UAS integration in the NAS

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or more accurately called today Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have been developed in the military and are used heavily in war zones by the Department of Defense, according to the FAA website.  Not until recently did they venture into the general aviation part of the national airspace system (NAS).  The FAA has had to play a little bit of catch-up in order to stay up with these new demands.  They have has a lot of help from the interest group "Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International" (AUVSI).  The FAA has already streamlined the process for public agencies to fly safely in the NAS by use of the 2012 FAA re-authorization bill.  The FAA re-authorization bill mandates that UAS's are to be safely integrated into the NAS by 2015.  There have been a lot of recent interests to use UAS in other facets such as for customs and border patrol, and weather services or disaster area coverage that are of public usage. 

The UAS will be taking numerous roles in aviation that will certainly alter the landscape of general aviation in the U.S.  Can you imagine a UAS going into large storms and keeping track of exactly whats going on, or to have UAS patrolling the border and have a constant look out to protect the borders?  The UAS involvement in the NAS will force some procedures to change and safety standards are certainly going to be very high with this new technology entering the general aviation public.  A large focus of the FAA with the newest technology in the NAS is safety.  This should come as no surprise since this the main focus of the FAA.  UAS's will be required to be at least as safe as the rest of the general public while maintaining operations.  UAS's have successfully been able to use ADS-B, which is a cornerstone to the next gen system that is to be fully implemented by the year 2020. 

I think that UAS's will certainly take off and do some things publicly, however I also foresee any large accident or incident that occurs with a commercial flight to cause a lot of public distraught.  This can force either the FAA or if serious enough Congressional attention that can lead to another 1,500 total time rule being put through.  UAS's could certainly do a lot of good things for the aviation sector.  On the negative side they can cause some pilot's to lose jobs to UAS pilots.  The next five years are going to be very interesting for UAS's.  It will largely depend on how the implementation of the rules go for the FAA and the safety standards set forth by those using UAS's within the National Airspace System in the United States.

How does it affect myself?  Well UAS's will be altering the fabric of general aviation in the United States.  It might eventually alter things with commercial aviation, but I'm sure that will not be for a long time.  No matter how I approach my career I will have to find a job in the general aviation sector in order to build up hours to go after a position I want.  Although there are not a lot of operations currently under way in the Michigan, Ohio, or Indiana area where I will be trying to get a job, they very well could begin to have a lot of operations.  It depends on if any company finds a good use for them in our area.  If I get a position in Arizona, Florida, or Texas there are a lot of operations that could affect my operations.  I think the FAA will integrate UAS's into the NAS over time in an appropriate fashion and continue to correct any errors that occur in the process of integration.