USAF Formalizes UAS as a Career Field
 

About time, too -- USAF will need a LOT more UAS pilots in the years ahead:

US Air Force formalises UAS pilot training

From the same web-site....FAA study on UAS in civilian airspace...

FAA, Insitu start 2-yr study on UAS in civil airspace

Curious, what does the training program look like for this new field? How much actual flying do the guys get? Because I know they have to take you up through at least an instrument rating.

The big challenge here is "See and Avoid" which is one of the FAA's safety cornerstones (that's why the pilot is pretty much always faulted in a midair).

There are possible electronic solutions, but that would require that all manned civil aircraft operating in US airspace (including foreign airliners) buy the requisite piece of kit...$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. What do you think the ATA and AOPA lobbyists would have to say about THAT :rolleyes:


Even nextgen ATC and ADS-B was not initially designed to handle UAS operations, and those technologies are nowhere near robust and reliable ennough to replace see-and-avoid.

My guess is that whatever ATC system comes after nextgen will be built from the ground up to incorporate UAS. But in the grand scheme of things UAS economics are small potatoes, and that tail is not going to be wagging the dog anytime soon. My guess? After 2050...

You could probably include UAS in class A airspace now (with some expensive reliability enhancements to the UAS), since theoretically there should be no VFR aircraft relying on see-and-avoid. But the real utility of many civil UAS is low and slow for surveillance so that might not get you a lot of benefit (other than ferry flights for predators and global hawks).

Right now the FAA is very leary when it comes to UAVs in civilian airspace. When we fly them back in the states we have a chase plane off our wing the whole time and have to stay in our own little slice of A/S that the FAA DOES NOT want us out of. Ive heard rumors of more cameras, ADS-B and other ideas. But the issues are very political at this point. Im not sure who got paid off to have the Reaper fly the boarder, but hey its a start.

By the way, and just an observation, ever notice how EVERY UAV gets called predator? Even if its a Reaper, hunter, Scan Eagle, scout, raven, and what ever else have you.

Everyone is getting nervous about UAVs taking manned jobs. But when you look at it, its still a very new and developing technology. Right now they fill a great niche, and can free up other assets to do there job better and more often. But it will be along long while before unmanned airliners and cargo birds are flying around. Maybe closer to 2100. LOL! The public doesn't like us yet, plus after the first UAV airliner or cargo accident it will be over.

Do you like the job? Is it challenging?