Fewer restrictions, more close encounters?

A Highly Publicized Case in the Early History of sUAS:

 
Small unmanned aircraft (sUAS) were in the sky prior to completion of the part 107 regulations. This led to many reported incursions in public airspace and concerns about safety.  As an example, see Raphael Pirker's (nickname Trappy) video, compiled as a project paid for by the University of Virginia in 2011.  University of Virginia paid for Pirker's services through an advertising agency hired to create a publicity video.
 

It's the Public Safety...:

University of Virginia Campus.  Trappy's
flights took place over active streets and
sidewalks.

The video is a testament to Mr. Pirker's abilities as a radio control pilot.  For example, he flies beneath pedestrian overpasses and over traffic to create dramatic and very exciting videos of the University of Virginia campus.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), not impressed, attempted to fine Mr. Pirker $10,000 for sale of his services in the public airspace.  Mr. Pirker's lawyer and the FAA agreed to a fine of $1100 in 2015, with no admission of fault or guilt, closing the incident.
Stable and Easy to Fly Does not Mean Safe:
 


The Ritewing Zephyr XL delta wing
(credit:  Ritewing.com)

Mr. Pirker's aircraft (a delta wing RC kit, the Ritewing Zephyr) fit within the weight range that now partially defines the sUAS category (less than 55 lbs), weighing about 5 lbs.  Mr. Pirker's flying skill and first person view (FPV) equipment took the aircraft under pedestrian bridges, directly over cars and, several times, over people who do not seem to be aware that his aircraft was overhead.  Although FAA noted that Mr. Pirker's aircraft flew close to buildings, people and public transportation routes (roads and railways) they ultimately focused on the fact that he made money as a contractor. 

Momentum = Mass x Velocity = ouch!:

 
The people on the ground in the Mr. Pirker's videos were not the first see an sUAS flying (and, in some cases, right at them).  In fact, this is now common.  In recent weeks I saw quadcopters flying over crowds at a local festival, following a water skier in a 20 knot wind over a small lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains and cruising a remote section of the Tahoe Rim Trail. Even though the sUAS that I saw were flying slowly (no more than 20 mph), an sUAS weighing 5 lbs (like Mr. Pirker's) would raise a welt or worse if it went out of control into a pedestrian.    
 

Expect More Sightings:

Expect more sightings as hobbyists and pros take advantage of the part 107 regulations to fly and capture imagery with fixed wing and multirotor sUAS.   

Why did 107 happen, part I?

DJI multirotors as a keystone species:

If there is a keystone species in the push to open up national airspace for small unmanned aircraft, it has to be the DJI quadcopter, beginning with the Phantom series.  DJI (Dà-Jiāng Innovations, based in Shenzhen, China (www.dji.com)) recognized the market for easy-to-fly multirotors when founded in 2006.  DJI sold about one million of their products during the 2015-2016 holiday season and sales continue to be hot. 



Bringing the technology to the user:

As with many amazingly sophisticated technologies (your car, your cell phone, your computer) smart companies take the technology to the user rather than expecting the user to come to, and completely understand, the technology.  The DJI multi-rotors are not simply plug and play (I have seen many crashes, even with by very experienced operators), but they are simple enough to make flying accessible to inexperienced operators.  And, DJI has equipped their multi-rotors with video cameras for the better part of their production history, with first person view options.

The Big Picture: 

A few years ago I visited Utah State University's drone programs, managed in part by the Utah Water Research Laboratory, with a separate exploratory effort managed by Cooperative Extension.  Extension's efforts showed the value of the big picture view, based on a short survey flight to examine turf health and water distribution on the agricultural college quad.  Even a short flight with a DJI Phantom 2 at about 30 feet above ground level showed the value of the quadcopter as a qualitative survey instrument.  This image from October, 2014 (courtesy of Google Earth) shows some of the watering patterns that we saw when we conducted a 10 minute flight.  While observers can see dry spots and patterns in turf by inspection on the ground, short periodic flights can provide physical plant managers with quick, accurate and complete assessments of what happens on the ground.  The key?  Bringing the technology to the user and making sure that the product meets the users needs.  

Inside-out Design:

Utah Water Research Laboratory's effort has become AggieAir (http://aggieair.usu.edu/) and their design and construction philosophy focused first on the payload (cameras and sensors) and next on the airframe and powerplant. This differs immensely from some companies that focus on airframe and powerplant first and work on function, including payload, later.  Successful applications of sUAS technology start from the perspective of solving a problem rather than looking for an application once the airframe and powerplant are perfected. 

Back to DJI:

To me, DJI's approach has been very similar to that taken by AggieAir, albeit for a much broader purpose.  The difference lies in DJI's perfect read of the consumer market.  Although the market was initially depressed by a strict regulatory environment, the recent part 107 rules will boost their sales and make these machines a common sight in our airspace.

In fact, I have seen Phantoms in three places lately that really surprised me--more on that later.

Introduction: Drones for Natural Resources Science and Management

This blog explores applications of small unmanned aircraft (drones, or sUAS) for natural resources science and management.  We will review and summarize work done by graduate students at many institutions who have successfully completed research devoted to using this new tool to add to our understanding of the world.  Unmanned and manned aircraft further our understanding of the world we see and record where we live from a new perspective, only available from the sky above us. 
 Recent changes in rules governing use of drones relaxed restrictions previously imposed by the Federal Aviation Authority on unmanned aircraft in the public airspace.  The immediate outcome?  The new rules, which became effective on August 29 (see https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=86305) will change everything, especially in Class G airspace. 

Prior to August 29, 2016 drone pilots needed credentials and permissions that were simply out of reach of the many who wished us sUAS for research, regardless of the type of airspace.  The new regulations (summarized at http://www.faa.gov/uas/media/Part_107_Summary.pdf) dramatically changed both credentials and permissions needed to fly small unmanned aircraft (defined in part as weighing less than 55 lbs (about 25 kg)). 



Early (2012) fixed wing prototype,
University of Nevada Main Station Farm

The change in regulations represents the start of new era in drone application in the U.S., especially for natural resources science and management.  The western United States has vast expanses of Class G airspace, with the types of natural resources challenges that could
benefit from high spatial and temporal resolution surveys.  Inexpensive, unmanned fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft can enhance our understanding of basic processes and trends in natural resources management and science.  Aerial imagery has been available since approximately 1860, when James Wallace Black photographed Boston, MA from 2000 feet from the basket of a hot air balloon.  



"Boston, as the Eagle and the Wild Goose See It," New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/283189)