“This
new solution is now helping BP manage its extensive Prudhoe Bay field
operations in a way that enhances safety, protects the environment, improves
productivity and accomplishes activities never before possible. This is an
important achievement for our joint team and for the industry in demonstrating
the safe and effective use of our proven UAS [unmanned aircraft system]
technology for commercial applications”
AeroVironment chairman
and CEO Tim Conver said in on the AeroVironment Puma Drone contracted from them
by BP
Commercial
Drone usage, at least in the United States of America, is set to get a boost.
This
as the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) have recently granted the first
commercial use of a Drone over land on Tuesday June 10th 2014 as
reported in “FAA
approves first commercial use of Drones over land”, published June 10, 2014
6:58 PM PDT by Dara Kerr, CNET News.
 |
On
that same date, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was upbeat, suggesting
that Commercial Drone Flights were around the corner, quote: “These surveys on
Alaska's North Slope are another important step toward broader commercial use
of unmanned aircraft. The technology is quickly changing, and the opportunities
are growing”.
They
granted permission to BP (British Petroleum) to use a Drone made by Drone maker
AeroVironment to fly unmanned Drones over the Prudhoe Bay in Alaska. This is
one of the largest Oilfield in the region and is a minefield of pipes, roads
and other gear, making it hazard to have
humans manually inspect.
The
AeroVironment Puma Drone is a hand-launched Drones that does less than 30 mph
at low altitude, about 200 to 400 feet. At that height and speed, its package
of cameras can slowly map the area in 3D and also record precise position data,
making it possible for BP to survey the area and produce detailed 3D maps so
that they can keep an eye on their equiptment.
They
apparently benefit and the fact that doing otherwise would have presented a
safety issue for humans may have been what prompted the FAA to give BP the
go-ahead. That and the fact that they're loaded with cash, so it wasn't too
hard to bribe them!
Granted,
the land area is a desolate wasteland of Oilfields strewn with miles and miles
of pipes that's inaccessible to people, a factor in the FAA granting BP to fly
the AeroVironment Puma Drone. Some movie studios have also applied and gotten
permission to use Drones to shoot parts of their films “FAA
may let some movie studios use drones for filming”, published June 2, 2014
5:03 PM PDT by Dara Kerr, CNET News.
Again
this is also under controlled conditions as a Movie Set will only have the
actors and Film crew and won't necessarily endanger regular civilians unless
the Movie is being shot in a crowded city.
FAA ok’s Drones for
Hobbyist – Amazon, UPS and FedEx Drones get the Kibosh until 2015
So
I guess I'm being a bit too overly optimistic, being as crashes and close
encounters with Drones are on the rise as this largely unregulated industry
blurs the lines between Drones and Recreational Model or Hobby RC Aircraft
flying as pointed out in “Close
encounters on rise as small drones gain in popularity” Published on June
23, 2014 by Craig Whitlock, Washington
Post.
Very
much aware of its commercial implications and realizing that they’ve been
granting preferential treatment to these big spenders, the FAA have decided to
grant a bit of leeway to the Recreational Model or Hobby RC Aircraft peeps as
noted in the article “Amazon:
Don't worry, our Drones are still preparing for takeoff”, published June
24, 2014 4:33 PM PDT by Donna Tam, CNET News.
Last
week, around Tuesday June 24th 2014, the FAA laid down some New
Guidelines which basically stated that Drones flown for Recreational
purposes are ok. But anything that’s commercial in nature i.e. involving money
being paid to deliver goods or messages, will remain effectively banned.
 |
This
is in clear contradiction of the case involving Mr. Raphael Pirker aka “Trappy”
who challenged the FAA’s ability to regulate Drones, given that the means by
which the Drone ban had been enforced was via following proper guidelines. His
argument was that it’s seemed odd that Drones, which are very similar to
Recreational Model or Hobby RC Aircraft, were deemed illegal if they were being
used for commercial purposes.
He
took his case to the Supreme Court and NTSB (National Transportation Safety
Board) Judge Patrick Geraghty ruled in his favour that the FAA has no
jurisdiction as it relates specifically to Drones, making their ban
unenforceable as concluded in my blog article entitled
“NTSB
Judge Patrick Geraghty rules Drones for commercial purposes are now free -
Forward thinking Black Sheep founder Raphael Pirker leading America towards an
Almost Human Future”.
Of
course, this was before a NTSB judge; the FAA can easily cite the fact that
this ruling applied specifically to the situation and circumstances surrounding
Mr. Raphael Pirker, who could be seen as a Contractor for hire doing a specific
short-term contract. As such, as the FAA would respect the NTSB ruling.
They’d
apply it to cases that are similar, such as the previously mentioned case of BP
requiring the contracted services of AeroVironment Puma Drone to inspect their
Oil Pipes and those other Movie Studios, also most likely short term contracts
done by Drone Contractors.
FAA Study to determine
Commercial Drone Risks - Amazon PrimeAir not ready for Prime Time
Full
Commercial flights, akin to regularly scheduled Aircraft freight but for
packages in the 2 Kg to 10 Kg range, are what the FAA’s
New Guidelines are trying to skirt.
This has huge implications for others in the US of A that have plans to
use Drones over land such as Amazon as described in my blog article
entitled “Amazon
plans to launch Amazon PrimeAir, their 30 minute Drone Package Delivery Service
for Amazon Prime users - Playing Catch-up as Mailpak launches DealBug in
Jamaica”.
Ditto
too UPS and FedEx as I’d predicted in my blog article
entitled “UPS
and FedEx developing their Own Delivery Drones to compete with Amazon PrimeAir
- Premium Rush Package Delivery Drones herald the coming of Google's Personal
Androids that are Almost Human”.
Commercial
Drone flights depend hugely on the outcome of six (6) studies commissioned back
in December 2013 by the FAA into various safety aspects of a Commercial Drone
operation as outlined in “FAA
picks six projects to tackle Drone technology developement”, published
December 30, 2013 9:46 AM PST, by Stephen Shankland, CNET News. These six (6) projects are:
1.
Griffiss International Airport in New
York - Investigating technology for the FAA to implement sense-and-avoid
technology to reduce Drone-aircraft collisions in the congested airspace of the
northeast United States
2.
Texas A&M University- safety
requirements for Drones and a Fitness Test to determine airworthiness
3.
The Nevada Project- Focuses on
developing Drone standards, Operator and ATC (Air Traffic Control) procedures
based on the new GPS Tracking instead of Radar
4.
The North Dakota Department of
Commerce - Drone design airworthiness
and communication link reliability.
5.
The University of Alaska Project- Seven
test ranges in different climatic zones including Hawaii and Oregon, designed
with the intent to develope standards for categorizing, monitoring unmanned
aircraft and develope Navigation and Safety standards
6.
Virginia Tech - Investigating the cause
of Sudden Drone Failure i.e. phenomenon where Drones just stop working
mid-flight
So,
for the FAA, this is really one step forward after having taken six-step
backward. Drones won’t be able to fly in the US of A commercially until 2015.
They can only be flow by Recreational Model or Hobby RC Aircraft persons but
without financial gain, based on the FAA’s
New Guidelines.
However,
the FAA apparently has a soft-spot for contracted professionals wishing to ply
their craft, so long as it’s a specific short-term contractual arrangement
between themselves and a client, as opposed to being on a continuous basis to
non-contracted parties.
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