What exactly is a UAV? Is it basically an rc plane?

[GreenAce92]

Pretty much what im askin is the title, what exactly are UAV's? does a UAV always require an onboard system or thing that runs itself, i mean is an RC plane an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?

[Angler-Hi]

Originally Posted by GreenAce92

Pretty much what im askin is the title, what exactly are UAV's? does a UAV always require an onboard system or thing that runs itself, i mean is an RC plane an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?

UAV simply means that it is unmanned...there is no physical pilot required. That doesn't mean that it's not radio controlled. There are several types out there. Some are flown by a computer and are controlled by the information given through that computer by an actual person. Some UAVs are armed with weapon systems. So if the pilot watching the link provided by the camera on the UAV sees hostile acts, or needs to support a ground unit, he inputs through the computer, or just takes over manually. Some UAVs are solely for observation and scouting. They simply catch and record the enemy from above, which allows units on the ground to manuever accordingly. I hope this answers your question.

[GreenAce92]

Wow this UAV stuff is pretty wicked, these are DIY drones im talkin, wow they've got autopilot and what not, man where do you get the money for that? im thinkin of somehow hackin my current camera and somehow makin it live like an FPV but i have no idea how to even start such a thing. Dang sometimes i wish i was an extremely smart person that could hack stuff and make things happen. To a certain degree i can but not like this...

[GreenAce92]

Thanks Mike, well see i signed up on this other forum just for UAV's but im wonderin if my simple scratchbuilt rc planes with a camera onboard will fit in. I see these guys have autopilot and FPV, hopefully i can fit in. LOL

[Angler-Hi]

Well if they're flying with autopilot, then they're using some expensive software and systems friend.

[GreenAce92]

I figured as much, but i see this thread here about what are simple platforms for UAV's so im sharin designs for Slow STicks and pusher planes, kinda funny these people have all this expensive stuff but they dont know of a simple design to carry the equipment. i think i can fit in ill have to see.

[GreenAce92]

Aww crap, they said no an rc plane with a cam is not a UAV, guess i wont be part of that forum. I liked there idea though of a personal page, almost like a myspace kinda thing, but just a brief page. Wish we could do that here, but it may be a hassle with the 15k+ people on here.

ahh it dont bother me none if i cant do UAV i'll still make scrathcbuilt planes that carry cameras. It would still be cool though to somehow place a GPS location on your house and just have your plane fly circles around it.

[FlyingMonkey]

Originally Posted by GreenAce92

Aww crap, they said no an rc plane with a cam is not a UAV, guess i wont be part of that forum. I liked there idea though of a personal page, almost like a myspace kinda thing, but just a brief page. Wish we could do that here, but it may be a hassle with the 15k+ people on here.

I think Mike is working on it.

[Balil]

i believe according to the FAA any unmanned aircraft, no matter the size or cost is considered a UAV... i believe that the army's predator UAV is classified under the same (to an extent) guidelines as your slowstick. and i dont care what the guys on the other forum say, if you can stream live video from your slowstick to a remote monitor and be able to contol the aircraft from just that monitor, its a UAV....

[Balil]

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs)


The UAS Universe

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) — sometimes called “unmanned aerial vehicles,” “UAVs,”“remotely operated aircraft,” “remotely piloted vehicles,” or just “unmanned aircraft” — come in a universe of shapes, sizes and purposes. They may have a wingspan as large as a Boeing 737 or be as small as a radio-controlled model airplane. Some might be programmed to fly and navigate a substantial part of the flight autonomously or by a computer program. Other operations are flown entirely by an outside operator, referred to as the pilot-in-command.
Because no human pilot is actually onboard, UASs must get information about their external environment through electronic sensors. The input from the sensors is either processed onboard, so the aircraft’s computers can evaluate and monitor the flight environment and forward the data to the pilot-in-command controlling the plane, or processed on the ground.
UASs are a new, developing segment of the aviation industry. Some of the research and development activities they already perform support a wide range of law enforcement, homeland security, firefighting, weather prediction and tracking missions. There are many other potential commercial applications just waiting to be explored. Manufacturers and operators are conducting research on or are designing aircraft that could fill niche markets unimagined just a decade ago.
The FAA’s Role: Safety First

The FAA’s main concern about UAS operations in civil airspace is safety. It is critical that these vehicles don’t come too close to aircraft carrying people or compromise the safety of anyone on the ground.
When the military or a government agency wants to fly a UAS in civil airspace, the FAA evaluates the request and issues a Certificate of Authorization (COA), generally based on the following principles:

• The COA authorizes an operator to use defined airspace and includes special provisions unique to each operation. For instance, a COA may include a requirement to operate only under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and during daylight hours. Most are issued for a specified time period (up to one year, in some cases)
• Most, if not all, COAs require coordination with an appropriate air traffic control facility and require the UAS to have a transponder able to operate in standard air traffic control mode with automatic altitude reporting.
• To make sure the UAS will not interfere with other aircraft, a ground observer or an accompanying “chase” aircraft must maintain visual contact with the UAS.
• The FAA issued 110 COAs in CY 2006. As of October, the agency has issued 55 and has a backlog of 35.

The COA process has functioned well. It makes possible research and development efforts and provides a way to introduce UASs into the National Airspace System (NAS). As FAA experience with COAs has grown, so has the emphasis on safety; certificates issued today typically have more conditions and limitations, particularly those dealing with a UAS’s inability to “detect, see and avoid” other traffic.
Operation and Certification Standards

To address the increasing civil market and the desire by civilian operators to fly UASs just like any other aircraft, the FAA is developing new policies, procedures and approval processes.

• At FAA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., a team of experts from various parts of the agency is working on guidance that will increase the level of access to airspace for UAs in a step-by-step fashion without being overly restrictive in the early stages.
• Developing and implementing this new UAS guidance is a long-term effort and is still a “work in progress.”
• More immediately, the FAA is reviewing certification requests from several UAS manufacturers. The FAA has issued 13 airworthiness certificates in the “experimental” category (for research and development, crew training, or market survey) to date. These certification efforts provide an excellent opportunity for the FAA to work with manufacturers and to collect vital technical and operational data that will help improve the UAS airworthiness certification process.
• The FAA has asked RTCA — a group that frequently advises the agency on technical issues — to help develop UAS standards. RTCA will answer two key questions: How will UASs handle communication, command, and control, and how will they detect and avoid other aircraft?
• The FAA continues to work closely with its international counterparts to harmonize standards, policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.

The Bottom Line

The introduction of UASs to the NAS is a challenging enterprise for the FAA and the aviation community. UAS proponents have a growing interest in expediting access to the NAS. There is an increase in the number and scope of UAS flights in an already busy NAS. The design of many UASs makes them difficult to see, and adequate “detect, sense and avoid” technology is years away. Decisions being made about UAS airworthiness and operational requirements must fully address safety implications of UASs flying in the same airspace as manned aircraft, and perhaps more importantly, aircraft with passengers.




THIS IS DIRECTLY FROM THE FAA WEBSITE!!! show those fools they dont know what they're talking about

[GreenAce92]

WOw thats a mouthfull. Cool, i gotta work on the live stream video part like FPV kinda thing. Ill have to look into this more.

Thanks for the info!!

[FlyingMonkey]

check this site out GA...

http://www.rangevideo.com/index.php?...roducts_id=131

[aero_k]

I was actually just looking at that DIY drones forum right before looking at this thread. wierd! I'd say who cares if the RC plane you are flying a "UAV" or not. I don't think it makes it any more or less fun. Just do what you want to do, who cares what its called. I'm quite interested in UAVs too and I would love to have the brains and the money to build my own autonomous plane with cameras and stuff. I'm finishing up my aerospace engineering degree next year (although you probably wouldn't have guessed it based on some of the questions I ask), and I'm hoping to get a Masters degree working with UAVs. Actually, I'm meeting a guy today to talk about making small flapping wing robotic insect micro-UAVs. And, right now at work I'm working on basically a 3D plane with adaptive airfoils rather than servos that will hover autonomously. I like where life is taking me....

[aero_k]

Originally Posted by FlyingMonkey

check this site out GA...

http://www.rangevideo.com/index.php?...roducts_id=131

Yikes, $500 is a little too much for my budget right now. Pretty cool though! Maybe I'll ask my parents for it for christmas... (yeah right)

[FlyingMonkey]

yeah, but it seems that's the price we're looking at, to have FPV.

It's better than what guys were paying to build their own not too long ago...

[aero_k]

Yeah, I figured that was normal. I guess if you think about it thats not really that bad. People pay the same price (or more) for a playstation or xbox or something. Personally, I think this would be cooler. Its reality, not virtual reality.

[GreenAce92]

Wow ornithopters eh? they are pretty neat, i think they could make em hover with moving joints(where the wings flap move em back and forward to center teh the thrust from wings). I tried getting into them but i lacked gears.

im thinkin somethin like this but the 50dollar versions.
http://www.microcameras.com/micro_ca...ard_camera.htm

but the ranges are like in the 3-400 ft.

[HeliG]

That Live FPV thing is COOL! I'd like to install it on my helicopter but I think I would run around screaming as my heli was augering into the ground.

[GreenAce92]

LOL