“1.2 million drones were sold in the United States in 2016,” notes uAvionix’s Christian Ramsey. That’s a lot of drones.
And the prevailing response from the full-scale aviation world seems to still be AHHHHHHH. Or words to that effect.
Here’s the thing though. Not all of those drones will be airborne at the same time. Just like airplanes.
And those who are operating drones commercially — for the most part — are doing so in a proper manner. Just like full scale aircraft.
Integrating A LOT of drones into the National Airspace System is a challenge.
If all drones were outfit with an ADS-B transceiver, we might just have a completely different problem on our hands. Drone returns may “flood the airwaves” and crash the system, writes Christian.
Tiny-UAT ADS-B for UAS
But it doesn’t have to be that way. uAvionix is developing a low-powered (.01 to .1 watt) ADS-B transceiver that would be capable of broadcasting information that aircraft from one to 10 miles out would be able to see.
Below is an image of uAvionix’s dime-sized Tiny-AUT ADS-B for UAS.
As more UAS with ADS-B become operational in congested areas, the potential for overwhelming the infrastructure becomes real. That’s why a low-powered solution is…well…their solution.
“ping2020 detects ADS-B aircraft within a 100 statute mile radius in real time, dramatically improving drone operator awareness of threats in the area including aircraft beyond line of sight,” company officials explain.
For Full Scale Too
But what about those of us who fly IN our aircraft? Back in March 2015 I suggested good things would come from the drone industry.
uAvionix has taken what they’ve learned in the drone marketplace and scaled it up for full-scale aviation. At present, their products serve light-sport and experimental markets.
The rapidly expanding drone market needn’t usher in GA’s nadir. The two can — and will — peacefully co-exist.
uAvionix, as the name seems to suggest, got its start in the unmanned world. Helping to integrate those millions of current and future drones into U.S. airspace represents a huge opportunity.
Such $200 ADS-B devices are already available. A simple Google scan will reveal them. An important thing to note is that when an electronics system is mass-produced, its price can be radically reduced. As the tiny computers controlling UAVs are developed, collision avoidance and controlled airspace avoidance will become standard.
There may be a future for ADS-B out in small UAS, but when the package costs as much as most UAS aircraft, the market diminishes greatly.
If I had a $3000 aircraft with another $1000 in sensors, AND I could get blanket FAA permission to fly in Class B or Class C airspace below 400 ft, then I would probably buy one for each of my aircraft.
Unless the price comes WAY down from $1700 – an order of magnitude would be necessary- only a rule requiring ADS-B Out on all small drones would get operators to buy in.
I would think that it’s only a matter of time before someone produces a $200 ADS-B Out device for drones, considering that there are more registered drones in the US than the entire world’s General Aviation fleet.
At the January 6, 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, Michael Huerta said: “…over 325,000 people had registered drones, exceeding the 320,000 piloted aircraft registrations in the FAA’s database. Huerta said that the FAA projects that nearly 7 million drones may be sold in the U.S. by 2020, ” (https://www.faa.gov/news/speeches/news_story.cfm?newsId=21316)
Simple math would say, that’s a hellova market opportunity. (Anyone want to Kickstart this with me?)
All that would be needed is for the FAA to approve such a device with a discrete squawk code and tail ID, such as “1207” and “UAS”, instead of a hard-coded tail number and code from the transponder.