Avionics News July 2014 - 40

UAVs SPRING NEW BUSINESS
Continued from page 38

all the paperwork and sign offs."
While many of the smaller
multicopter-type UAVs may well be
bought and sold at hobby shops or
assembled in garages, the point is,
no matter their size or use, these are
aircraft that will be operating in the
national airspace system and they'll
need to be maintained as such.
Hayden believes the regulations will
demand it.
What the regulations may say
"At this point, it's hard to say
exactly what kind of ongoing

maintenance requirements will
be put upon the commercial UAV
fleet," Hayden stated. "But even so,
before answering that question, it's
important to understand what the
UAV airframes will look like and
how they'll be utilized."
Hayden explained there are
generally two categories of UAVs
that will be deployed: small UAVs
(sUAVs) that weigh less than 55
pounds, and everything else above
the 55-pound weight limit. The small
UAVs are the multirotor and small
fixed-wing craft loaded with cameras
or sensors that will shoot video,
survey crops and be the eyes in the
sky for search and rescue. The small

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40

avionics news

*

july

2014

UAVs will constitute the first wave
of drones flying in the system, and
will be flown within the line-of-sight
of the pilot, daytime only, and at less
than 400 feet above ground level.
"I am a voting member on ASTM
F38, the committee that is developing
the consensus standards for sUAV
integration," Hayden said. "Based
on what's being published, I suspect
these smaller UAVs will probably
be required to have some type of
post-build inspection and ongoing
maintenance, similar to what we
currently see with light sport aircraft.
"UAVs weighing more than 55
pounds will be the larger rotor and
fixed-wing aircraft that will be flown
- either autonomously or remotely
piloted - at altitudes above 400 feet
AGL. The maintenance standards
for these aircraft will be very similar
to what we see today for manned
aircraft, and many will be utilizing
our existing airports and hangars."
Hayden also stressed that the UAV
business opportunities don't end
with inspecting and maintaining the
aircraft themselves.
"It's important to remember
that with UAVs, you have much
more than just the vehicle itself to
maintain," he said. "You also have
the command and control center,
which can range anywhere in size
from a small R/C transmitter to a
large console with joysticks and
computer screens, and the datalink
that maintains signal between the
craft and the ground station. All of
these elements will have their own
separate ongoing maintenance plans,
which will mean a lot of business for
Part 145s in the UAV world."
Continued on page 42
Avionics News July 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News July 2014
