UAS Crewmember/Operator Requirements

What do you think are the most important factors when selecting, certifying, and training UAS Operators?

            There are many important factors that must be considered when selecting people to become pilots.  These factors, while similar to the criteria for manned aircraft pilots, do differ in several key areas due to the different stress areas that UAS pilots experience.  In a study by Androse et al. (2014) it was determined that there are 115 skills, abilities and other characteristics (SOACs) that are essential components for good UAS pilots.  The primary area that these SOACs differ from what would be required for a manned pilot is in the medical component.  Because UAS pilots are not subjected to the physical stresses of flight (g-forces, altitude, etc) their physical resiliency does not need to be as stringent as manned aircraft.  While it is still important for them to be physically fit and healthy, their bodies do not need to be able to handle the rigors of strenuous flight.  Additionally, because UAS pilots utilize computer screens and monitors for most operations, near-vision, as opposed to distance-vision is the most important.  This means that the requirement for eyesight in UAS pilots can be reduced, especially for those that struggle with far-sighted vision issues.  Of note, this is focused on medium and large UAS, not small UAS that many hobbyists and commercial UAS pilots utilize (Part 107 does not specify any medical requirements for UAS under 55-pounds besides being “in a physical and mental condition to safely fly”) (Certificated, 2019).

How much does the size and capability of the UAS drive the requirements for crewmember/operator qualification?

            Size, capability and complexity are all very important considerations when determining the number of crewmembers required and the level of training they must receive.  In general, capability and complexity go hand-in-hand, and as one increases so does the other.  As these capability increases, and thus complexity, it become harder for a single crewmember to operate the UAS.  For these reasons, many of the larger UAS utilize multiple crewmember to ensure safe and efficient operation (Bailey, Kramer, Kennedy, Stephens & Etherington, 2017).  In general, as size, capability and complexity increase, it can be assumed that training requirements will also increase.

How much training do you think is required to safely operate a UAS in the NAS?

            The amount of training required for the safe operation of UAS would be difficult to quantify, as there are numerous unknown and varying factors that would go into the designing of a training syllabus and practice.  However, as a benchmark to start from, the current training process for Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Pilots takes about one and a half years to complete and consists of initial flying training in a single engine propeller aircraft and instrument training in a T-6 simulator (Air Education, n.d.).  Pilots are then sent to their Formal Training Unit where they learn the MQ-9 and learn how to fly it using simulators and live flights (Aitoro, 2017).  While this would surely not be the requirement for all UAS platforms, it can serve as a starting point for designing training plans.

References:

Air Education and Training Command Flying Training. (n.d.). Retrieved May 7, 2019, from https://www.aetc.af.mil/Flying-Training/

Aitoro, J. (2017, August 08). From the sponsor: The progress and challenges in RPA pilot training. Retrieved May 7, 2019, from https://www.defensenews.com/smr/unmanned-unleashed/2017/04/07/from-the-sponsor-the-progress-and-challenges-in-rpa-pilot-training/

Androse, M., Barron, L., Carretta, T., Kirkendall, C., Stewart, J., & Williams, H. (2014, December 12). Selection of UAS Personnel (SUPER) Phase I Report: Identification of Critical Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics and Recommendations for Test Battery Development. Retrieved from https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a613545.pdf

Bailey, R. E., Kramer, L. J., Kennedy, K. D., Stephens, C. L., & Etherington, T. J. (2017). An assessment of reduced crew and single pilot operations in commercial transport aircraft operations. 2017 IEEE/AIAA 36th Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC). doi:10.1109/dasc.2017.8101988

Certificated Remote Pilots including Commercial Operators. (2019, February 26). Retrieved May 8, 2019, from https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/