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The good, the bad and the ugly- Remote ID Proposal PRM

I think many people are raising concerns about what big brother will do in the future. I've been involved in aviation for many years, I have seen many changes. What I have seen is the FAA moves like molasses in the winter time. They seem to be more reactive than proactive at times. They are looking at how to safely allow drones to fly much greater distances meaning another headache for ATC. We can't have drones flying long distances without having a way for ATC to keep traffic separation. If anything we will eventually need a transponder and file actual flight plans with ATC, personally I think that is a long ways off, but with the speed that technology changes today it may be much sooner.

If this were about safety, then wouldn't the transmitted information go directly to ATC at a minimum in real time to be actionable? As proposed, this is rubbish as far as safety is concerned. All they are doing is putting on a digital license plate with a transmitter to both your aircraft and your base station/controller. ATC is out of the loop completely in a worst case scenario or receiving second or third hand information in a best case scenario. This NPRM as proposed makes no contribution to safety other than to identify the UAS to the FAA and law enforcement after the fact. With the FAA's proclivity of enforcement, this is just more lipstick on a pig and we get added cost to operate. The NAS is now up for sale to the telecom industry who is trying to find new ways to fund the 5G network.

I don't see incorporating a transponder to our current drones as a big problem. I think the idea of collecting flight data via the net isn't practical because that doesn't give ATC the ability to monitor drone flights. We now have hybrid drones that can fly for several hours, that makes them a practical tool for long range missions. You can't send an aircraft off on say a hundred mile flight and not give ATC the ability to monitor that flight and communicate with the pilot, not only that we need a much more reliable way to control that flight than we now have.

I don't see installing a transponder to my aircraft as a problem either. I shelled out the $2000.00 for an ADS-B transponder and I am here to tell you that it vastly improved both ATC's and my own situational awareness around my aircraft with the 5NM bubble I set. The proposed solution in the NPRM gives you squat back. It's just another added expense with no added value to your operation PLUS you have the privilege of subscribing to a telecom companies 5G service on a monthly basis. There are way too many holes in this proposal to be taken seriously. The FAA has been so vague in their initial description that invite abuse by the telecom companies at our expense. Without understanding exactly what is going to be required, how it is going to be implemented, who is going to implement it, and how it is going to be regulated passage of the proposal as written is a huge mistake that may have serious consequences to the unmanned community as a whole. This is not just about the commercial side; it affects everyone with a remotely unmanned vehicle.
 
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Mr. Martin, I agree with you, my point was if we are going to have drone operations that share the airspace with other aircraft ATC needs to be able to see th0se drones, to do that we need better communications both with the drones and the pilots. As for storing flight data on the net, that is a waste.
 
Mr. Martin, I agree with you, my point was if we are going to have drone operations that share the airspace with other aircraft ATC needs to be able to see th0se drones, to do that we need better communications both with the drones and the pilots. As for storing flight data on the net, that is a waste.

I know and I understand your point. I share it also. The FAA does not have to reinvent the wheel here. ADS-B is a proven technology that works. Use it. Improves safety and solves the identification problem without any additional cost other than the transceiver and installation. But that is only a partial fix. I can't see installing a $2000.00 chip on a $60.00 sUAS that some kid is flying for fun from his backyard. These are some of the issues that the FAA needs to address to make it work for everyone. And banning the rec flier to a pre-approved site....how many will there be? Where? Will there be enough to serve the local population? Again, more questions that need to be addressed.

If the solution is itself a problem, then it will be ignored just like the existing regs and it won't solve the problem, AND it will increase the cost to operate for those of us that comply. The NPRM is piss-poor planning (or lack thereof) being shoved down our collective throats. The FAA needs to step back and re-evaluate the proposal and put a lot more work and consideration in before running this through Congress.
 
When it comes to aviation electronics there is no such thing as cheap or inexpensive. Price a Garmin glass panel with weather radar.
 
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A Garmin G1000 in a King Air costs around $325,000, it adds an average value increase to your aircraft of around $275,000. In addition, it includes all of your upgrades like WAAS/LPV, ADS-B, RVSM. So as anyone can see, this stuff isn't cheap.
 
A Garmin G1000 in a King Air costs around $325,000, it adds an average value increase to your aircraft of around $275,000. In addition, it includes all of your upgrades like WAAS/LPV, ADS-B, RVSM. So as anyone can see, this stuff isn't cheap.

I got to sit in a Cirrus SR22 and get a demo of the Garmin glass when it first came out. I'm sure they had to wipe out the plane from all the drool. Felt like sitting in a science fiction shuttlecraft. At the time I flew a Cessna 150 and my CFI didn't take care of it properly. It had steam gauges and he showed me the places to thump and hit on the dash to make them work....
 
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I got to sit in a Cirrus SR22 and get a demo of the Garmin glass when it first came out. I'm sure they had to wipe out the plane from all the drool. Felt like sitting in a science fiction shuttlecraft. At the time I flew a Cessna 150 and my CFI didn't take care of it properly. It had steam gauges and he showed me the places to thump and hit on the dash to make them work....
Some powerplants (radials) vibrated so bad on run up, you couldn’t read the glass!
 
The one I flew, once was the D model, ASW four passenger. That thing would carry it's own weight in ordnance. But it was unbelievably noisy.
 
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For those who are interested... Link immediately below and more information from the email afterwards.


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Skyward


Don't miss our webinar tomorrow as we dive into the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) much-anticipated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Remote Identification (Remote ID) of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS, or drones).

Many of our customers have reached out to us with questions! That's why we've gathered Skyward and Verizon policy experts to break down the proposed rule and answer the top questions we've heard from our customers and other companies.

Who should attend?
  • Enterprise executives sponsoring drone programs
  • Drone program managers
  • Legal and compliance teams


Date: Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Time: 11am PT / 2pm ET​
Can't make it? Register anyway and we'll send the webinar recording and a digital copy of the slides.​
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