The term for unmanned aircraft has morphed over the years from drone to remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and now to unmanned aircraft system (UAS).

Most of the international community and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now use the term unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which refers to the entire system, including the ground station, support equipment, launching equipment and the aircraft. Unmanned aircraft or UA refers to the aircraft itself.

A public aircraft is one that is only for the United States government or owned and operated by a state government, the District of Columbia, or a territory or possession of the U. S. or a political subdivision.

Operators of public aircraft include the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), state/local agencies and qualifying universities.

Civil aircraft means aircraft other than a public aircraft – commercial airliners, cargo aircraft, etc.

It depends on where you intend to operate, but in all cases you need to be additionally trained in all specific details of the UA being operated.^[1]

No – the FAA is focusing on integrating unmanned aircraft into the entire US National Airspace by 2015. However, the FAA is currently setting up several test sites around the country that will operate as restricted airspace.^[2]

All operations conducted in civil airspace must meet minimum levels of safety. Public UA operators have the ability to self-certify their equipment and personnel, but civil operators are certified by the FAA. Presently, the FAA is drafting a rule to address small UAS.^[3]

The UAS industry has grown largely as a result of supporting the defense organizations and this is reflected in the type of systems that have been developed. However, operations in civil airspace have different priorities. Civil performance standards are often more stringent, especially in the areas of reliability. Public expectation for a safe aviation environment drives our very high standards.^[4]

There are two acceptable means of operating UAS in the NAS outside of "restricted" airspace: a Special Airworthiness Certificate – Experimental Category or a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA).

A Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category is the only certification available to civil operators of UAS. Due to regulatory requirements, this approval precludes carrying persons or property for compensation or hire, but does allow operations for research and development, market survey, and crew training.

The COA process is available to public entities, such as government agencies (including local law enforcement and state universities) who want to fly a UAS in civil airspace. Applicants apply online and the FAA evaluates the request. The FAA issues a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) generally based on the following principles:

• The COA authorizes an operator to use defined airspace and includes special provisions unique to each operation. For instance, a COA may include a requirement to operate only under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and/or during daylight hours. Most COAs are issued for a specified time period (up to one year, in most cases).
• Most, if not all, COAs require coordination with an appropriate air traffic control facility and may require the UAS to have a transponder to operate in certain types of airspace.
• Due to the UASs inability to comply with ”sense and avoid” rules, a ground observer or an accompanying “chase” aircraft must maintain visual contact with the UAS and serve as its “eyes” when operating outside of airspace that is restricted from other users.

Pulse Aerospace – through its Pegasus Leasing Solutions – helps customers obtain a COA. Contact us to get started!

The VAPOR endurance is up to 1 hour with a standard payload and battery load under normal operating conditions. The flight time will vary depending on the operating conditions (Climbing and descending, hover vs cruise flight, etc.) We are constantly working on improvements to the system with new, more efficient blade design, larger batteries, more optimized power systems, and lighter structures that will continue to push the performance of the VAPOR.

Instead of simply specifying the payload limit of the VAPOR, we should instead refer to it's "Useful Load". Useful Load is defined as the sum of payload and battery weight that can be carried by the VAPOR. The Useful Load of the VAPOR is 15 lbs. The standard batteries weigh 11 lbs, leaving 4 lbs for payload in its standard configuration. Up to 10 lbs of payload weight can be carried by reducing the batteries. This will reduce the endurance, as well as it may require specialized mounting. Please contact us for the CAD models of the mounting plate options. We can work with you to implement a custom mount for your payload.

There are multiple things that will limit your operational radius. These are:

Helicopter Range: The helicopter can travel at 50 mph and has a total endurance of one hour, so it can fly a maximum of 50 miles. (This will vary depending on flight conditions, climbing, descending, etc.)

Control Communications Range: When operating without a ground station, the communication range is limited by the handheld transmitter to around one mile. When using the ground station, the communication link limit depends on the communication options. Standard data links allow up to five miles, while upgraded links can do 20 miles. A third option is to use satellite communications.

Video Downlink Range: The video downlink requires more bandwidth, which means increasing its range is more expensive than increasing the control communication range. The standard video downlink can handle up to a 5 mile radius. Upgrades are available for longer ranges.

Yes — the VAPOR is capable of autonomous flight, from take off to landing, with the push of a button. The VAPOR uses a complete automatic flight control system (AFCS) or autopilot that uses 11 sensors (accelerometers, gyros, GPS, magnetometer, and pressure sensors) to estimate the VAPOR's attitude and position. These estimates are fed into an h-infinity robust controller that is designed for high performance (gust rejection, excellent reference tracking) with robust stability (stable under varying payload and weather conditions).

Absolutely — the AFCS supports a user directed mode that allows even a novice to direct the helicopter with a joystick. Mission mode allows flight plans to be uploaded and executed on-the-fly by clicking and dragging waypoints via a map interface.

Yes, we can interface our systems (the VAPOR and B1-100 Scout) to a STANAG 4586 compliant ground control station.

Yes, with limitations. Different payload configurations can affect the flight dynamics of the VAPOR so we prefer to help with the payload integration. We can provide payload integration services to help ensure the system will perform properly with your payload installed.