HEAR about PG&E’s UAS program


Pacific Gas and Electric flies 75 to 90 sUASs daily from its fleet of 200 for infrastructure inspection and wildfire mitigation. (PG&E Photo)


works if all aircraft in the system have the same responsibil- ity to see/sense/detect and avoid all other aircraft,” he says. The risk to manned aircraft from UASs operating with a


blanket right-of-way could be substantial: some low-altitude, larger commercial UASs can weigh more than 1,400 lb.— about the same as a light sport fixed-wing aircraft—while several models of manned, single-engine helicopters are in the 3,600-lb. range for maximum takeoff weight. Even a small UAS of the hobbyist variety can cause


significant damage when it collides with a helicopter, as documented by accident reports, including a Robinson R44 that was hit by a drone at 180 ft. over Daytona, Florida, last December, a drone that collided with a helicopter in February 2020 over a California off-road race, a Los Angeles police helicopter that was hit by a drone in September 2020, a drone that struck a news helicopter over Los Angeles in 2019, and a US Army Black Hawk that was struck by a 3-lb. DJI Phantom IV over New York City in 2017. In 2021, the FAA received 2,596 pilot reports (PIREPs)


of sightings and near-misses between UASs and manned aircraft—all taking place in a regulatory framework where UASs cannot legally fly beyond the sight of their remote pilots without a waiver. What will the low-altitude airspace look like when more UASs are flying BVLOS? Amazon Prime Air has already obtained FAA permission for BVLOS package-delivery flights on a limited basis. The company says it intends to deliver 500 million packages via UAS every year by 2030. VAI also strongly objects to establishing shielded areas


around obstacles and critical infrastructure as proposed in the ARC’s recommendations because of the dangers cre- ated for manned aircraft operating in those areas. Martino says there are places where shielded operations make sense, such as inside powerplant cooling towers or under bridges, because a UAS in those scenarios is flying in unoccupied airspace. However, Martino points out, shielded areas as proposed


by the ARC would establish 100-ft. zones around critical infrastructure in which manned aircraft would be required to give way to UASs, regardless of maneuverability criteria. This, he says, is simply unworkable, in part because “critical infrastructure” is a broad category that includes farm fields, waterways, highways, railroads, power lines, and Internet T-1 lines—16 categories in all as defined by the US Cybersecurity


and Infrastructure Security Agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security. While stressing that it fully supports integration of UASs


into the NAS, including BVLOS operations, VAI reiterated its objections in a late-September 2024 position statement. In addition to the issue of shielded operations, the statement


proposes: ▪ BVLOS rules must consider the needs of current low- altitude airspace users, which include firefighting, aerial application, law enforcement, search-and-rescue, and utility patrol and construction missions. (VAI notes that in 2023 alone, air ambulances conducted 130,000 off-site landings.)


▪ The right-of-way rules contained in 14 CFR 91.113 should not be changed.


▪ The FAA should create performance-based standards for BVLOS detect-and-avoid requirements.


▪ All aircraft platforms should maximize their ability to be seen, sensed, or detected by visual, electronic, or other means.


DEC 2024 POWER UP 45


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