GPS World

Tag: national airspace

  • ICAO requests information on unmanned traffic management systems

    During AUVSI Xponential 2017, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, announced a Request for Information (RFI) on traffic management systems for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

    The RFI is an opportunity for industry and governments to submit ideas to define the issues so that global solutions can be proposed, debated and agreed on.

    As UAS operations become more complex and are increasingly used for both commercial and recreational purposes, UAS traffic management systems, or UTM, are necessary to seamlessly integrate UAS into the airspace and existing air traffic management systems.

    An operational UTM will ensure the safe and efficient use of the airspace as UAS operations become more complex, such as with established navigation routes and point-to-point route segments requiring specific equipage requirements. UTM will integrate UAS into the existing airspace infrastructure to ensure the continued safety of the airspace.

    Any framework for a UTM will include many components, three of which are fundamental and will therefore be addressed as a matter of priority: ​

    • Registration system from which data is accessible in real time to allow remote identification and tracking of each UA, its operator/owner and location of the remote pilot/control station. To accommodate UA that are increasingly transported from one state to another for either recreational or professional use, this database should allow global access.
    • Communications systems for control of the UA and for tracking all UA within the UTM area. The communications system used for tracking UA must be able to identify when a manned aircraft is entering UTM airspace and provide an acceptable level of protection between it and UA operating in the airspace. Furthermore, it must facilitate detection of potential collisions with other UA and with obstacles such that appropriate avoidance action can be taken.
    • Geofencing-like systems that will support automatic updates by national authorities on the 28-day aeronautical information regulation and control (AIRAC) cycle to prevent UA operation in sensitive security areas and restricted or danger areas such as near aerodromes.

    ICAO is soliciting proposals for a global framework for UTM ahead of its Drone Enable UAS Industry Symposium, which will take place in Montreal, Canada, in September.

    “ICAO is the natural agency to be gathering together the best and brightest from governments and industry to define the problem so that global solutions can be proposed, debated and agreed on,” said Leslie Cary, ICAO remotely piloted aircraft systems program manager.

    “Collaboration between stakeholders is key to addressing complex issues such as UTM,” added Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI. “AUVSI is pleased ICAO is taking steps to explore solutions for UTM that will allow companies to operate globally under the same standards, reducing barriers to innovation and improving safety and security for all aircraft – both manned and unmanned. We look forward to working with ICAO to draw awareness and facilitate industry engagement in the RFI process.”

    For more information about the RFI, visit ICAO’s RFI website. Submissions need to be received no later than July 15.

  • Harris offers comprehensive solution for drone safety

    Harris offers comprehensive solution for drone safety

    Harris Corporation has introduced a comprehensive solution to increase the safety of drones and other commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) flying at low altitudes in the U.S. The announcement was made during Xponential 2016 being held May 2-5 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

    Harris’ ADS-B Xtend service provides critical surveillance information to help UAS operators and airspace managers to increase safety of their operations by providing them with a real-time view of other aircraft flying at low altitudes under 500 feet.

    The ADS-B tower with the Xtend antenna. (Photo: Harris Corp.)
    The ADS-B tower with the Xtend antenna. (Photo: Harris Corp.)

    The system supplements the FAA’s existing ADS-B network, which provides precise and reliable satellite-based surveillance for the nation’s air traffic control system. The solution features a networked, dual-band receiver and relay system that can be attached to existing structures or to mobile vehicles for roaming coverage.

    ADS-B Xtend expands the benefits of the company’s existing UAS situational awareness tool, Symphony RangeVue, which provides data for higher altitude flight traffic. Symphony RangeVue puts real-time FAA aircraft tracking data, flexible background maps and weather information in the hands of UAS operators through a web-hosted platform so they can make better informed decisions.

    Data from networks of ADS-B Xtend relays is fused with all FAA system derived real-time aircraft surveillance data from more than 650 ADS-B ground stations with more than 425 FAA radar systems. This unique combination of local infrastructure and NAS surveillance data makes ADS-B Xtend a comprehensive situational awareness solution for the UAS market.

    “Strategically deploying ADS-B Xtend receivers will close gaps in ADS-B coverage, significantly increasing the quality and quantity of data available UAS operators,” said Ed Sayadian, president, Harris Mission Networks. “This will increase surveillance data available to UAS operators and enhance safety and efficiency. ADS-B Xtend is yet another step in our commitment to develop the most comprehensive surveillance airspace data set available.”

  • FAA unveils effort to expand the safe integration of UAVs

    The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is establishing an aviation rulemaking committee with industry stakeholders to develop recommendations for a regulatory framework that would allow certain UAS to be operated over people who are not directly involved in the operation of the aircraft.

    The FAA is taking this action to provide a more flexible, performance-based approach for these operations than what was considered for micro UAS. A UAS is generally defined as a micro UAS if it weighs no more than 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) and is constructed of frangible materials “that break, distort, or yield on impact so as to present a minimal hazard to any person or object.”

    The committee will begin its work in March and issue its final report to the FAA on April 1. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is a participant.

    “The Department continues to be bullish on new technology,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We recognize the significant industry interest in expanding commercial access to the National Airspace System. The short deadline reinforces our commitment to a flexible regulatory approach that can accommodate innovation while maintaining today’s high levels of safety.”

    The rulemaking committee will develop recommendations for performance-based standards for the classification and operation of certain UAS that can be operated safely over people; identify how UAS manufacturers can comply with the requirements; and propose operational provisions based on the requirements. The FAA will draft a rulemaking proposal after reviewing the committee’s report.

    “Based on the comments about a ‘micro’ classification submitted as part of the small UAS proposed rule, the FAA will pursue a flexible, performance-based regulatory framework that addresses potential hazards instead of a classification defined primarily by weight and speed,”said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

    To develop this framework, the FAA is seeking advice and recommendations from a diverse set of aviation stakeholders, including UAS manufacturers, UAS operators, consensus-standards organization, and researchers and academics.

    The UAS registration task force established last October serves as a model for the Micro UAS rulemaking committee.  The committee will be co-chaired by Earl Lawrence, Director, FAA UAS Integration Office and Nancy Egan, General Counsel, 3D Robotics.

    A Q&A PDF provides additional details.

  • FAA, Industry Partners Launch Pathfinder Program to Define UAV Integration into Airspace

    FAA, Industry Partners Launch Pathfinder Program to Define UAV Integration into Airspace

    CNN will use Drone Aviation's tethered drones to gather footage in in urban areas from never-seen-before angles and heights. The company's WATT-200 was unveiled at the AUVSI this week.
    CNN will use Drone Aviation’s tethered drones to gather footage in in urban areas from never-seen-before angles and heights. The company’s WATT-200 was unveiled at the AUVSI this week.

    Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta announced two new initiatives related to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) today at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems 2015 conference in Atlanta, Ga.

    Pathfinder, the first initiative, announced in the morning, is reported here. The second initiative is an app in development to enable drone hobbyists to fly their craft safety.

    Administrator Huerta told the large gathering of national journalists, “The unmanned aircraft industry is changing faster than any segment in the aircraft industry. A new project to harness that energy, the Pathfinder program, is partnering with three leading U.S. companies to expand unmanned aircraft operations in the United States.”

    Photo: Federal Aviation AdministrationThe FAA is working with industry partners on three focus areas:

    • CNN (Cable News Network) will research visual line of sight (LOS) operations for newsgathering in urban areas. CNN will continue working with Georgia Tech University to improve newsgathering for all organizations.
    • PrecisionHawk will investigate agricultural operations for rural areas, flying outside LOS.
    • BNSF Railway, second-largest freight railroad network in North America, will undertake inspection of rail infrastructure, also beyond visual LOS.

    Huerta said that the partners, collectively, “are trying to push the envelope, what can we accommodate, accommodate safely, and what can we learn from that.  We’ll test a little, learn a little, then test some more. How do we see a staged implementation? To integrate unmanned aircraft, but to do it safely, as directed by Congress.  We’re trying to push the edges of what we can allow, working with partners who have specific uses and resources that they will apply to those.”

    When asked for a timeframe to reach  new UAV regulations, he replied, “I can’t comment a lot on the rule itself, but it’s fair to say that in the rulemaking comment process [which closed on April 24], we received more than 4,500 comments. It’s too early to say how those comments will shape what the final rulemaking will take.  Assessment will be done in the coming months, perhaps by the end of the year, but that’s an aggressive timetable. This effort will go on as long as the partners want us to go on doing it.  That’s not accomplished in six months, nor should it take a million years.”

    As to LOS restrictions, and beyond LOS, he replied,  “The framework of the previously published rule was focused on LOS, and on the use of visual observers in addition to the operator.  Now we’re taking the next step, to explore beyond LOS uses. What are reasonable applications for that, and what mitigations for safety should be put in place for that? Everyone wants to get there. It’s important to figure out how we get there safely.”

    What mitigations will be put in place for beyond LOS? A vice president of BSNF Railway said that the company is “working with FAA and several vendors around command and control infrastructure. This is yet to be fully defined.  The railroad is a very safe an unforgiving environment.  This doesn’t replace anything we’re doing today, it’s an addition.” He defined the operating environment as ” a 300 or 400-mile capability, to fly looking for broken rail, etc., beyond the visual, on-the-ground inspections that rail crews already do. ” He anticiated the use of “sense-and-avoid technology [for the UAVs], not using chase planes but perhaps using communications capabilities from cell towers and railway infrastructure along the right of way.”

    The CEO of PrecisionHawk commented similarly, “We’re not changing much of our operational flow, just extending the baseline for it.  We will implement a traffic-management technology, called Lattice, leveraging to ensure safety and reliability beyond the operator’s LOS.”

    Gregory Agvent, CNN’s director of News Operations, said he looked forward to “some camera shots that were previously impossible for us, that now we’re going to be able to do.” Under the terms of the Certificate of Authorization (COA), Agvent said that “We’re capable of doing it [undertaking UAV missions] without asking for (FAA) permission” for specific flights. 

    The three industry participants concurred that they will work with their [UAV] partners in parallel with the rules to develop a certification process, so that the FAA can determine their vehicles are uniformly safe, the same way the y do with piloted aircraft currently. Both the railroad and PrecisionHawk have one currently operating flight platform each, and are looking at others, as theirs do not fit all applications.

    “These are not exclusive [agreements],” emphasized Huerta, “limited to particular platforms or applications. This is a practical research effort to apply, learn, and integrate on the broadest scale.” When asked about possible further participants in the Pathfinder project, Huerta indicated the three companies represented on the briefing platform with him: “They came to us.  You can interpret that as an invitation. We’re casting a very wide net. How do we et to a broader integration and implementation?  We need multiple ways to gather information.”

    Agvent urged, “It’s critical for manufacturers to come to the table, to get certified by make as opposed to individual models, to get free access to the sky.”

    Huerta concluded, “We are learning together, as an industry and as a regulator.  How can we collectively, as an industry, learn more in order to see a much more robust integration of unmanned aircraft into our aviation industry?  We’re all interested in pushing the boundaries, and sharing the information broadly across the industry.”

    The surprise preview of the pending announcement drew scores of curious and concerned industry representatives and exhibitors at the massive AUVSI show, who gathered anxiously outside the press briefing room, to which they were not admitted.

    “The FAA is moving ahead with safe integration of UAS into the busiest, most complex airspace in the world,” according to an FAA statement issued prior to the briefing.”Even as the agency proceeds with rulemaking for small UAS, it continues to look at new ways to foster safe UAS operations by both hobbyists and businesses.”

  • Exelis and FAA Test Sites to Research UAS in National Airspace

    With Exelis RangeVue, a high-performance GIS visualization engine provides real-time updates of critical operational elements.
    With Exelis RangeVue, a high-performance GIS visualization engine provides real-time updates of critical operational elements.

    Exelis has signed agreements with four Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-designated unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test sites for airspace situational awareness and research. The research will focus on using the Exelis Symphony RangeVue sense-and-avoid tool towards safe integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system. 

    Under the terms of the agreements, the test sites will gain valuable real-time and historical situational awareness of the range airspace via Symphony RangeVue, while Exelis gains critical product feedback through operational usage. Participating test sites are:

    • Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range at University of Alaska, Fairbanks
    • Northern Plains UAS Test Site at University of North Dakota
    • Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance at Griffiss International Airport, N.Y.
    • Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership at Virginia Polytechnic Institute

    “The partnerships with these test sites are win-win arrangements,” said Ed Sayadian, vice president of Civil & Aerospace Systems for Exelis. “The test sites receive air traffic control quality surveillance data, increasing safety and enabling beyond-line-of-site operations, while Exelis gains critical product feedback, which will be used to shape and validate our service offerings.”  

    Symphony RangeVue enables UAS operators and test range personnel to have access to both real-time and historical aircraft surveillance information via a web-hosted platform, helping to manage mission operations across multiple locations.

    Symphony RangeVue can be used as command center decision support and post-event analysis tool, or in the field as a sense-and-avoid addition to UAS ground control stations. Flexible geo-fencing tools alert operators when a UAS approaches airspace boundaries or other aircraft are in the vicinity.

    Additionally, Exelis is pursuing research and development opportunities with the test sites exploring detect-and-avoid algorithms; non-cooperative target tracking; command and control systems; infrastructure inspection and monitoring; big data analysis for air traffic; and integration of non-FAA surveillance sources. Exelis will leverage capabilities across multiple test sites for a wide range of operational testing and collection of safety data.

  • FAA Awards Harris $238M Contract for Weather Support

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has selected Harris Corporation for an eight-year, single-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with a potential value of $238 million to design and implement a system that will disseminate real-time, comprehensive weather pictures to all aviation users across the National Airspace System.

    The Common Support Services–Weather (CSS-Wx) program will help minimize flight delays and cancellations by providing additional weather data with increased accuracy to more aviation consumers, supporting real-time operational planning and decision-making.

    “About 70 percent of flight delays are caused by weather,” said Carl D’Alessandro, vice president and general manager, Civil Programs, Harris Government Communications Systems. “The enterprise-wide, data-sharing design of the CSS-Wx solution will reduce these delays, saving the FAA and flying public precious time and money.”

    The Harris CSS-Wx system is scalable, with Open Geospatial Consortium standards for common weather formats, and highly advanced geospatial- and temporal-based filtering methods to process meteorological data. It applies expertise the company has gained from work on mission-critical weather programs for the FAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Defense.

    Harris has a long history of developing and integrating system solutions for the FAA in support of the National Airspace System (NAS). The company is the prime contractor for the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) program, which provides critical voice, data and video communications for NAS operations and mission support functions. FTI securely connects more than 4,500 national and international FAA and DOD facilities, manages over 26,000 services, and supports more than 50,000 users. Other FAA programs developed by Harris include:

    • The Weather and Radar Processor, which provides weather processing dissemination and display capabilities to air traffic controllers in the en-route air traffic control environment;
    • Datacomm, which provides air-to-ground digital data link networks to connect FAA air traffic control sites and data communications-equipped aircraft;
    • The NAS Voice System, which provides a secure, IP-based voice network for critical communications between air traffic controllers, pilots and ground personnel nationwide;
    • The Operational and Supportability Implementation System, which serves the General Aviation community in Alaska by providing weather briefing and flight planning services; and
    • The National Air Space Enterprise Messaging Service, which will provide the FAA with the network-centric, collaborative information-sharing capabilities afforded by System Wide Information Management.