Drone driver licenses?

Should there be drone pilot licensing? drone certification

  • Yes, drone pilot licensing.

    Votes: 16 57.1%

  • No drone pilot licensing.

    Votes: 1 3.6%

  • Yes, drone certification.

    Votes: 15 53.6%

  • No drone certification.

    Votes: 2 7.1%

  • I don't care - I don't know.

    Votes: 3 10.7%
  • Total voters
    28
  • Poll closed .
So now your cox 0.49 powered RC airplane needs a license.
I suppose it should need insurance, too.....
We wouldn't wish to have the poor attorney have to actually find assets to attach, to fund his kid's college fund.

"Label": do not fly out of line of sight. There, we've improved the RC airplane. sigh.
 
Define "small drone." DoD already classifies UAVs in "Groups 1-5" based on weight. They also require operators to meet certain "BUQ levels" based on the Group level the operator will be using.

RC airplane licensure and FAA control is a huge stretch though.

The FAA is moving EXTREMELY slowly in this realm; however, I've had the pleasure to operate with CAP, NASA, and NORTHCOM in the last 2 months exploring UAS integration in the National Airspace System. Exciting things happening in the UAS world right now!
 
bbchien said:
So now your cox 0.49 powered RC airplane needs a license.
I suppose it should need insurance, too.....
We wouldn't wish to have the poor attorney have to actually find assets to attach, to fund his kid's college fund.

"Label": do not fly out of line of sight. There, we've improved the RC airplane. sigh.
Click to expand...

Your personally owned cox 0.49 RC is not a drone.
It should be covered under AMA if you are a member for insurance.
AMA membership is required at a lot of flying fields, but not your back yard.
Damage if flown from your yard could be covered under your homeowners policy.

That same RC flown by a public entity or private business is required to pass FAA certification, follow FARs, follow a two operator (pilot/observer) format, have a command destruct or return to home if link is lost capability and not flown beyond LOS. The operator should have appropriate certifications, currently FAA accepts AMA as industry standard practices.

Drones are often flown beyond LOS using FPV and have return to home capability or "fail safe" when control link is lost.

There are mixed use of the name "Drone", "UAS", or "UAV".
 
Banjo33 said:
..... I've had the pleasure to operate with CAP, ...... Exciting things happening in the UAS world right now!
Click to expand...

Oh Jesus..... Anything the CAP is involved in will turn into a trainwreck in .03 seconds...:hairraise::yikes::eek:....

God help us all..:yes:
 
That's pretty funny, but it actually went well. They were merely providing escort/see and avoid for our UAV.
 
There should be some training/proficiency required for operating a drone.

A pilot certificate (e.g., the private pilot cert and such) isn't the same thing.
 
Bob Noel said:
There should be some training/proficiency required for operating a drone.

A pilot certificate (e.g., the private pilot cert and such) isn't the same thing.
Click to expand...

The first AF UAS Predator pilots, if they were not "rated" AF pilots with wings, we're required to have a civil (FAA) Commercial Instrument Airplane rating. If they were operating outside the restricted areas, they were in MOA or Class A airspace which put them in the NAS.
 
BillTIZ said:
The first AF UAS Predator pilots, if they were not "rated" AF pilots with wings, we're required to have a civil (FAA) Commercial Instrument Airplane rating. If they were operating outside the restricted areas, they were in MOA or Class A airspace which put them in the NAS.
Click to expand...

I know what the USAF qualifications are.

I'll stand by my position that flying a plane (ya know, being in the plane) and operating a drone are two different skills, albeit overlapping in the need for understanding of airspace and ATC procedures. Even more so when the control is done only by keyboard commands.
 
Our community used to be the same. However, now that the USMC has a Primary UAS MOS, we are seeing Officers select UAVs out of TBS with zero flight experience. So, to address that aeronautical deficiency, we're sending those guys/gals through AF RPA school. They don't get any FAA ratings, however they get taken just short of the PPL and a few instrument hours in a simulator. In my opinion this is still inadequate for basic understanding of operations in the NAS. We're currently looking at ways to address that though.

Another interesting dilemma we're having to address is that of the enlisted operators. Enlisted persons "fly" the aircraft, while Officers supervise the conduct of the mission and run the radios. The Enlisted Operators only get what equates to Private Pilot ground school early in their training. Yet, the newest system we've purchased, will be entirely Enlisted Operated with little to no Officer oversight. Now we've created a scenario in which the Enlisted will either be required to undergo some form of flight school OR be restricted to operating in Restricted Areas only unless an Officer is pulled in to oversee the transit.
 
I have one of these. If you don't know what you are doing, I guess it could be dangerous.

I think there should be some limits. Leaving the low, light and slow aircraft open to hobbyists. Mine is about 2lbs, a foam fixed wing airplane. It never gets up over 500 feet or so. No more dangerous to an aircraft than a bird. Only does about 20mph too.

I have all the failsafe stuff and it takes a lot of testing to get that working. If it loses radio signal at any point, the plane will automatically RTB and circle at 300 AGL.
 
Should the media be required to know, understand and explain what a drone is? A UAS? Are UAS and UAV and RPA synonymous? Is an RC a UAS?

Is it OK for those RC fliers who knowingly and openly operate outside the RC AC guidelines, or should they have a license? RC are going to get thrown under the machine, I'm afraid.

But - have no fear! I was assured by a leading proponent of UAS that they would be just like CB radios. They'd proliferate to the point where the government would have to throw up it's hand and license them all. Do you believe that?

He also said the UAS people are not afraid of the safety question, they are afraid of the privacy question. That is why they quit the public push to sell to law enforcement and decided to sell to agriculture. But they haven't given up on law enforcement, just lying low.
 
Bob Noel said:
I know what the USAF qualifications are.

I'll stand by my position that flying a plane (ya know, being in the plane) and operating a drone are two different skills, albeit overlapping in the need for understanding of airspace and ATC procedures. Even more so when the control is done only by keyboard commands.
Click to expand...

Oh I fully agree, I was just stating for the group what was originally required by the USAF to enter UAS training.
 
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