

• A/C Separation

Different “classes” of

airspace:

• B = Big (Atlanta)

• C, D are controlled

near airports

• E, F controlled

• G = Go for it!

Operation of UAVs in the NAS• Hobby: Model Aircraft

• Academy of Model Aircraft

• 55 pound limit

• NO commercial/paid flights

• Commercial

• Section 333 Exemption (expensive, difficult)

• Single aircraft & single location (draconian)

• Private & Commercial

• New Part 107 Rules (21st June 2016)

• Significant development for U.S. flights

• Military & Special Rules

• Not discussed here.

Part 107 (Operation)• Requires certified pilot but NOT certified aircraft

• Line of sight (Mark I eyeball)

• Below 400 feet AGL or within 400 feet of structure (!!!!)

• Less than 100 mph groundspeed

• Less than 55 lbs

• Class G airspace with zero communications. All others

require Air Traffic Control clearance/communication.

• No interstate flight.

• Must report damage over $500.

• … several other minor points….

• FAA will waive restrictions if safe flight in NAS can be

demonstrated.

• Commercial and Paid Flights

Part 107 (Certification)

“Remote Pilot Airman Certificate”

• Existing Part 61 pilots (Sport, Private, …, ATP)

• Fast track. Show recent flight review. Small online quiz

• Zero cost

• Non-pilots

• Training aeronautical knowledge course at an FAA

training center (Abe at Tuscaloosa Airport’s General

Aviation Center)

• TSA Background check

• 16 years old

Usage and Potential

Shelby Hall, The University of Alabama

3D Mapping and Surveying

LIDAR scanning

Payload: 15 lbs

Aerial Tracking of Aircraft Test Flight

Video: http://tiny.cc/SPA-aerial-raw

UA soccer field

The Future of Drones

• 101 year anniversary of the Fokker Scourge (1915)

The machine gun interrupter changed the nature

of aerial warfare.

• Micro components and high density batteries are

changing the nature of aerial flight.

• Drones will fight drones. Ruthlessly.

• Dystopian? Utopian? Drones are just a tool for the

human mind.

The Future of Drones

“Watchbirds” (1953) Robert Sheckley

“Overhead, a Hawk was zeroing in on a watchbird.

The armored murder machine had learned a lot in a few

days. Its sole function was to kill. At present it was impelled

toward a certain type of living organism, metallic like itself.

But the Hawk had just discovered that there were other

types of living organisms, too—

Which had to be murdered.”

Dr. Charles O’Neill

aerofluids.com

aero.ua.edu

oneill@swissmail.org

222 Hardaway, UA

(617) 449-8206

This presentation will be available at:

http://tiny.cc/Civitan-Drone

Contact: