Clearing the Approach Path: Evaluation of Pilot Spotting of Small Unmanned Aircraft During Final

Abstract

Verbatim from Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons. Not paraphrased, not summarized.

Unmanned aircraft sightings by pilots, air traffic controllers, and other aviation stakeholders have spiked in recent years. Since the Federal Aviation Administration began tracking UAS sightings in 2014, UAS sightings have ballooned from 22 incidents per month to more than 192 incidents per month in 2018. In 2018, more than 22.8% of pilot-reported UAS sightings were encountered during the final approach phase of flight. As the population of unmanned aircraft continues to grow, the likelihood of pilots encountering UAS in low-altitude airspace rises. Without additional technology such as UAS remote identification systems, pilots must rely solely on visual scanning to clear the approach path of potential collision threats posed by drones. This research examined the effectiveness of pilot visual detection of a small unmanned aircraft system during five aircraft final approach scenarios in which the UAS trespassed into the approach path. During the experiment, the UAS breached the approach corridor from various aspect angles, and either remained stationary or maneuvered laterally. During each approach, the aircraft pilot would execute a missed approach at a designated altitude, thereby preserving a vertical separation from the UAS to avoid an actual collision. Cumulatively, participants detected the UAS during 30% of approaches. During approaches when the UAS was in motion, the sighting rate improved to 50%, with a mean detection range of 1,593 ft. When the UAS remained static, the sighting rate dropped to 13.6%, at a mean range of 647 ft. The detection angle (between the aircraft and UAS) for successful sightings was determined to approximate the vectors of successful sightings. A majority of successful UAS sightings occurred when the UAS was flown within 5˚ laterally and 10˚ vertically of a pilot’s central view. Additional qualitative comments were collected from the participants and evaluated for trends. Four of ten participants indicated that unmanned aircraft in motion were significantly easier to spot. Participants also remarked about UAS contrast, potential for UAS misidentification, and ideal detection aspects. The authors note that the visual sightings data suggests that pilots would only have a limited margin of time to detect and initiate evasive maneuvers, based on the FAA’s Recommended Minimum Reaction Time Required for Evasion chart.

Authors

• Vance, Samuel M., Ph.D. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Loffi, Jon M., Ed.D. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Thomas, Robert L., Ph.D. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Wallace, Ryan J., Ed.D. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Keywords

• unmanned aircraft system (UAS)
• approach path
• sighting report
• Aviation
• Aviation Safety and Security