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British Chief Constable: UAVs are cheaper and more efficient than manned aircraft

Both the Daily Mail and the Independent have both reported that Chief Constable Alex Marshall has stated that it would be a cheaper and more efficient to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or so-called drones rather than manned aircraft to police British skies. Specifically, the Chief Constable stated:

We don’t use them in mainstream policing at the moment but they may well offer something for the future. They can stay up longer, they’re cheaper, they can do things that you can’t do having people in the air.

However, he was quick to add that:

The debate that still needs to be had – it might be cost- effective, you might be able to keep it up longer, but is it acceptable to the citizens of the UK to have them in the air?

Of course, its not acceptable to privacy advocates who worry about “Big Brother” watching them (then again, “Big Brother” is already watching you if you are in Central London…) and currently the only UAVs or drones approved for use are small radio-controlled devices that are only allowed to go up to 400 ft in the air and up to 1,600 ft away from the on-ground “pilot” who must maintain visual contact with them at all times. There are also potential issues with operating UAVs or drones when civilian aircraft are around.

Hence, we want to know what any UK based pilot reader thinks about the use of police UAVs or drones in British airspace: Should they be allowed and if so, what restrictions (if any) should be place on their usage? Feel free to tell us in the comments section.

As UAV and drone use is set to rise in British airspace, here are the current rules

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has told BBC Newsnight that large unmanned drones or UAVs could be flying in British skies by the end of this decade and that they have already handed out 120 permits to fly small, lightweight drones. And while the merits of allowing more drones in British airspace can be debated, what’s clear is that its already legal to fly one if it weighs less than 20kg and flies more than 150 meters from a congested area.

However, there are exceptions and certain rules that must be followed. To begin with, using drones for any commercial activity (like aerial photography) will require permission from the CAA with permission already having been given for inspecting power lines and doing crop surveillance as well as for police use. Moreover, direct visual contact with the drone is required at all times.

If the drone is larger than 20kg, the CAA will need to approve its use the same way that commercial aircraft is approved for use in British airspace but the CAA has also made it clear will not approve such drones until it is convinced that they can automatically “sense and avoid” other aircraft. So far, that’s also the missing link in drone technology.

However, critics also say that the general public is unaware of just how quickly the drone market is developing and the consequences of that development. Over in the USA, the FAA has predicted that by 2017, 10,000 unmanned commercial aircraft will be flying over American airspace – a trend that has already led to campaigns to make some cities “drone free” as well as plans for a privacy bill that would require operators to inform the government of just what data is being collected.

In the UK, the BBC quoted privacy campaigner Chris Coles (who runs the Drone Wars blog, which looks to be more of a blog against the use of drones in warfare) as saying that very few members of Parliament are talking about drones and that no proper discussion or debate is happening yet in the UK.

Hence, what do you our readers think about the coming increased usage of drones in British airspace? Moreover, should drones larger than 20kg be allowed – even if they have “sense and avoid” technology?

Get ready for British robotic pilots

If you think British aviation innovation is a thing of the past, think again. Richard Gray, the Science Correspondent for The Telegraph, has written an interesting article about his experiences as the one of the first members of the public to fly aboard an aircraft with a robotic pilot that’s part of a UK government and industry initiative. The aircraft is being tested in British airspace to see how well the robotic pilots can detect and avoid another small aircraft that’s flown towards it on a collision course.

Thanks to on board cameras, the robotic pilot system is able to pick up fast jets, parachutists and even birds. It can then quickly calculate the course these threats are on and determine the chances for a collision.

Richard wrote that during five or six simulations, the robotic pilot was able to bank the aircraft gently to avoid having a collision. In fact, the closest the aircraft came to having one was 1,200 feet.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail recently had an article about BAE System’s Mantis fighter jet that will be able to fly on its own for 24 hours with neither a cockpit nor a pilot on board.

Flight tests are set for next year and if everything goes according to plan, it could mean the end of British fighter pilots along with conventional aircraft like the F-35. In other words, too much British aviation innovation is a bad thing!

Drones attack and perform the James Bond theme

The capabilities of drones or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) has become truly amazing. In fact, they can even be programed to perform the James Bond theme song!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sUeGC-8dyk&w=480]

According to the caption on Youtube:

Flying robot quadrotors perform the James Bond Theme by playing various instruments including the keyboard, drums and maracas, a cymbal, and the debut of an adapted guitar built from a couch frame. The quadrotors play this “couch guitar” by flying over guitar strings stretched across a couch frame; plucking the strings with a stiff wire attached to the base of the quadrotor. A special microphone attached to the frame records the notes made by the “couch guitar”.

None of these flying drones are being controlled by humans but rather they have all been programed to play the instruments.

The stunt was put together by Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, which is also the home to some of the most innovative robotics research on the planet with much of the research coming out of the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab. Moreover, two engineers from Penn, Daniel Mellinger and Alex Kushleyev, have apparently already formed a company called KMel Robotics that will design and market these quadrotors.

Hence, orchestra musicians beware: You may soon face some quadrotor competition for your orchestra seats!

The drone wars are beginning…

The US Congress has recently approved legislation to allow unmanned aviation vehicles (UAV) or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to have greater freedom over US airspace rather than just along the Mexican border and within restricted airspace. However, both Max Trescott and David Cenciotti have noted on their respective blogs the potential safety nightmare for general aviation pilots when the use of drones becomes more widespread.

Nevertheless, David’s post did a good job of explaining how drones were used both safely and effectively in the recent air operation over Libya. In fact, they operated very much like normal aircraft to the point that their controllers would ask ATC for clearances to change altitude or to cross controlled airspace.

On the other hand, Max noted that so far, there has been at least one mid-air collision involving a drone and a normal aircraft. Specifically and in August 2011 over Afghanistan, a 450-pound UAV hit a C130 cargo plane – causing damage to the aircraft and forcing an emergency landing (the UAV was destroyed).

Moreover, a recent ABC News segment has noted that military drones are already being used by everyone in the US from real estate agents to paparazzi – leading to both safety and privacy concerns:

Apparently though, most other countries still limit the use of UAVs in their airspace with the UK providing a small area over the Irish Sea for the training of UK personnel on WatchKeeper and other systems.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what specific rules the FAA comes up with for UAVs and just what ordinary people end up using (or abusing)them for.

The Firebird OVP: One cool aircraft

Hat tip to Blake from the Fly With Blake blog for posting a picture of the Firebird OVP – one cool looking aircraft that can also fly with or without a pilot too. That’s because its from a whole new class of aircraft called Optionally Piloted Vehicles (OVPs). In other words, it’s a UAV where a pilot is optional.

According to a recent article in GizMag, Northrop Grumman’s Firebird is designed to be a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance aircraft that will help military users gather real-time high definition video, listen in on communication signals and view infrared imagery. The Firebird also has a wingspan of 19.8 meters (65 feet), is 10.3 meters (34 feet) long and 3 meters (9.7 feet) high plus it can fly at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet for 24 to 40 hours (depending upon its configuration). However, it’s the manned or unmanned flight option that really sets the Firebrand apart from similar aircraft.

And if you want to see more pictures of the Firebrand, be sure to check out the image gallery on GizMag.