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Types of UAS

Different Types of UAS Operations

The following safety guidelines are taken from the Federal Aviation Administration website www.faa.gov/uas

The above website links you to the four different types of drone flyers.

  1. Recreational Flyer and Modeler Community-Based Organization
  2. Certified Remote Pilot or Commercial Operator
  3. Public Safety or Government User
  4. Educational User

No matter which type of drone flyer you are you must register your drone. Each flyer follows the same basic rules for safety in the sky.

  • Fly below 400 feet and remain clear of surrounding obstacles
  • Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight at all times
  • Remain well clear of and do not interfere with manned aircraft operations
  • Don't fly within 5 miles of an airport unless you contact the airport and control tower before flying
  • Don't fly near people or stadiums
  • Don't fly an aircraft that weighs more than 55 lbs
  • Don't be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft – you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft
  • Don’t fly at night unless you have taken the Part 107 recurrent training

Types of UAV Aircraft

Fixed-wing and multirotor are the two main types of UAS.  Each type has its own unique characteristics and uses advantages and disadvantages.

A Fixed-wing UAV looks like an airplane. 

Since the wing provides lift the motor doesn’t have to spend all the battery power to maintain flight. This allows battery power to be used for other components on the aircraft like GPS and sensors. Larger 6-cell Lithium-Polymer batteries provide even more power and allow some UAV aircraft to fly over an hour covering hundreds to over 1000 acres on one battery.

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A disadvantage to fixed-wing UAVs is they require an area to land. As good as autopilots have become, sometimes it still requires a little experience to land the aircraft. The bottom line, crashes are more likely with a fixed-wing.

 

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The multirotor UAV looks similar to a helicopter with multiple rotors. Multirotors can take off and land just about anywhere. They’re much easier to learn how to fly and land. Since the rotors provide all the lift for the vehicle the battery life is greatly reduced. New batteries are being developed that will extend flight time for multirotor and fixed-wing. Bottom line, much shorter flight times (15 to 20 minutes) with a multirotor UAV and less crash potential on landing.

 

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This image shows one square section or 640 acres. The size of the circles gives you an idea of the approximate acres that could be flown by each UAV type on one battery. The small red circles are where you would be standing as an operator to keep the UAV in sight at all times during the flight.

 

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