FAA regulations hinder autonomous drone development

Just before Thanksgiving, a 2008-vintage Cessna 206 aircraft delivered meal kits to rural communities near Lubbock, Texas. While that may not seem out of the ordinary, the flight crew told local reporters that the aircraft was capable of autonomous operation and referred to it as a “drone,” noting it could eventually be utilized for health care delivery services without crew. It remains to be seen where the first regular flights of fixed-wing aircraft carrying cargo without pilots will take place: the United States or elsewhere. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) regulation and certification processes for unmanned aircraft and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) commercial drone operations is slowing the adoption and integration of cargo drones into the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS), according to multiple manufacturers, designers and customers in the drone space. [caption id="attachment_56860813" align="alignright" width="450"] The Cessna 206 that delivered Thanksgiving meal kits in Texas. (Photo/AUV Flight Services)[/caption] The Texas food-delivery aircraft (T20608810), is registered to a special-purpose vehicle company that shares an address with Tucson, Ariz.-based Adaptisense, which in turn owns multiple unmanned aircraft technology companies. One of those is Breault Research Organization (BRO), which has technology readily available to automate the Cessna 206, Chief Executive Matt Pobloske told Cargo Facts . “It is an effort that we embarked on and worked with both the U.S. Department of Defense for the past several years,” Pobloske said. “The concept of automating and creating a fully autonomous Cessna 206 — the ability to do that exists today. There is nothing to develop.” If developed, the Cessna 206 unmanned variant would be a new cargo drone type. Currently, the manned 206 is capable of operating with a maximum takeoff weight of 3,600 lbs with an approximate maximum payload of 1,484 lbs. Read more Cargo Facts drone coverage here Regulations hinder integration FAA regulations are hindering the automation of conventional aircraft, Pobloske said, noting, “All of the technology exists to do it today. You and I can configure a Cessna 206 to do that today if we wanted to; the problem is we’re not allowed to.” Pobloske, who is also CEO of Adaptisense, is an executive at a number of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology companies and has worked with clients to integrate UAVs for defense, utility inspections and cargo clients. He referred to the air cargo market as a “development area,” adding that Adaptisense has four separate types of cargo drones with hundreds of models of each type, none of which are commercially deployed yet. Although Pobloske did not identify his cargo clients, he shared that he had worked with Wing, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, for what he called “semi-autonomous” freight operations. “I’d call them kind of a UAV surrogate,” he said. “The intent is ultimately that, when the FAA and the airspace largely allows use of these unmanned aircraft for non-line of sight operations, they will be autonomous.” “Right now there is an immense amount of regulation,” Pobloske added. “With limited exceptions, it largely precludes commercially viable, completely unmanned aircraft operations. You can do tests all day long, all you want. The issue is you’re not going to fly into Chicago or Dallas or [Los Angeles] and start delivering packages.” While the potential for autonomous Cessna 206 development remains, other companies, like Reliable Robotics and Xwing, are actively developing modifications to the Cessna 208 platform to build their autonomous aircraft technology. The Cessna 208 is capable of carrying payloads nearly double that of the Cessna 206, at 3,305 lbs of useful load. Pending certifications In early November, Xwing announced that it expects to earn a supplemental type certificate (STC) by mid-2023 for the addition of two sensor pods on each wing of the Cessna 208 to equip the aircraft with a series of cameras, infrared sensors and LiDAR that will help automate the aircraft. The first flight with the modification is planned for January 2023. Reliable Robotics also touted its progress for certification milestones this year, publishing a G-1 issue paper that will allow the FAA and the autonomous aircraft developer to agree upon a certification standard for its STC. [caption id="attachment_56860814" align="alignleft" width="450"] Xwing has already been carrying out test flights without a pilot. (Photo/Xwing)[/caption] Both Reliable Robotics and Xwing are using Part 135 air carrier operations to assist with their certification processes. Xwing, Reliable Robotics and large cargo drone manufacturer Natilus hinted at a more welcoming regulatory environment from the FAA at this year's Cargo Facts Symposium but have yet to indicate when they expect FAA certification of their respective platforms. Much remains for the FAA to figure out, but certain strides had been made for the small unmanned systems space, San Francisco-based cargo drone manufacturer Elroy Air told Cargo Facts . Similarly, fellow American UAV manufacturer Talyn Air said recently that it had “somewhat murky timelines” for its certification and is waiting for the FAA to pass down clearer guidance. Meanwhile, Oxnard, Calif.-based Sabrewing , which is producing the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL)-capable Rhaegal RG-1 and RG-2 drones, said it expects its European certification in 2023, telling Cargo Facts it is certifying the aircraft in Europe first because of clearer guidance from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). As American retailers like Amazon and Walmart develop their own drone systems for deployment, with Amazon conducting commercial testing in parts of California and Texas, and Walmart working with Virginia Beach, Va.-based DroneUp to create UAV operation hubs in Arkansas, drone manufacturers globally will continue to eagerly await the regulatory nod from the FAA. Cargo Facts EMEA, the essential event for stakeholders in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will take place live Feb. 6-8 in Dubai. Register today to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

FAA regulations hinder autonomous drone development

Technology continues to outpace the regulatory environment

Freighter Aircraft Transactions in November 2022

Listen: Sustainable engines, inoperative engines and widebody competition

Related Posts

From the Cockpit with K2 Aviation’s Karl Ryan

Production freighter activity highlights May FATs

Widebodies account for more than half of April’s transactions

Listen: Sustainable engines, inoperative engines and widebody competition

Cargo Facts Free Newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password