UASE 638

     This week's discussion topics talk about hazards and risks for UAS operations, tools to mitigate Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations, and how human factors have contributed to UAS mishap and accident rates.       A few hazards and risks to UAS operations are: Collisions Mainly other aircraft and terrain Can be $$$ if colliding with property such as cell towers, antennae, other expensive equipment. Loss link Can result in a collision Weather Can result in equipment loss/damage Human Factors Pilot experience Aeronautical Decision Making Beyond Visual Line of Sight or BVLOS operations present increased risk in accidents happening. Tools can be used to mitigate BVLOS risk and accidents: Thorough planning of the flight Extensive research of the flight area Terrain, obstacles, and human activity Weather Make sure it's in the operation area, and not simply at home. Make sure it's for the time period the flight is scheduled for. Pilot health Sleep well...

Describe the levels of automation and how they are applied to UAS operations:      As touched upon in UASE 501, one example of the classification of the levels of automation in UAS operations is described in Wang & Liu (2012). The paper presents 3 different tables of 3 different methods to classify automation. The first is the Sheridan's method which is the most general in terms of application. It can be for UAS, or Mars Rovers, or an assembly line. The second method was developed by NASA for High Altitude Long Endurance or HALE UAS. The last one is developed by Draper Laboratory for UAS operations.      Are there different considerations for crewed versus UAS operations when it comes to UAS? Why or why not? I think there are different considerations. For example, a crewed aircraft by definition carries humans on-board, meaning there is a safety consideration for those on-board as well as those on the ground. Also, for crewed aircraft, they have the saf...

 This week's blog post will discuss these three topical points.  Which OTC medications do you think pose the  most significant risk  to UAS operators? Why? What do you think are the  most effective mitigation strategies from a human factors perspective  that operators can use when conducting UAS operations? Describe how  fatigue  and  stress  affect the safe operation of UAS.      To address the first point, according to Chapter 17: Aeromedical Factors in the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (2003), some of the most common OTC antihistamines and decongestants have high probability to cause dangerous side effects for UAS pilots such as drowsiness and decreased cognitive capability. But, all medications, OTC and prescription, have pros and cons: there will always be side effects. It is up to the pilot (and potentially their doctor) to judge how severely those side effects will affect them and their ability to compe...

This week we learned about Risk Management and ADM, or Aeronautical Decision Making. ADM is a systematic way of making decisions in the air. To help with this, we can look at human factors that effect decision making, such as being Anti-Authority, Impulsive, feeling Invulnerable, being Macho, or Resignation. In order to make sure you avoid falling into these behaviors, you must first recognize your own behaviors and take conscious action to change them.  Something that stood out to me for Risk Management was the table/matrix you can use as a guide.  This table was Table 2 from Chapter 2 of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. This stood out to me because in Mechanical Engineering Design, you use a similar guide to come up with failure modes and how likely and severe they will be. I suppose now that I'm typing and thinking things out, it does make sense that the two would be similar, as they are both forms of risk management.  Some unique human factors challenge...

This week we learned about UAM, UTM, and NextGen. I'll give a quick summary as a refresher for the reader. UAM = Urban Air Mobility. These are aerial vehicles for use in urban areas, acting as either cars, taxis, buses, or potentially even ambulances and police vehicles. There are many companies developing products to fill and expand this niche that is currently occupied by rotary wing aircraft, aka helicopters. UTM = Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management = UAS Traffic Management. This is a collaboration amongst the FAA, NASA, and other federal and private actors to research how to manage operations, communicate, and track UAS operations in airspace where Air Traffic Service is not provided by the FAA. NextGen = Next Generation Air Transportation System. The FAA is upgrading the NAS, or National Airspace System, to handle the increased demand, as well as new capabilities involving UAS and other non-traditional aviation uses.  What do you think are the greatest challenges for ...

 The UAS design/assembly part of the lab was actually fairly well made. The UI is simple and easy to understand and use. However, I do also have some gripes. Why is it that the payload capacity is so easily exceeded on the Rotary Wing UAS?  I have the bare bones of a motor, flight controller, IR sensor, GPS module, and 25% fuel capacity and I'm just barely under the 2800 grams of payload capacity. Adding a battery, or altimeter, or generator would make it overweight. I only noticed this issue after assembling and trying to fly this thing the first time. I couldn't get it to move past 1 m/s and was so confused. For the Performance section, I'm fairly satisfied with how the simulator runs. The UI emulates the kind of visuals you would see on a real UAS I think. However, the joystick control for the operation of the gimballed cameras is a little bit unwieldy when using a keyboard and mouse. If the camera optic was linked directly to mouse movement like in First Person video ga...