Domestic Drone Exploration

Presented by Team B
Jamie Eads
Daniel Flores
Cindy Greer
Amanda Hall
August 24, 2014
DeVry University
Technology, Society, and Culture LAS432
Professor: Dr. Kenneth Melichar

TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 3 II. DESCRIPTION OF TECHNOLOGY Amanda 4 III. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Amanda 6 IV. CONTEXT OF THE TECHNOLOGY Amanda 7 V. POLITICAL INFLUENCE Cindy 15 VI. LEGAL INFLUENCE Cindy 17 VII. ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE Cindy 22 VIII. ECONOMY OF DRONE Jaime 23 VIIII. PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS Daniel 32 X. SOCIOLOGICAL AFFECTS Daniel 36

INTRODUCTION
Technology is applying science to improve on an existing task to make it easier. Technology can be used for all types of things, from science applications to mechanical engineering. Changing the way something is done often improves it. This is the heart of technology.
Technology has evolved into nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is a “technology executed on the scale of less than 100 nanometers, the goal of which is to control individual atoms and molecules, especially to computer chips and other microscopic devices.” Nanotechnology may one day improve the quality of life, thereby extending the life span of humans, by using “small autonomous robot, or nanobot, that can be sent into the human body to repair cells and cure cancers.” (nanotechnology).
It is the continued advancement in nanotechnology that has been used to downsize the combative drones that we associate with the war, to the small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAV), and into the hands of hobbyist all over the world. The technology for radio-controlled aircraft has been around for decades with guidelines set forth from the FAA that restricted the use of the radio-controlled aircrafts to specified areas. Where there were once groups of radio-controlled flyers is now groups of drone users. Drones are still radio-controlled but can fly at higher altitudes than the previous aircrafts and for further distances making it possible for long distance flight.
Drones are easy to use, fairly cheap depending on the model, and with the use of current camera technology they can record data and transmit that data back to a computer on the ground. Together we will explore the history of drones and the advancement that nanotechnology has made in miniaturized drones accessible to the public. We can see how the technology has advanced from the early years to the sophistication of today. We will cover the historical development of the drone and its uses to support military efforts. The development was further enhanced with NOAA and NASA using drones for research purposes and now the average hobbyist along with the journalist and others want to have access to that same technology. We will continue on into the context of the technology and the future of this technology. The political influences that have driven the drone program from inception to that of today. We will highlight what the legislature actions the federal government and the FAA intend to do in order to allow sUAV to be flown in national air space along with the legal issues surrounding the use of domestic drones. Rules and regulations will be set by the FAA for use by the private sector as well as by law enforcement agencies. Safety and privacy issues will be discussed as well as the security of our borders. The environmental influences and how drones can be used to improve the environment will be explored. The economy of the drone and the impact that drones will have worldwide. The economics will impact current jobs as well as create future jobs which will require technical skills and training. Section nine discusses the psychological considerations from the use of drones. Drones have been stereotyped into being killing machines or spy devices making the transition into everyday life a bit unnerving for some. Section ten will address the sociological effects and will focus on the use of drones within our society and the impact it may have on certain individuals.
II. DESCRIPTION OF TECHNOLOGY
When we think of drones we think of the modern day flying through the sky and taking pictures though they actually started out in the spring of 1923 in the Naval Research Laboratory. The radio division was opened that year and had only twenty-three people working in it. This allowed for research into new ways to use radio signals. With new technology being created, it would forever change the way we used and viewed technology. It would also forever change the way war was waged. The winter of 1922 saw the advent of the first American drone which was just a flyable radio controlled bomb with Carlos Mirick at the helm. A flying torpedo project from 1915 held some inspiration for Mirick. Mirick’s plane would be radio controlled while its inspiration was to be an automated preset destination. At this point, Mirick and his colleges had to fit a radio-control system on a small plane, integrate monitoring equipment, and include an auxiliary electrical system so that it would all work (Callahan, 2014).
While showing they were working on the frontier of their field, they had to cobble together a system because the parts they needed weren't mass produced at the time. These parts were from old radios, TV’s, bits of wire, coils, and scrap metal. Train cars would come and dump all these in a pile outside the lab. During test flights they learned that this plane couldn’t do two things at once and decided to redesign it so that it could for example bank and turn at the same time. The funding stopped in late 1925. In the days of his experiments, Mirick relied on amateur use of radio frequencies and amateurs to help him test his plane (Callahan, 2014).
The Outcome of Such Exploration
While working on this project, the naval research laboratory worked with industrial partners. It was through this team of researchers that the transitions to quality control began along with it came mass production if reliable parts. This transition would help create everything we have today. From parts of cars to computers, without this first step most things would break down easily because of faulty parts. Most everything has many parts now (Callahan, 2014).

III. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
The Application of Drone Technology
While the drone work may have stopped, the technology was soon to resurface. Even though the division was shut down, the technology was still being used and refined by the different members of the team. Radio controls where put on ships in 1932 to test what they could be used for. This showed that the earlier experiments performed could control a ship making it easier to imitate speed and evasive maneuvers while under attack without putting personnel at risk. It was during this time that that long-range firing on targets and submarines firing on surface targets with drones helping to increase range and fire on targets more effectively. It was this technology that opened the door to many victories in wars to come. With the failure of the naval disarmament conference of 1935-1936 they started talking about mass producing a field ready drone. This conference involved the Japanese and war seemed imitate with them (Callahan, 2014).
New Management
The program was back in business. It was July 1936 and Lieutenant Commander Delmar S. Fahrney was to do a comprehensive study of the previous projects. He gave the radio control project top priority. This gave a nice boost to the program. Allowing for new innovation and opening doors to new uses of old technology. Demonstrations were held on February 17, 1937 that showed a drone could be piloted from a plane 25 miles away. Now with Fahrney in control, the drones were made more rugged, reliable and affordable meaning it could be applied to fleet exercises. Fahrney let the technology change and grow. He facilitated change within the program and would not allow for anything but progress (Callahan, 2014).
August 1938 brought about more changes to the project. Gunner crews on several antiaircraft naval ships were set to try and take down these drones. They were highly trained; they were unable to score even one hit on the drone. September 1939, a little over a year later, nine dive-bombing drones were not taken down by our antiaircraft guns. These facts lead to the improvement of rapid fire-control systems on our ships. This means that our guns and training on using those guns was inadequate even though they were the most highly trained gunners they were testing against. 1946 saw the dawn of a new weapon, the atomic bomb, and with it the radio controlled drones got a new job; they were now monitoring the atomic bomb. It was safer to use drones then humans considering no one knew what would happen when the bomb went off. They knew with a certain range would be eradicated as soon as the bomb went off. But not what would happen after (Callahan, 2014).
IV. CONTEXT OF THE TECHNOLOGY
Understanding the Technology
Something that needs to be understood is at that time none of the technology was new, all of it was just being cultivated and changed with the uses. Basically, the only way we learned about some things was to experience them with the drone. While some things were anticipated, others were dealt with when they arose. Several points are made in Callahan’s essay; one, none of the technology was invented at the time of its use. Second, learning through the medium it was used provided understanding. Third, electromagnetic spectrum wasn’t really thought about until it was messing with operations or stumbled on. The electromagnetic spectrum is the electromagnetic field that encompasses the earth. This field gives us an atmosphere and protects us from solar winds and radiation. And lastly, seemingly dead ends lead to success of other programs and platforms and was directly linked to the U.S. victory in World War II. Finding new uses for old technology and changing it for different applications. This allowed for new applications that could help (Callahan, 2014).
Changes and Proof
Technology continues to improve and changed as does our notion of what we should call things. UAV’s or unmanned aerial vehicles have proven their worth in combat. In 1982, Israeli forces used UAV’s against Syrian forces successfully. They used UAV’s to scout Syrian defenses and then using this knowledge was successfully disabled their defenses. They even used the drones to effectively draw fire so they could swoop in and shoot out the defenses. After this engagement others began to see how UAV’s could be used to help in actual combat situations. The Navy had been inspired by this conclusive evidence that UAV’s can be used successfully in combat. They used them for seeing over the horizon on their ships. More than this, UAV’s were being used by the army for the same purpose. Being able to see ahead allowed for troops to move into a more defensive position. Being able to move troops allowed for less causality. The UAV is a type called a Pioneer which they used it to see help direct bombardments, apparently it’s very effective. A UAV system named Pointer was being used by the Marines for the same purpose but also for battle damage assessment. UAV’s have been used for reconnaissance, artillery-adjustment, and support in the air. Being able to more effectively hit targets, allows less casualties of civilians (Tice, 1991).
Drones effectiveness
The news often shows stories about the use of drones in the war on terrorism. There isn’t a lot of information about the use of drones in other ways. President Obama has facilitated the used of drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Drones are used for both surveillance and bombing suspected terrorist. President Obama has launched more drone strikes in the first year of his administration than former President Bush did in his eight years of office. This has created anger in the terrorist groups that are being hunted. The blowback has come to American soil. In 2010, a Pakistani American named Faisal Shahzad set up a bomb in Times Square to destroy as many people as possible as revenge against the United States for the killing of a Pakistani Taliban leader named Baitullah Mehsud. The bomb never went off. No one was hurt. Though many people could have been had the bomb worked properly. Obama’s chief counterterrorism advisor launched the argument that drones are a wise, ethical and necessary way for attacking terrorist. It’s also said to be more cost effective compared to the cost of putting operatives on the ground. There are many arguments for the use of drones (Boyle, 2013).
Boyle makes several good arguments for the use of drones: they are effective at killing terrorist, have been successful at killing high ranking terrorist, using drones has degraded the terrorist organizations, ability to strike, and drones are a cost effective compared to putting men on the ground. The problem with getting figures for the research of drone strikes is the fact that the United States government has never given out the number of tallies of deaths or drone strikes. Newspaper and other reports are conflicting but numbers state that 85% of those killed between 2004 and 2012 were militants. This means that around 15% were civilians caught in the crossfire. The number of civilians being killed in drone strikes in Pakistan has dropped from 50% between 2004 and 2007 to just 1% in 2011. Of course, this is all speculation due to the fact the numbers are not released in any official capacity. This information would allow for better research into the effectiveness of drone strikes (Boyle, 2013).
There are more problems with verifying whether the people killed are either civilian or militant. In fact, there are four major problems in verifying whether the killed are civilian or militant. The first being it’s Muslim law to bury the dead before sunset. Secondly, the government and other officials often jump to conclusions about what the people killed are: militant or civilian. Both sides like to paint a picture that their side is winning. Third, the numbers are often skewed by both sides; they often overestimate or underestimate depending on the side. And lastly, The U.S. has a tendency to underestimate the number of deaths caused by drone strikes. The governments of the strike countries often overestimate due to the conditions of being hard to tally. This leads to an unknown number of killed. It is likely the number is actually closely in between. It could also be both are completely off (Boyle, 2013).
Drones have taken on a dark tone. They are often used for strikes in foreign lands. There are many whom the strikes are against that are not verified militants. They are often considered guilty just by knowing someone. There are reasons why this is a bad idea. Firstly, no one can go completely without contact with others. No one can go completely without contact with others, especially family. Secondly, drone strikes are now targeting more organizations. Third, it’s also normal for whole families to live in one structure or household in these countries. This means that aunts, uncles, grandparents, and children live there. Not all of them are militants. In fact, most of them probably have nothing to do with militant activities or terrorist actives. In fact, my brother is in the air force. Does this mean I have anything to do with his deployment or doings? Certainly not! Finally, this means losing the standards for strikes including targeting mosques and funeral precessions (Boyle, 2013).
Drone Technology Today
Drones have many different components, sensors, cameras, data links to satellites, and control sensors for ground to the drone communication. Drones work by satellite tracking systems and the use of a ground stations. These ground stations are manned by an operator and a crew that defends that operator; sometimes taking more than one operator depending on the size of the drone. They can range in size from a hummingbird size to as large as a jet airliner (Barbee, 2014).
Unlike original drones, newer drones have GPS in them to tell exactly where they are any given time. This allows a longer range on the drones. With cameras, you can only tell where you are given the terrain. With GPS it allows for much better range and locations. Starting in 2010, a drone with much simpler technology such as cameras and cheaper programs has been available to the general populace. These are changing the way we think of drones. They are no longer used for just military applications but now can be used for many civilian applications as well. A version called the RQ-11B Raven also has high tech cameras with infrared, high resolution, and a second camera that is a color electro optical and also has a thermal imager. Thermal imaging allows for sensing body heat. This would allow for both police applications along with military applications already in use. This would allow for both police application along with military applications already in use. The Raven only weighs about five pounds but the ground unit weighs about seventeen. It takes two pilots to pilot this drone. It flies at an altitude of anywhere from 100 feet to 500 feet in the air and flies at speeds of 30 – 60 miles per hour. The bad thing about small drones is the limited time they can fly. This one can only fly an hour to an hour and a half. These small drones do offer a lightweight drone that can be used for gathering information. These small drones can’t be used for carrying bomb. With their limited range, and limited battery life, they can’t carry the weight of a larger battery for longer flight. There are changes stirring in the use of drones (U.S. Air Force, 2007).
Advancements in Technology
Many changes have occurred over the years. Starting with just radio parts and signals, it’s now turned into using satellites to communicate with the device. Using satellites isn't perfect. Drones often crash due dropping to the link with the satellite. Technology has changed from the first drones. The first drones where little more than radio controlled planes. We now use these as toys. Children often fly these. We call these toys radio controlled or rc. You can get almost anything boats, planes, helicopters, and even ATV’s. Strapping to one of these toys can turn it into a drone. It’s no wonder that many of these children often end up flying drones as adults. There are now radio controlled toys with cameras or are modified by their owners to carry cameras. Drones have cameras and other sensors that state everything from weather conditions to flight speed. It isn't a large leap from radio controlled toys to controlling a drone. Augmented reality devices allow the pilot to see what’s going on from the drone’s perspective and allows for correction of path or change of course. These readings also allow for control superior to days gone by. Mirick used a joystick at one time. Using one today wouldn't give you the control needed (Reid, 2012).
Drones Official Use
Drones are not being currently used for commercial uses, at least officially. The FAA doesn’t allow for the use of drones on American soil. In spite of that rule, they are currently being used for commercial applications. In Los Angeles, California, the police had to warn real estate agents not to use drone pictures for their real estate listings. Now it’s being used by news agencies to capture footage. It was used when the Occupy Wall street movement was going on by reporters. The reporters were able to get closer and find out more through this method. According to Sherwood’s article an estimated 15,000 will be flying in 2015; the year in which the FAA will set official rules (Sherwood, 2012).
Drones are already being used by many different agencies. The FAA currently allows some public entities to use drones. There are two different types of drone uses, public which is employed for use of the government: local, state, or federal and civil which is owned and operated by anybody else. Currently, you have to get special permission to fly drones in American airspace. The form is only granted on an experimental basis unless you work for the government. If you’re working for the government, drowns may be flown as long as it’s for training purposes and helping people. They are issued to private drone manufactures and universities so they can research drones, train, and develop the drone program (Barbee, 2014).
Border patrol agents are using drones to patrol the border between the United States and Mexico. Firefighters can use them to check buildings before they send in humans to help save lives and time. They can also be used to carry water or fire suppressant; if not now than in the newer future. Police can use them to find suspects and as eyes in the sky. Police officers are also send them in areas to check if it’s safe just like the ground robots they use today. These eyes in the sky would allow for better regulation of laws but also it would be easier to track suspects. They can also be used by real estate agents to take aerial photos of property they plan to sell. Dominion’s pizza chain is experimenting on the use of a drone to deliver pizzas. Amazon was working on a way to deliver packages with drones. It would not be surprising to find this as a cheaper alternative to shipping small cargo. The FAA is estimating that as many as 7,500 will be in US airspace by 2018. With the ever increasing popularity of drones with companies, it wouldn’t be surprising if this number was to soar well over 10,000. Many businesses might find it a useful tool from working on power lines to delivering packages. These would allow for less humans to be in unsafe situations and also allow for faster delivery times (Barbee, 2014).
Congress is putting pressure on the FAA to have all the rules mapped out. These rules would set a course for how drones could be used on American soil and how they can be regulated. The FAA has actually created an office called the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office. The FAA has loosened the restrictions on how you can apply for permission to fly drones on American soil. They have stream lined the process so that it is easier to apply for and get permission to fly drones. The problems they run into are whether or not someone will choose to break the rules. Will someone decide to fly a drone to stalk a celebrity? And if so what will be done to stop them? How can you prove that someone is responsible for that drone? These questions and many more are what the FAA is facing. Their rules will govern the use of drones here. This begs the question, how will they govern the use of drones? Keeping an eye on activity of drones or activity of any sort isn’t really what the FAA is used to. They will have to expand their technology and understand how to enforce drone rules. It is unlikely the rules will be enforced for years to come.
We can see from history that the skies can be controlled. Not only controlled but made safe. They have Air Marshall’s for planes. What or whom will marshal drones? Will they someday have technology like robots with built in monitoring devices? It is well known that flight data is kept on planes in the form of black boxes. Cars are now getting these black boxes as well. This record information is used when a crash occurs. Can this be used for the use of finding out everywhere a drone has ever been? Can this information in the wrong hands create chaos? Will hackers of the future take over drones and use them for devious ends? Will drones have programs like antivirus? We know that today some drones work on an open network. This leaves the door wide open for hijacking. It is unknown at this time if military drones use such a system. Surely this would be foolhardy. Like leaving a note on your door saying you were going away for vacation and leaving it unlocked. You wouldn’t expect your things to still be there when you returned home. For now we can only speculate.

V. POLITICAL INFLUENCES
Congressional Caucus on Domestic Drone Use
Support for drone use dates as far back as 1996 with the purchase of Predators by the U.S. Air Force. With continued support through the years the Predators evolved into the “Hunter-Killer” drone used in the wars in the Middle East. With Congress approving over a half a billion dollars to the Predator budget over a ten year period it was apparent that a team of politicians was going to be needed and tasked with the monitoring of the drone reforms thereby forming the Congressional Caucus on Unmanned systems (CCUS) has the task to:
Educate members of Congress and the public on the strategic, tactical, and scientific value of unmanned systems; actively support further development and acquisition of more systems, and to more effectively engage the civilian aviation community on unmanned system use and safety (Barry 2013).
The CCUS in conjunction with the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) hosts an annual drone festival that brings together the manufacturers of drones with its users from the various universities conducting research projects. The DOD budget for FY 2013 included $5.8 billion for UAVs. This budget is separate from the budget used by the intelligence community, DHS, or other federal agencies (Barry 2013).
Major Contributors to the Caucus
More than $2.4 million was donated to members of congress during the 2010 and 2012 election years with donations coming in from Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, and Boeing. These campaign dollars goes far in securing contracts with the military as well as implementing drone use on the home front (Barry 2013). In May of 2012, the Obama administration agreed to give Italy the technology needed to convert their unarmed Reaper drones into armed war machines (Common Dreams 2012). Once the technology is no longer a secret other countries will arm their drones as with the war between Israel and Garza in June of 2014 (Harris, 2014).
Research and Development spending on UAV’s is expected to reach $5.2 billion in 2013, $11.6 billion by 2023, and $89 billion by 2033. At least eight countries have a spending budget with the U.S. leading the way with 56%. China is spending 12% with Israel spending 9%. Other countries with R&D budgets include Russia, Pan-Eurpean, Britian, France, and Italy.
Proposed Legislation for Domestic Use
The drones used by Homeland Security and border patrol are very large and expensive. The push is now for smaller, friendly drones to be used by private citizens as well as for commercial use. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 Sec 903 (b) “(7) gives directive to the FAA “to develop dynamic simulation models for integrating all classes of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system without any degradation of existing levels of safety for all national airspace system users by the September 2015. The FAA is responsible for air space starting at 16 inches off the ground. Uncontrolled air space is between ground and 700 feet sometimes 1200 feet; which is the space where radio controlled aircraft are flown now. The FAA must find ways of integrating drones into the national air space, who will be allowed to use drones, and for what purpose (Popper 2013).
Several bills have been presented to the various senate committees, for example, Senate bill 3287 was presented before congress by Senator Rand Paul, KY in June of 2012 but died in committee (GovTrack.us). The same bill was then reintroduced as H.R. 5925 (112th) where it too died in committee. On May 22, 2013 a similar bill was introduced, S.1016 (113th) which has also been referred to committee but has a zero percent chance of enactment. The bills has exact wording that will: prohibit a person or entity acting under the authority of (or funded in whole or in part by) the federal government from using a drone to gather evidence or other information pertaining to criminal conduct or conduct in violation of a statute or regulation except to the extent authorized in a warrant satisfying the requirements of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.
VI. LEGAL INFLUENCE OF DOMESTIC DRONE USE
Air Space regulations
It is evident that domestic drone use will increase once the FAA issues the rules and regulations integrating drones into the national air space. The air space that will be used for domestic drone use will be flown in the Class G air space which starts at 16” above the ground up to 2000 feet. Gliders and other small aircraft use the Class E air space from 1200 feet to 2000 feet (Popper, 2013). Anyone entering into air space other than Class G must obtain permission from the FAA. Class G and Class E overlap creating a major focus for safety issues making it possible for unmanned air vehicle systems to co-exist with manned aircrafts in the same air space. There are also high and medium-altitude, short and long-range drones that will have to be considered in these regulations. Following graph retrieved from http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/airspace.htm
Currently the only way one is authorized to fly a drone is to be part of a federal, state, or local government or obtain an experimental airworthiness certificate. Universities and colleges have been using drone technology for nearly 20 years but have come under scrutiny with the FAA releasing the list of everyone that has applied for a license (Grasgreen, 2013). Technical colleges and universities were granted permission to use drones as long as it fit the category of aeronautical research but have recently been told by the FAA to cease flying their drones until the regulations are published in 2015. The universities argue that drones are radio-controlled and therefore fall under the amateur/hobbyist rules which states that radio-controlled aircraft can be flown under 400 feet elevation and within the line of sight of the operator. FAA guidelines also state that the drone cannot weigh more than 25 pounds and cannot be in the air for more than 90 minutes (McNeal, 2014). The University of Missouri was one such college that was told to take their drone flight inside or face fines (Associated Press, 2014).
Federal, State, & Local Law Enforcement
The Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act of 2012 was passed in Florida that would require warrants to be based on probable cause to be issued within 10 days before using a drone for surveillance reasons. (Vijayan, 2013). Several states have already submitted several similar bills into legislation that restricts the use of drones by law enforcement agencies (Curington, 2013).
The bills are an answer to the public outcry of drones being allegedly used by agencies for illegal purposes as in the case reported by the Daily Caller, where farmers in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri were upset with drones flying over their farms by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) without prior notification. The EPA has said that they were focusing on livestock feeding operations in a watershed that has had a history of contamination (Nelson, 2012).
The wording of the various state bills vary as to what the restrictions will be for each state, but similar wording can be found in all the bills that will force the agency to obtain a warrant through FAA channels outlining the intent of the search, for which or whom it is that they are putting under surveillance, and how the data retrieved will be used and later disposed of. Warrants will not be needed if imminent danger from terrorists has been identified or if there is a threat to life and property (Reid, 2014). A drone could have been used to track the Boston marathon bombers through the busy streets of Boston and it would have been legal.
The Senate Public Safety Committee in Sacramento, CA reviewed a bill that would set the penalties for privacy violations as well as the defining the violations. The bill passed the assembly with a 63-6 vote and went onto the Senate Appropriations committee where it was read on July 1, 2014 and then ordered for a third reading set for a later date (California Legislature, 2014).
Private Use
The technology used to put a drone into the hands of hobbyist will soon be the biggest thing since the cell phone; everyone will want one. The major focus for private use is protecting the safety and the right of privacy for everyone concerned. This technology can and is used for useful purposes but has the potential for being used inappropriately and in harmful ways. First and foremost is safety.
Safety
Safety in the airspace is paramount to avoid fallout on the ground. Researchers, including Michael Braasch, an electrical engineer and principal investor with Ohio Universities Avionics Engineering Center, are working with sense-and-avoid technologies that will not only help one drone avoid other drones, but other aircraft, buildings, and other obstacles in crowded situations as well (McNeal, 2014).
With the increase in drone use expanding its use, drones may be used to scan crowds during riots, stadiums of sports events, and other situations involving crowds; therefore, it is important for the drone to be controlled by an experienced flyer to avoid any accidents. The news is already rife with incidents involving drones and personal risk. On July 25, 2014, an Amazon worker visiting the space needle in Washington State flew a small white quad-propeller UAV around the observation deck. The UAV was equipped with a camera and captured images of people waving to it as it passed. The person was located and after further investigation the drone was flown back to the owner through the open fifth floor window of a nearby hotel and told not to fly the drone anymore. The state government officials are considering a policy directive to force the federal government to force the FAA to make “aggressive drone policies” as quoted from Konopasek (Konopasek, 2014). A drone used to gather data from the triathlon race in Australia fell from the sky falling on one of the athletes. The FAA is currently investigating an incident in Florida, where a commercial airliner narrowly missed an unmanned aircraft around 2,300 feet (Popular Science 2014). 2,300 feet is Class E air space which is used by gliders and small aircraft and requires permission from the FAA with flight plans filed (Popper, 2013). There are rules and regulations for flying around airports and cities, that the pilot must be aware of which is why a license is required. Any drone flying above 400 feet must gain permission from the FAA regardless of the intent or use of data gathered.
Currently drones must be in line of sight of the operator at all times, not just for launching and landing. Drones authorized for commercial use will have the potential for traveling up to half a mile away from the operator gathering information that is then sent back to a computer screen of the operator. The regulations will need to define the rules and regulations for flying drones in the name of research and yet protect the privacy rights of individuals that may be in the flight path of the drone.
Privacy
With the increase in commercial use of the drone, loss of privacy will become an issue. Drones will be used to gather reports from newsworthy situations including accidents and following the more notorious people that make up for entertainment, making it more difficult to remain private. Senator Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles introduced a bill that would update state privacy laws to clarify recording people without their knowledge making it illegal to record from a drone.
Neighbor spying on neighbor will surely become an issue as the private use of unmanned aircrafts increase. It will be difficult to claim privacy over ones property as anything that can be seen from the air with the naked eye is public domain and not protected under the Fourth Amendment giving one the right to privacy. There are already laws in place that protect individuals from illegal trespassing, stalking, invasion of privacy, and harassment which are referred to as torts. Before anyone can bring a law suit against another citizen the violation will need to proven without a reasonable doubt and that it was offensive as referenced in Restatement of the Law, Second, Tort 652B. The same tort section 159(2) says that a nuisance claim can be filed if the offensive behavior becomes so intrusive that it makes it impossible for a person to enjoy his/her own space (Reid, 2014).

Security issues
Safety and privacy is of up most importance, but so is security. Not only security of our borders as with MQ-9 Reaper that is used to guard the U.S.-Canadian borders, but also for the security of U.S. citizens against the illegal use of drones. Countries such as Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom has already approved commercial permits for drone operators paving the way for other countries to jump on the bandwagon (Barry, 2013).
VII. ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE
Drones have been used by land managers and weather researchers and say that drones are the future of environment management. Braun from the National Geographic News also states that “they will do science [this way] in the future (Eichenseher, 2012)”.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses the Raven RQ-11A drone which has a wing span of 4.5 feet, has a battery-operated motor, and is remote controlled. The Raven can stay in the air for 90 minutes and reach an altitude of 1000 feet. The Raven was recently used to fly over the Upper Red Rock Lake in Montana in order to find any underwater springs that could help the fish survive the winter as well as monitor the wildlife refuge (Eichenseher, 2012).
NASA has used the Global Hawk drone to track hurricanes from the moment a tropical depression forms. The Global Hawk is a long range UAV that can fly for 30 hours and travel 11,000 miles at speeds of 400 miles per hour. It has a wing span of 116 feet and flies at high altitudes of up to 65,000 feet. The Global Hawk can carry 2000 pounds of weather instruments needed to gather information. Northrop Gunman has teamed up with NASA and NOAA on a 3-year, $30 million dollar experimental contract. It is their goal to be able to better predict the path of storms and give advanced warning that could save lives and evacuation (Eichenseher, 2012).
Drones have been used to scan agricultural crops in order to monitor the use of water, pesticides, and herbicides. The drone has the capability of applying what is needed to the areas that need it thereby conserving water and the over use of pesticides that end up in water runoff contaminating the drinking water supply as well as rivers and streams. Using a drone for these applications also saves time and money over the conventional method of flying a crop plane. Japan has been using the Yamaha RMAZ for 20 years for land that is on steep hills that is inaccessible by tractors (Grains, 2014).
Canadian Search and Rescue used the Dragon Flyer X4-ES that was equipped with heat sensing devices was sent into a wooded area following a car accident in Saskatchewan, searching for a man that had wondered off from the scene. With the help from a GPS signal from the man’s cell phone he was found in relatively short amount of time. The drone was called in after an air ambulance helicopter equipped with night vision failed (Franzen, 2013).
University of Florida has a team building a six inch drone capable of being launched from a laptop, uses little power, and can travel on the air currents provided by wind and water as well as being able to go under water. These drones would be used to gather data inside a hurricane such as air temperatures, air pressure, humidity levels, speed and direction of wind as well as how much water is present in a storm. Underwater the drone will be able to follow the current of the ocean, measure the swells of the waves, as well as other research information that could be used to predict ocean storms (Spence, 2013).
VIII. ECONOMY OF THE DRONE
Countless people throughout world history have dreamed of taking to the air for personal, political, and tactical reasons. Some wanted faster means of communication and travel, some hoped to open trade and information sharing between communities, and some had visions of military superiority achieved by controlling airspace. Whatever their goals, people across history have achieved these goals and more by constantly pushing the boundaries of technology as it pertains to long-distance communication, air travel, and military applications of flight.
Through creativity and training, the first “drone” of its kind was a carrier pigeon. Many societies and cultures trained these pigeons to carry messages vast distances; these pigeons relayed information in hours that would have taken days to deliver by horse. Additionally, a horse required a rider to direct it, whereas a pigeon was trained to fly alone with the written message in tow. In wartime, these small birds assuredly saved many lives by eliminating the need for human messengers and permitting the rapid transmittal of critical tactical information and saved millions, if not billions of dollars. The development of this kind of long-distance message transmittal set the stage for future airborne information sharing and gathering which continues to shape our global society.
Over time, modes of air transportation evolved from birds carrying messages to vehicles carrying cargo and human passengers. Birds made way for balloons, which were developed into blimps, which were replaced by safer and more efficient airplanes, and most recently helicopters have been added as a quick and highly maneuverable method of air travel. As technology improves the functionality of airborne vehicles, the benefits of the use of those vehicles as drones are being recognized more and more widely by society, specifically in the United States where they have been developed for a wide range of uses. Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that have been largely used in military operations to help surveillance efforts overseas. Unmanned drones can fly into war zones behind enemy lines and while still being controlled by human operators; this protects against loss of life of troops in such combat zones, or highly contended areas that may be concern in the near future.
The age of the drone has dawned and with it has come billions of dollars in market value and job growth. However, it has also spurred extreme controversy and prompted questions regarding human rights and privacy. The United States Government has already begun to roll out a plan that will institute the use of drones throughout our country, as well as the locations where these companies and factories will come to fruition. The following will be a discussion of the economic benefits of drones, their benefits to society, and the impact of drone usage on the United States specifically.
Economic Benefits to Drone Use?
One of the industries that will benefit from the use of drones is infrastructure. Infrastructure maintenance is a huge part of this process. Coincidentally, one of the benefits of drone use is infrastructure assessment and maintenance. U.S. states spend over one hundred million dollars a year in costs related to infrastructure inspections. With drone use, the cost related to safety and time will decrease dramatically. One example to use for this example is the inspection of skyscrapers and bridges. Both of these marvelous creations come with vast concerns regarding safety. There have been many cases, such as the bridge collapses across the globe that have raised concerns to the safety of commuters traveling across them. Skyscrapers have other issues surrounding them. With earthquakes and fires, while not commonplace, do occur. Examples of this would be the San Francisco Earthquake of 1989. Many of these skyscrapers did not have any damage that occurred with them as an immediate result, but any swaying in a building can cause concern about future issues within the building. Drones will be a major asset to inspections on these grand buildings and help protect from future loss of life.

Infrastructure inspections Skyscrapers are extremely dangerous to work around on the outside, and inspectors require top dollar for putting their lives at an extreme risk. What drones will allow companies to do are provide that service of taking pictures and high quality footage of what needs to be inspected, without putting human lives in jeopardy. This service area not only benefits the drone economy, but the inspectors as well. There skills and knowledge will continue to allow them the capability of inspecting buildings and bridges, while controlling the drone to examine everything they know needs to be looked at to certify it as safe for human use.
For bridges, drones allow access to areas not able even be covered by inspectors themselves. They will allow these inspectors to take pictures of angles, underneath and in between all joints and brackets supporting the bridge. This allows unprecedented quality and information from the safety of an area away from the bridge itself. With drones becoming a centerpiece of this ever improving industry, costs and safety are both achieved while keeping smiles on employers’ faces.
The “Every Day’ Benefit
Drones will make a huge wave, financially and physically in our everyday lives. Many smaller agencies, such as law enforcement and local fire departments will benefit from the use of drones in their ranks. It will allow law enforcement agencies to monitor traffic patterns, large crowds and events, as well as assistance in missing person’s cases. Drones will be capable of facial recognition from long distances, something that couldn’t be done prior without being on foot.
The New Yorker has an article written in May of 2013 that projected the state of Kansas will gain over 3 million dollars in gross with drones being used for just the purposes. With growing demand for more officers on the street, and needing to be in other places than on posts, drones will be able to monitor large areas and report back to these agencies via a live feed. This will result with less time being spent patrolling and allow officer more access to pursue more important matters.
Missing Person Case Solved By Drone
One missing person’s case affected by Drones made national news. Guillermo DeVenecia went missing in mid-July of 2014. Search teams continued to comb areas for three days, before David Lesh, used his personal drone for a humanitarian cause. The news source stated this about the drone and its use; “In what would have taken volunteers hours to search on foot, in just 20 minutes Lesh had combed through most of the field” (NBC, 2014). Shortly after, they located Mr. DeVenecia in the middle of the field the drone was covering, and were able to come to his assistance. After proper medical attention, Mr. DeVenecia is recovering and is expected to be fully recovered in the coming weeks. This example alone shows the enormous impact that drones can have on law enforcement and all the families they help protect on an everyday basis. Implementing drones in this manner will continue to lead towards more lives saved, as well as time and money utilized currently to help those in need.
Drones Economic Impact on FEMA
Drones can also be used to help save lives in other methods outside of the local communities. By using drones, we as a society can save lives being sent in to locate, assist and protect those in danger. One major area where drones will be inserted is natural disasters. They will be sent in to survey damage and observe human lives that may be stuck, injured, or in need.
Prior to these machines, agencies and families would have to wait for a natural disaster to pass and the area be safe for traveling before going back in to help families. This would help major organizations such the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and their local counterparts to respond immediately following an event. Faster response times in locating those in trouble, without the risks of adding more human lives to the table, helps these organizations and taxpayers millions of dollars each year. Drones are expected to start assisting in humanitarian efforts by the beginning of 2016, in our local communities and across the globe.
The American Economic Impact of Drone Use
The impact drones will have on the American economy will be astounding. All over the United States of America, will be companies and factories that pop up all over the place, just to get a slice of this multi-billion dollar industry. Brand new schools and training facilities will pop up all over the country, generating more jobs and revenue for states and individuals alike. The Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program is believed to have an 82 billion dollar impact on the United States economy. The UAS program alone will create new jobs for education, infrastructure, engineering programs as well as workforce training opportunities.
Many economists across the country have stated that every year that the drone industry is delayed cost the U.S. approximately $10 billion dollars in economic impact. One of the main deterrents in implementing this UAS program sooner are the individuals who think that drones are a violation of their rights and privacy. They believe that drones will intrude on their personal lives, such as having all of their actions and movements tracked and recorded. Many individuals, however, are excited about the use of drones coming into the market in 2015. The farming industry is another industry that will benefit from the use of these aerial drones.
The Agricultural Benefit
Reports coming from the economic field have stated that Agriculture will be one of the many benefiting industries with the new drone systems coming into place. Drones being used for agricultural purposes will be used for helping maintain crops by spraying pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer and other crops saving chemicals, organic or not in nature, while also keeping track of growth rates and also being able to determine the health of the crops that they are monitoring (New Yorker, 2013).
Agricultural Impact for Brent Johnson
One example to be shared is Brent Johnson, who owns 900 acres worth of farm land. With that much land, it would take him days in order to keep track of all of his fields, to ensure their health and care. He purchased a drone in 2013, in the amount of $30,000.00, to help keep track of the fields he was currently having a hard time doing so with. He told USA Today that the drone is able to monitor 80 acres of land an hour, reporting back to him everything he sees wrong, or right, in his crops. He was able to determine what areas he needed to focus on more, as well as the areas that had higher growth rates. The only issue he has had with the use of his drone is the lack of communication from the Federal Aviation Administration. He stated; “We just don't have enough direction from the FAA as to what we can do and what we shouldn't do," he said. "The technology is extremely exciting. People just have to be careful right now with the political pressure and lack of rules."
Additional Agricultural Benefits
Another example of the profits that drones will make to agriculture is the state of Kansas. Kansas is projected to have their economy majorly impacted, with $75 million dollars. This is on top of their already growing agricultural market, by just adding drones to their fleet. As of this time, before these drones can be put in place for public use, are laws and regulations through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FFA has strict policies and regulations in place currently, but current projections show that drones will be in place for use by 2015. This is not only good news for the drone enthusiasts and manufacturers, but the residents of every single state that will benefit from the use of these systems within their areas. With estimates upwards to 80% of the commercial use of drones being used for farmers and their vast areas of crops, it is safe to say that these drones will make a lasting impact on the economy as a whole in the sector, while also providing some much necessary relief to farmers all over the country, and in time, the world.
Reaping the Benefits
Many states will benefit from the implementation of drones across the country. Recent reports (Washington Times, 2013), have shown that in the private sector alone, will create at least 70,000 new jobs within 3 years’ time, and adding 82 billion dollars into our economy over the next 10 years. An example used is Virginia, who will gain over 2500 jobs by 2017. The article states “It also could take in $4.4 million in tax revenue and see more than $460 million in overall economic activity by 2017”. Drones will not only benefit the government, but the individual states that these UAV’s will be operating in. Many other states though, will gain a lot more of the economic chunk of the new industry, by the vast amount of land and resources they have and are ready to contribute to it.
California and Washington’s Economic Impact
The states of California and Washington will have vast job growth opportunities due to the increase of the UAS program. A recent study (2013) estimates that the UAS program will create over 100,000 jobs by 2025. There are 30 states currently applying for licenses to reap some of the billion dollar industry’s benefits, but California and Washington stand to gain the most. With a majority of major aeronautical companies stationed within these two states, this is where a majority of the training and initial installation of schooling will begin.
Amazon’s Drone Implementation
Amazon is another giant company looking into using drones for the bulk of their deliveries. According to Amazon, in a letter published to (CNN, 2014), that drones “will "travel over 50 miles per hour, and will carry 5-pound payloads." That would cover 86% of products sold on Amazon.” They also expect these drones to be able and deliver products within 30 minutes, drastically cutting the amount of time it typically takes for products to be delivered. Currently, the highest course of option to choose is next day. The drones being used will help cut this by almost 24 hours’ time. This is expected, of course, to dramatically increase the sales of the company, while also maintaining their employees to help stock and ensure drones are operating correctly. The name of this new implementation is Amazon Prime Air, and is expected to be in full operation by 2015, if the laws and regulations are established and permitted by the FAA.
Looking Forward
Looking forward, drones will make a major contribution on our national economy, with the possibility to affect the world market as well. Drones have been controversial since the predator drones inauguration into modern warfare, killing many individuals. The drones being used in our current society will benefit everyone from farmers, police officers, to the national response agencies that will now have the capability to respond on an immediate basis. By September 2015, the regulations for these unmanned vehicles will have to be passed the FAA. With the major economic boost drones will provide, there is little doubt that these laws will pass and will come into effect. Provided the many aspects drones will provide us financially and physically, the pros will definitely outweigh the cons. As of now, it is only a matter of time before the drones start flying across our skies, benefiting commercially and privately alike.
VIIII. Psychological considerations
Drones have been used on the battlefield for years; first it was used as the “Eye in the Sky” as a surveillance vehicle for intelligence gathering on potential military targets by taking photographs of enemy bases as well as keeping real time visual surveillance of potential terrorist threats. Drones also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) on the battlefield are the weapon of choice in conventional wars when before that challenge belonged to helicopters, bombers and fighter jets, drones circle the skies to watch, track, and strike if needed to eliminate a threat to our troops on the ground (Williams, 2010. Pg.26). The military UAVs can be flown on the battlefield from as far as 7,000 miles away using secure satellite link, computers screens and a joystick and the pilot never leave American soil and still be home in time for dinner with family.
There are several types of drones used on the battlefield, there is the EP-3 known as the “Vacuum Cleaner”, the Predator RQ-1, MQ-9 Reaper Hunter operated by the Air Force, the Navy X-47B that completed the first ever drone aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier and the Army’s hand launched drones used by troops on the ground.
The EP-3 gathers Intel from phone calls, satellite signals, emails and even faxes and sends the information to a crew of 24 personnel watching scanners and radar screens putting all the information together, the EP-3 is known as “The Vacuum Cleaner” of its e-communications surveillance and it operates on 12 hour patrols (Williams, 2010). Pg. 26.
The Predator RQ-1 and MQ-9 UAVs have been modified carrying hellfire missiles, these missiles are normally fired from a helicopter or fighter jet. The UAVs are called killer drones and are used extensively on the battlefield; these UAVs are in the air 24 hours a day 7 days a week keeping our troops on the ground safe. Just their presences in the air have huge psychological effects on the enemy, they never know when they are being watched and they know a missile may be targeting them at any moment no matter their location. UAVs using their high tech cameras are known to have identified terrorist planting many Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and alerting troops on the ground of their location or call in a fighter jet to eliminate the threat.
The use of UAVs on the battlefield has changed the way wars are fought, if a drone gets shot down or crashes there is no loss of human life (pilot) and they are less expensive than a fighter jet, bomber or helicopter, uses less fuel and flies for longer periods on a tank of gas. The pilot flies the UAV in a secure location from the ground out of harm’s way.
Problems associated with unmanned aircraft:
With UAVs constantly changing and becoming more high tech than ten years ago, software developers must now protect UAVs against “hacking” or loss of pilot control. Constant software upgrades and virus protection are a priority to keep the UAVs from someone taking control of our UAVs.
According to an article Hacking drones, Scientific America (2013) stating “The MQ-8B Fire Scout had experienced a software issue that allowed the 1,429-kilogram, 9.7-meter-long drone, to have a mind of its own. The human pilots sitting in the ground control center at the nearby Naval Air Station in Maryland began to lose operational control of the drone; it’s as if someone had unplugged the control mechanisms from the wall and the drone wouldn’t respond to any of the pilot’s commands. The drone wouldn’t respond to numerous attempts to override software guidelines that would force it to return back to base. The drone had drifted into the airspace of Andrews Air Force Base, that’s the takeoff and recovery site for Air Force One. The pilots were able to reestablish the communication link after 30 minutes of chaos and took back control of the drone. Afterward, a navy official tried to put a good face on the incident by praising the drone's performance during its unexpected detour – “The autopilot system kept the aircraft flying straight and level, for instance” (Humphreys, Wesson, 2013).
A huge challenge is securing the wireless satellite links that control the drones movements, the incoming GPS satellites that monitor the drones location, and a two way link between pilot and drone, if any of these three main lines of communication are disrupted it can spell disaster for the operation and there seems to be no clear-cut solution to secure the links (Humphreys, Wesson, 2013).
Another obstacle is collision avoidance, in todays manned cockpits pilots use their eyes and ears and other technologies like radar and collision avoidance alerts to avoid catastrophe in the air, drones still lack the technology to avoid collisions while complying with FAA regulations. One possible remedy is using a transponder or what’s called an “Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B)”, ( Humphreys, 2013), it will be able to signal the drones location and speed every second and receives the same information from nearby aircraft. The only drawback is that this type of system can receive “false transmissions” or transmissions that can’t be authenticated and led to believe the drone is on a collision course with another aircraft. A pilot in the cockpit can verify the signals using radar and determine if the signal is authentic or a false transmission has been issued and their aircraft is not on a collision course, a drone does not have the same capability for a backup system.
T. Humphreys wrote in his article Hacking drones that “In 2012 researchers at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Ohio proved attacking drones with a variety of false signals could be easily and promptly coded and transmitted from either the ground or air with a cheap antenna. Such an attack on a civilian airliner with a false injection could cause undue stress on pilots or cause evasive maneuvers that could injure passengers (Humphreys, 2013). It doesn’t take much to take control of a drone by sending it false signals and cause a catastrophic event over the skies of the U.S. effecting millions of lives if it were to collide with a civilian airliner.
Taking control of a drone can be accomplished by an experienced hijacker exploiting security weaknesses in radio transmissions such as sending false signals to deceive or “spoof” and jamming authentic signals to control or even crash a drone. Researchers in the security arena have tested different countermeasures involving foul play scenarios to prevent spoofing or jamming of their drones’ radio transmission. According to T. Humphreys “Signals can be encrypted with a digital signature the drone recognizes as legitimate. But this technology is years away from being deployed -- and alternatives that do not use encryption are unproved” (Humphreys, 2013). With so much advanced technology and radio transmission being pulled out of the air is there really any countermeasure that will be effective to keep droned from being hacked, spoofed or jammed to keep our airspace safe?
By adding encryption to command and control links could be an easy fix to one weak point, while the navigation link is easy to falsify and is bit more complicated to encrypt and my take years or decades before its secure, it will be a serious problem for civilian drones, they may never be safe from hijacking.
Reading an article published by Adam Berger about cyberwarfare, he wrote “A fairly simple form of hacking took place during the US-led war in Iraq, according to US military officials speaking anonymously to the press in 2009. Insurgents used hacking attacks to gain access to the video footage shot by unmanned spy planes called Predator drones launched by the US military. This allowed Iraqi insurgents to use the drones for their own surveillance purposes, as well as to anticipate potential targets of US airstrikes. They did so with only basic equipment, such as satellite dishes, modems, and commercially available recording software” (Berger, 2014).
X. sociological effects
Drone Accidents
As drones begin to fill the air it’s just a matter of time before mechanical failures will come falling out of the sky into neighborhoods, schools or even large crowds. An incident like this happened near Lickdale Elementary School in Jonestown, PA. Just after the bell rang and kids began to exit the building at the end of the day, a 375 pound Shadow reconnaissance drone fell from the sky, clipping treetops as it plunged out of control and barely missing the school rolling through the playground and colliding with a passing vehicle, there were no injuries or deaths but it could have been a lot worse. The investigation into the accident involving the drone concluded that the these types of drone often fly over the elementary school as they come in to land, on this occasion the drone was on course as it made its decent when a malfunction occurred that sent the drone out of control and crashed to the ground.
According to Craig Whitlock (2014), the near disaster in April 2014 was the last known U.S. mishap involving a drone. Since 2001 at least 49 drones have crashed near bases in the U.S. during training but most crashes have occurred overseas, according to a year-long Washington Post investigation. A fireball at a nearby Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida was the result of a 63-foot-long QF-4 target drone that crashed forcing authorities to close a nearby highway; luckily no one was injured. One of the military’s largest drones, the Global Hawk, crashed on Maryland's Eastern Shore in June 2012. Two years earlier, a runaway Navy drone was almost shot down as it entered highly restricted airspace over Washington DC, the same airspace that protects the White House (Whitlock, 2014).
Another mishap involving a U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk with a wingspan of a 747 occurred in June 2012 over the skies of Southern Maryland. After takeoff the Global Hawk began to make a hard right turn without the pilots commands, signals from the drone back to the ground control station revealed that the mechanism that controls steering and elevation had failed, seconds later the drone rolled and the pilot lost control and it crashed in wildlife refuge starting a fire. It’s not always mechanical failures or computer glitches that can bring down a drone, in April 2010 in Palmdale, California a new $10.3 million dollar Reaper on a test flight crashed and burned on private property two hours after takeoff, after an investigation it concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error. The pilot was too narrowly focused to notice the drone was about to stall, by that time it was too late.
Another incident happened at Cannon AFB New Mexico, the Air Force Base received a fleet of Predator drones, fearing that the drones may lose wireless links the base commander ordered extra safety measures to prevent a serious mishap involving crashing into base facilities, the base commander placed significant attention to the on base housing area of family members. The commander put in place a requirement for backup ground control stations for test flights and training new pilots. There was a huge push to get pilots trained fast that a mishap was inevitable, on July 28 it happened. Craig Whitlock, Military drone crashes explained what happen next, “The control links began to shutter, and the ground control audiovisual equipment went blurry then hazy then all of the sudden the Predator sped off even though the pilot hadn’t touched the throttle. The pilot pressed a button to slam on the brakes, but the drone did not respond. It continues down the runway with no human at the controls, veered off the off the massive runway and crashed through a fence winding up in a cornfield. The pilot stated that it could have been a lot worse, if the plane had been scheduled to takeoff on an alternate runway it would have crashed into a hangar populated with employees and other multimillion dollar aircraft inside. The Predator crew was shocked and confused as to why the Predator would accelerate with no one at the controls; it was as if someone had hijacked the drone's remote controls; a team of expert investigators determined that's basically what happened. As the drone sat on the runway, a crew member accidently hit a switch inside the backup ground-control station that took control of the Predator without realizing it. The backup system in the control station was programmed to run the throttle at high speed, so the drone accelerated and crashed (Whitlock, 2014).
Flying drones keeps the pilot out of the aircraft, after a crash of a UAV at Creech AFB, a commander stood on the runway and looked at the wreckage feeling relieved that no human pilot was in the cock pit that could have been injured or killed in the crash.
People are definitely concerned with drones flying near their neighborhoods constantly keeping their eye in the sky to watch for falling drones. This is an issue that we will have to be dealing with as both civilian and military drones begin to take over the skies in our neighborhoods and cities.
Evolving technical advancement
As the technological aspect of drones gets more advanced it’s taking the fighter pilot out of the cockpit. What I mean by this is that drone pilots are getting more training flying time than pilots in the jets. It’s a funding issue, it’s cheaper to fly and train drone pilots that putting a jet in the air but at the same time a jet pilot loses his ability to do his job if he isn’t getting any real stick time. Some pilots don’t like this new way of thinking because it takes away the human aspect of the rush of flying a supersonic jet, and also you can feel when something is wrong with your aircraft and take appropriate actions before it really get bad where as in a drone you don’t feel any of those emotions.
Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Nevada recently took it a step further, Scarborough (2013) noted in his article Drones replace “The Right Stuff” that “A key symbol of the fighter jet culture vanished in 2011 from the hub of air-war strategy and tactics, when senior Air Force officials ordered the “Home of the Fighter Pilot” sign get taken down to be more welcoming for the drone pilots” (Scarborough, 2013). Many kids look up to fighter pilots when attending air shows and that’s where the dream begins to want to fly a powerful machine like a fighter jet. Most Air Force Academy cadets are leaning towards being cargo aircraft pilots due to drones taking over the fighter jet community plus when their time is up they have a better shot at becoming civilian airline pilots.
Operating in civilian populations
Operating a domestic drone in a civilian population brings to light issues related to privacy, there are those people that want to fly drones for recreation and those that use them to spy or stalk people and they don’t even know it. There was a case of a privacy violation when a man was arrested for flying his drone, a DJI Phantom 2, outside of a window within 15 feet from where patients are being examined at a local hospital. Occurrences like this is what‘s giving the domestic drone a bad rap (Lecher, 2014).
Drone use on environmental issues
The Global Hawk not only hunts and kills terrorist it’s also being used as a Hurricane Hunter. The task of Hurricane Hunting was placed on the C-130 to fly into the storm and gather important data on the storms intensity. NASA has launched a Global Hawk drone, the drone can stay in the air for up to 30 hours with 1100 mile range, the C-130 is not capable to fly for a straight 30 hours mission, NASA has flow into Hurricane Nadine three times to collect data. In Eichenseher (2012), article she wrote, “The endurance of the drones means better intelligence gathering by staying “On Target” longer than manned aircraft and gathering valuable information that could save lives, “If you drove by a drug dealer’s house, you wouldn’t catch him; but if you stood there all day, you might so If we can improve forecasts, we can save money and lives” (Eichenseher, 2012).
Positive and Negative uses of drones
When it comes to drones they can have a significant impact if used properly, they have been used for research and development of the environment as well as illegal uses for personnel gain. When it comes to privacy there isn’t a building high enough, privacy fence tall enough to keep out the eye of a drone.
Law enforcement in certain cities are using drones to take the place of helicopters when responding to calls, they can be flown in areas where helicopter can’t go. Joan Lowy mentioned that “The FBI had maintained continuous surveillance of a bunker in Alabama where a 5 year old boy was being held hostage” (Lowery, 2013). In Mesa County Colorado drones are being used for search and rescue operations for when someone gets lost in the forest or in the mountains. The drone could save lives quicker and it is cheaper than using helicopters.
Drones are being used to help oil companies locate subsea reservoirs by taking pictures of cliff faces and rock formations using 3D cameras at a cheaper price than using helicopters and producing highly accurate data. Farmers can also use drones check on their crops, a bird’s eye view of fields can provide farmers with answers to problems before they get out of hand. In an article written by Christopher Doering (2014) in USATODAY, he specified that “Farmers can benefit from using drones to tailor their use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer and other applications based on how much is needed at a specific point in a field, it’s a process known as precision agriculture that is saving the grower money by spraying areas that don’t need it and also preventing the amount of pesticides that could run off into the rivers and streams harming the fish” ( Doering, 2014).
Using drones for hunting is a controversial issue; drones are being used by organizations to monitor hunters using drones to bag their game. It’s unfair to use drones to monitor wild game to get a head start on the hunting season, it’s unfair to the traditional hunters who stalk their game and harvest them legally and it’s unfair to the animals. Colorado, Alaska and Montana have banned the use of drones for hunting and they are calling for all states to follow in their footsteps.
Drones are useful in hunting terrorists as well as helping the environment; drones are getting more advanced and small every year. Uses are limitless and the legalities are struggling to stay up with commercialized uses of domestic drones, used properly they can be a positive asset to us but used in the wrong way can lead to bigger problems.
CONCLUSION
The use of drones will have a huge impact on our lives from the heads of government down to the local hobbyist. With the advancement in nanotechnology progressing more and more each day it is likely that one day we will see drones flying through the city streets carrying packages, like carrier pigeons, or used to gather DNA samples in areas unsafe to man. NASA specialist along with NOAA experts will lead the way for getting drones integrated into the national air space, while universities provide the research for the sUAV’s that will be common place like dragonflies on a pond or bees on a flower.
Drones will have a positive impact as well as a negative impact, the same as with any invention. The car was first invented to aid in easier travel and has also been used as the getaway car in bank robberies. It will be up to the drone operators to keep with the integrity of the FAA rules and regulations that will be published in September, 2015. Following all rules and regulations and the law of the land should make the introduction of drones into the national air space an easy transition and one that can have far more positive impacts than negative. Keep your eyes to the sky for what might be the next big thing since sliced bread.

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