Who's At Fault in UAV/Part91 MAC?

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 16:17:37 GMT, "Tony Cox" wrote in
Message-Id: et:

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .

How does the military's use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle intend to
comply with the Part 91 See-And-Avoid mandate? Will there be new
Restricted Areas imposed along the border, or will the UAVs be flown
in Positive Control Airspace?

Good question. In fact, several good questions.

As for "see-and-avoid", there is some visual feedback to the remote
pilot ahead. I've no idea as to the quality of the circuit, nor the coverage
of the sky from the cockpit it gives the pilot. If the quality is sufficient
that the remote pilot can pass the aviation medical eye exam over the
remote circuit (put the eye chart in front of the plane and ask the remote
pilot what the letters say, color charts, etc.), I don't see the problem ;-)

That would be a reasonable test of the UAV pilots' ability to comply
with the see-and-avoid regulation, but the UAV pilots would have to be
able to see above and below and to the sides in addition to airspace
immediately ahead.

I note that there is currently no requirement for certification, even
medical requirements [for UAV operators].

Can you provide a citation that supports that statement? It is scary
beyond belief if true. Imagine the uncertified pilot of the UAV
safely on the ground simultaneously monitoring video from the front,
above, below and to the sides while attempting to spot intruders on
the ground. How much time is going to be devoted to traffic scan
compared to ground scan? Will the operators receive recognition for
avoiding collisions or spotting illegals? How will the public be
assured that their priority is safety, and not mission success as is
inherent in manned aircraft where the pilots have their lives on the
line in avoiding collisions?