The specific
needs for the operations of the Insitu Scan Eagle and the General Atomics
Ikhana are somewhat different. Currently
both of these systems are military platforms that are being operated worldwide
by the Army and the Air Force respectively.
With that, the required crew positions, qualification, certification and
training that are currently in use can be used as an outline for this new
company which will be referred to as Company-X.
Being that these aircraft are operationally different it is important to
separate the requirements. However for
the sake of simplicity I will only discuss the flight element and therefore
will not include all supporting elements.
First looking at
the General Atomica Ikhana, which is a MQ-9 Predator B modified for use in
environmental research and observation. Outside
of system modifications, an increased redundancy in flight systems and
improvements is performance the functionality remains the same. The Air Force utilizes a two crewmember
concept for their MQ-9 operations; the pilot and sensor operator (this doesn’t
include maintenance, or the ground element teams required for takeoff and
landings). Currently they restrict both
the pilots and sensor operators to either Rated Officers which consist of both
Pilots or Combat System Operators (CSO) or officers who attended the
Undergraduate Remotely Piloted Aircraft Training (URT) which is the direct
method of training ("Pilot:
Remotely piloted," ).
Currently the AF is not permitted enlisted members to act as pilots and
sensor operators due to the complexity of the airspace in which the aircraft
would be flying in. For example, pilots
will be required to communicate with air traffic controllers, other airborne
assets, as well as be able to understand the complexity involved with flying in
a dynamic environment. For this reason,
it is wise to assume that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will
require drone pilots to hold the same certificates as a commercial and
instrument pilot in manned aircraft (Pew,
2013). Therefore Company-X should
also have operators that hold the same aeronautical certificates. More than likely the best way to insure these
aeronautical certificates is to hire pilots, prior MQ-9 pilots or create a
training program that fulfills this. What
is interesting to note is that recent studies are indicating that pilots from
manned aircraft who transition to remotely operated vehicles tend to perform
worst that those who have only flown remote aircraft (Pew, 2013). The basic belief for this has to do with the
limited physical and visual cue a remote pilot has versus those from manned
aircraft. This is known as a negative
transfer. A good program to model after
outside of the military is NASA whom also uses the Ikahana variant (Merlin, 2009). In
either case for non-prior pilots, typical training consist of basic flying fundamentals
similar to those given to manned aircraft pilots, followed by MQ-9 operations
and regulations in simulations and concludes with hands on practical experience
with the aircraft itself (Insinna,
2014). Each pilot and sensor
operator will be required to maintain a Second Class medical clearance as
outlined by Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 67
(5b). Other considerations are the
minimum requirements that all candidates for pilot/sensor potions should be
held to, starting with clean background for security clearance eligibility (as
required), a college degree or specific training in remote operations and
finally no permanent disqualifications for aviation services.
Ikhana, summarized:
·
Crew
Positions:
o
Two
crewmember concept; pilot and sensor operator for the flight operations.
§ This does not
include any ground personal required for maintenance or ground operations prior
and after flight.
·
Qualification,
certification and training requirements:
o
Hold
a commercial and instrument pilot equivalent rating.
o
Basic
flight training, system operations using simulators, and hands on practical
experience using the MQ-9 aircraft.
o
Second
Class Medial for commercial applications of a UAS
·
Minimum
standards for applicants:
o
Clean
background (for potential security clearance)
o
Bachelor’s
degree or training in remote operations
o
No
permanent disqualifications
The second is the Scan Eagle, which is
significantly smaller than the MQ-9 and somewhat less advanced in terms of
sensors; however the requirements are somewhat the same. For starters, the Scan Eagle also consist of
two “flying” positions; pilot and sensor operator. Again this does not include any ground elements. Yet because the Scan Eagle operational range
and altitude is less the pilot requirements can be less than the pilots of the
MQ-9. The Army currently does not have a
requirement for “rated” officers only; rather they permit an enlisted member
assigned to a specific career field.
This however does not mean there is a change to the qualifications. Although the Scan Eagle pilots do not attend
a formalized pilot training course at the manned pilots, they are required to
attend an in-depth 33 weeks course (10-weeks of Basic Combat Training; 23-weeks
of advanced individual training) followed by on-the-job instruction ("Unmanned aircraft systems," ). In regards to Company-X, a similar course to
that of the Army can benefit the company.
By not requiring the exact same type of training as the MQ-9, Company-X
can reduce the cost not only in the training but also in the cost in
operations. Also like the MQ-9, the
training requirements will include currency programs to maintain safety as
mandated by the FAA (Mirot, 2013). The FAA regulations also call for
pilots/operators to have a minimum of 3 take off and landings per 90 days (Mirot, 2013). However the Scan Eagle is unique in that the
system utilizes a hydraulic launcher and a “sky” net to capture so the typical
takeoff and landing are not in the traditional terms. None the less this does not negate the requirements
but instead only modifies the understanding of what takeoff and landings
means. In terms of medical requirements,
the Scan Eagle is only requiring a Second Glass medical certificate as outlined
by Title 14 of the CFR, Part 67 (Mirot,
2013). Finally, like the MQ-9,
Company-X will need to have applicants who have a clean background for potential
security clearances, and again no permanent disqualifications for remote
operations.
Scan Eagle, summarized:
·
Crew
Positions:
o
Two
crewmember concept; pilot and sensor operator for the flight operations.
§ This does not
include any ground personal required for maintenance or ground operations prior
and after flight.
·
Qualification,
certification and training requirements:
o
Basic
flight training, system operations using simulators, and hands on practical
experience using the Scan Eagle aircraft.
o
A
second class medial certificate for commercial application of a UAS.
·
Minimum
standards for applicants:
o
Clean
background (for potential security clearance)
o
No
permanent disqualifications
Reference
Insinna,
V. (2014, December). Predator, reaper crew training at all times high as demand
continues. National Defense, Retrieved from http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2014/December/Pages/PredatorReaperCrewTrainingatAllTimeHighAsDemandContinues.aspx
Merlin, P. (2009). Ikhana unmanned aircraft system western
states fire missions. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, Retrieved from http://history.nasa.gov/monograph44.pdf
Mirot,
A. (2013). The future of unmanned aircraft systems pilot qualification. Journal of aviation/aerospace
education & research, 22(3),
19-30. Retrieved from http://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1317&context=jaaer
Pew, G. (2013, April 26). The
drones are coming: Who will fly them?. Retrieved from http://www.avweb.com/news/avtraining/drone_pilot_training_forecast_uas_208586-1.html
Pilot: Remotely piloted aircraft pilot. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://afreserve.com/jobs/officer-positions/pilot/remotely-piloted-aircraft-rpa-pilot
Unmanned aircraft systems operator (15w). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/transportation-and-aviation/unmanned-aerial-vehicle-operator.html
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