Common FAA and UAS Terms

Transcription

1 Common FAA and UAS Terms FAA- Federal Aviation Administration From their website: Summary of Activities We're responsible for the safety of civil aviation. The Federal Aviation Act of 1958 created the agency under the name Federal Aviation Agency. We adopted our present name in 1967 when we became a part of the Department of Transportation. Our major roles include: Regulating civil aviation to promote safety Encouraging and developing civil aeronautics, including new aviation technology Developing and operating a system of air traffic control and navigation for both civil and military aircraft Researching and developing the National Airspace System and civil aeronautics Developing and carrying out programs to control aircraft noise and other environmental effects of civil aviation Regulating U.S. commercial space transportation suas- Small Unmanned Aircraft System. A small UA and its associated elements (including communication links and the components that control the small UA) that are required for the safe and efficient operation of the small UA in the NAS. NAS- National Airspace System The airspace, navigation facilities and airports of the U.S., along with their associated information, services, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, personnel and equipment. It includes components shared jointly with the military. Elevation terms AGL- Above Ground Level. How high you are flying in relation to the ground. Can also mean how high you re flying in relation to launch point. MSL-Mean Sea Level. Elevation in relation to sea level. FSDO- Flight Standards District Office The Flight Standards District Offices serve as local representatives of the FAA. Each office reports to one of nine Regional FAA offices and perform a variety of compliance and enforcement actions. Such items include: Low-flying aircraft reporting Accident Reporting Air carrier certification and operations 1

2 Aircraft maintenance Aircraft operational issues Aircraft permits Airmen certification (licensing) for pilots, mechanics, repairmen, dispatchers, and parachute riggers Certification and modification issues Enforcement of Airmen & Aircraft Regulations LAANC (Lance, LANK) Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability. This system enables drone pilots access to controlled airspace near airports through near real-time processing of airspace authorizations below approved altitudes in controlled airspace. As of now, this should be fully rolled out by September 13 th. UASFM Unmanned Aircraft System Facility Maps (AKA Grid Maps) show the maximum altitudes around airports where the FAA may authorize part 107 UAS operations without additional safety analysis. Most of the new s use this as reference for safe suas flights. ArcGIS It stands for Aeronautical Reconnaissance Coverage Geographic Information System, but it s basically the website that the FAA uses to for UASFMs. FAR-AIM Federal Aviation Regulation Airman's Information Manual. Basically the pilot s bible. If you re looking for answers about FAA rules, this is a good place to start. ADS-B Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, technology in which an aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcasts it, enabling it to be tracked. This may be part of the Remote ID requirements. Remote ID The means to track suas. The final ruling has not been decided on who this will work. ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization. An international aviation ruling body that is attempting to develop an international traffic management system for drones. This may assist with drone operators who travel outside the U.S. 2

3 NOTAM or DROTAM A written notification issued to pilots before a flight, advising them of circumstances relating to the state of flying. MODE C Veil This is an area around an airport that requires manned aircraft to have a transponder that report altitude. This is not required for UAS, but you see the markings on sectionals, and they cause questions by many UAS operators unfamiliar with them. These are shown on sectionals as blue circles with alternating short and tall interior hash marks. They are around all Class B airports, and many of the busier smaller airports. MODE C refers to the aircraft that use those transponders. WX You see this abbreviation for weather frequently. Seen most often for 1800wxbrief. 1800WXBrief.com This is a flight services site for many areas of aviation. We can find all sorts of information there, and file or research DROTAMS. We can also find a link to TFRs and many other useful items. It s strongly suggested that you sign up for a free account and use this as part of your preflight planning. ATC ATCT Air Traffic Control. The ones who control where aircraft fly. Air Traffic Control Tower. Where that control takes place. VLOS (or LOS) This is Visual Line of Sight. It is the ability to see your drone without the aid of vision enhancements other than prescription glasses or contacts. Some countries have a strict definition of that distance. The FAA does not. BVLOS Beyond Visual Line of sight. NFZ No Fly Zone. An area established by the FAA that forbids flight without prearranged permission. TFR Temporary Flight Restrictions. Basically an NFZ that is put into place during an event or disaster. 3

4 PIC Pilot In Charge. The person who is responsible for all aspects of the flight, and all persons involved in the flight. Usually the person manipulating the controls of the UAS, but not always. Person Manipulating the Controls This is the person who is actually providing input to the drone. They are holding the controller that is controlling the drone. RP Responsible Person. The person named on waivers and authorizations issued by the FAA. This person is responsible for ensuring all aspects of any waiver or authorization is followed. VO Visual Observer. This is the person who assists the PIC in locating the UAS and obstacles in the flight area. Also called a spotter. UTM Unmanned Traffic Management. A cloud based system designed to help keep drones from colliding with each other. See and Avoid (Situational Awareness) The ability to see not only your drone, but to know what is going on around the area your drone is flying in, and having the ability to avoid obstacles, aircraft, and people in that area. Sectional Map Airspace maps put out by the FAA to show airspace classifications, and other pertinent information for flying in the NAS. Used by both manned and unmanned aircraft. Other names RPAS, Remotely Piloted Aerial System. UAV, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. UAS, Unmanned Aircraft System. Multicopter. Multirotor. 4

5 ESC Electronic Speed Control. This translates a pilot's control inputs from the sticks into precise instructions sent to the motors to control movement. GPS Global Positioning System. An electronic system that uses satellites to determine position. Used by drones to maintain and track position in the sky. Flight Controller This internal system i nterprets input from receiver, GPS module, battery monitor, IMU and other onboard sensors, and transfers it to the ESC modules. Controller The hand held part of the system you use to control the drone. Also called transmitter or radio. Movements ~Pitch, to move forward of backward ~Yaw, to rotate left or right ~Roll, to move or slide left or right. Radio Spectrum Radio frequency used by devices to communicate with each other. Drones usually use 2.4Ghz or 5.8Ghz. 1 Ghz is equal 1 billion cycles per second. Sometimes called clock speed in computers. Accelerometer A device that measures the acceleration forces in a certain direction and is helpful in maintaining the Drones orientation. Autonomous Flight When the flight is managed by internal waypoint programming that have instructions on where to fly as guided by an onboard GPS system without direct pilot input. Waypoints A set of coordinates (usually GPS points) that determine the autonomous flight. Bind Attaching the drone to the controller via radio frequency. Gimbal The part of the drone that holds the camera steady 5

6 Firmware Software that is loaded into the drone and/or controller. This software remains integral to the system even if power is turned off. It s the operating system of the UAS. FPV This is First Person View. Usually refers to racing, but can also mean viewing the flight of the UAS on a tablet. You see what the drones see, as if you are on board. Latency or Lag The delay you have on your monitor from real time actions of the drone. GEO Fencing Refers to a GPS enabled system that restricts the drone from either entering sensitive areas, or flying outside a predetermined area. Can also refer to limiting distance a drone can fly in reference to it s launch point or home point. Home Point Where the drone launched from, or in the case of dynamic home point, where the pilot sets the home point to during the flight. This is were the drone will return to in the event of RTH activation. RTH Return to Home. This is when the drone autonomously flies back to it s home point, either due to loss of connection with controller, or via direct pilot input. Ground Control Station A software driven system that runs on a computer on the ground that directs the drone flight based on status received from the drone positions, and displays that information on a display. This is another system for autonomous flights. IMU Inertial Measurement Unit. This unit combines an accelerometer and gyroscope system to help stabilize the drone during flight. Telemetry or Flight Telemetry Information about the flight that includes direction, distance from home point, speed, location, battery level, and other criteria necessary to monitor flight. OSD On Screen Display. The display of telemetry on the monitor. Payload 6

7 The amount of weight a drone can lift in addition to it s own weight. Also can mean what the drone is carrying. Ultrasonic Sensor Sensors that bounce sound waves off of a surface to assist in determining distances. Brushless Motor A motor that uses fixed magnets and armature to provide the power to the propellers. This eliminates the need for brushes to touch the armature to provide the current. This eliminates wear and tear and are much more efficient and hardy than electric motors that use brushes. Flight Modes ATTI- Attitude mode. This keeps the elevation the same, but doesn t use GPS to maintain position. OPTI- Optical mode. This is when the drone is not using GPS to maintain position, and will only use optical sensors to determine position. GPS- When the drone uses GPS to fly and maintain position. Vortex Ring State (VRS) A state of instability when a drone descends into it s own propeller wash. Also happens with manned helicopters. The aircraft lose lift. To escape VRS, roll left or right. Tornado Pattern A method of descending rapidly and safely. Accomplished by forward, yaw, and descent all at the same time. Thumbs up The practice of rapidly ascending out of danger by pushing your left thumb forward. 7