Module 1, Lesson 2 - The Term "Unmanned"

Module 1, Lesson 2 - The Term "Unmanned"

The Term "Unmanned"

The term unmanned may feel clumsy or antiquated, but it has become the common term, more out of contrast to traditional aircraft, than being descriptive of the system. When designing and testing the first aircraft early inventors would often opt to fly without a human on board.

Multiple Choice

Why is the term “unmanned” not entirely correct when describing a drone operating system?

• UAS can be piloted by woman, not just men

• UAS are built by humans

• UAS are made up of human remote pilots, technicians, and support personnel

Multiple Choice

Humans are involved in several aspects of an autonomous UAS flight operation. What is their role in these flight operations and why are operations still considered to be autonomous?

• Humans pre-program the UAS and monitor them during flight. They are still considered to be autonomous b/c the UAS has an autopilot button.

• Humans pre-program the UAS and monitor them during flight. They are still considered to be autonomous b/c the human is removed from active or direct flight.

• Humans preprogram the UAS and monitor them during flight. They are still considered to be autonomous b/c there is not room for the human to fly onboard.

UAS are considered to be systems because they have several components that form a network of interconnected devices that operate in an optimized manner. 

Multiple Select

Check the four main components of an unmanned aircraft system:

• Aircraft

• Control Station

• Control Link

• Payload

• Battery

The Unmanned Aircraft consists of many subcomponents including but not limited to: airframe or structure, control surfaces, a form of propulsion, a form of intelligence, sensors that allow the autopilot to know the attitude and position of the aircraft and half of the communication equipment required for the data link. The next component is the control station, sometimes called the ground control station. 

Multiple Choice

What is the primary difference between an externally controlled UAS and an internally controlled UAS?

• Externally controlled aircraft have system configurations that do not allow the remote pilot to see the unmanned aircraft while an internally controlled UAS allows the remote pilot to see the aircraft and use sensors or cameras to gain situational awareness.

• Internally controlled aircraft have system configurations allowing the remote pilote to actually see the unmanned aircraft while with an externally controlled UAS the pilot cannot see the aircraft and uses sensors or cameras to gain situational awareness.

• Externally controlled aircraft have system configurations allowing the remote pilot to actually see the unmanned aircraft while with an internally controlled UAS the pilot cannot see the aircraft and uses sensors or cameras to gain situatuinal awareness.

The way the remote pilot interacts with the machine is an important part of understanding and controlling the aircraft. There are several types of control interfaces. Small fixed-wing systems and multi-rotors tend to have handheld controllers, but many systems are moving to a laptop or tablet-based control interface. 

Multiple Choice

What is the benefit of using a laptop or tablet-based control interface?

• This interface allows the remote pilot to follow a moving map, place waypoints, and read telemetry that cannot be displayed as easily on a handheld computer

• This interface allows the remote pilot to multitalk and have multiple windows open

• This interface allows the remote pilot to see the UAS camera on a bigger and better screen

The common components of the control link include the antenna, amplifiers, transmitters, and receivers, all present in duplicate. One set of components is physically located on the aircraft, while the other set is located in the ground control station. 

Multiple Select

The job of the control link is to transmit commands and telemetry between which two components?

• Payload

• Unmanned Aircraft

• Control Station

• Transmitter

The payload is the business end of the UAS and the operational purpose for the aircraft being airborne. Payloads come in many different shapes and sizes. These payloads can be fixed to the aircraft. They can also be swappable, meaning they can be changed out, if you need to use multiple payloads in one operation. 

Multiple Choice

Why is the term “unmanned” not entirely correct when describing a drone operating system?

• UAS can be piloted by woman, not just men

• UAS are built by humans

• UAS are made up of human remote pilots, technicians, and support personnel