UAS Unmanned Aerial
Systems 'Pilot'
UAV Blog #1 September 24, 2013
”The Quiet Eagle” Barry Brush Capt USAF Ret
Like an eagle,
tomorrow's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) will be at one with the sky. Quiet,
high flying observers searching diligently for their prey. Whether assigned to
monitor the outbreak of a virulent influenza, forest fire or diverted to
optically track and/or attack a public enemy; their efficiency can bring
us solstice or angst. One thing is for certain. Their efficacious use
falls upon us. They already proliferate the skies of our planet and we are
hurried to maintain control of their ethical use and our safety beneath them.
Last year Congress passed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. It
set the clock ticking toward the day when unmanned
aircraft systems (UAS's) must be integrated into the national
airspace. The primary focus of the Act is our safety here on the ground in the
unlikely but eventual mechanical failure of a UAS and how to avoid harm to life
or property 100% of the time. The target is September 30, 2015, now just a
little more than two years away. What does this mean for you and me? How
will decisions being made now affect our lives and those of our families in the
years ahead? Considerations as to the ethical use of UAV's
for surveillance and the potential for abuse of privacy are not
addressed in the "FAA Reform Act" yet seem to have grabbed
center stage in the public eye. Judiciaries in some states have made knee-jerk
decisions to ban the use of UAS's. The debate is heating up as more and more
citizens become aware of the looming deadline. Will UAS's be a boon like
the Internet or will they infect our society like a plague. Can we
live with them? Can we live without them?
Let’s take a closer
look..... Follow "The Quiet Eagle" to find out more. NEXT: "What
are some of the applications for UAS’S?"
Here captured on video is a view of the first carrier takeoff and landing of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator aboard the USS George H.W. Bush at sea about 4 months ago. Operational readiness is projected for 2018.
http://youtu.be/kw3m7bqrQ64
