I have this notion that the FAA doesn't truly want to regulate drones to the point that the just don't have to deal with them anymore. I think their problem is that this is new to them and they just don't really know HOW to deal with them, and are willing to accept any valuable input that would help them develop reasonable regulation. The fact that people have sucessfully filed for part 107 waivers adds validity to this idea.
That being said, I feel like one of the biggest problems facing drone pilots is their inability to communicate with ATC when flying in or around controlled airspace. I've drawn some squiggly lines in MS paint to help illustrate my idea for something that might help alleviate this issue. If the FAA wants us to think like manned aircraft pilots, which can be assumed from the items on the part 107 test, why shouldn't we be able to communicate the same as them?
Below is my idea illustrated poorly. In essence, the drone would have an onboard SDR to transmit and receive on the VHF Aviation band. SDRs are quite small these days, and you're only looking at about 5-10 watts of spontaneous power needed for transmission. When not transmitting, the power consumption would be almost negligible. The SDR could then be linked to the controller via WiFi, where a pilot could have a handheld speaker/mic combo with an LCD and controls to tune the SDR and talk to ATC as necessary.
There are of course a lot of variables here. This isn't even considering how one would design and mount an appropriate antenna on the drone for VHF operation, but I don't see that as a major factor. Some of the larger drones could easily carry COTS aviation antennas that already exist, but I'm sure a more streamlined, drone specific add-on or manufacturer integration would be the better option.
Thoughts?
That being said, I feel like one of the biggest problems facing drone pilots is their inability to communicate with ATC when flying in or around controlled airspace. I've drawn some squiggly lines in MS paint to help illustrate my idea for something that might help alleviate this issue. If the FAA wants us to think like manned aircraft pilots, which can be assumed from the items on the part 107 test, why shouldn't we be able to communicate the same as them?
Below is my idea illustrated poorly. In essence, the drone would have an onboard SDR to transmit and receive on the VHF Aviation band. SDRs are quite small these days, and you're only looking at about 5-10 watts of spontaneous power needed for transmission. When not transmitting, the power consumption would be almost negligible. The SDR could then be linked to the controller via WiFi, where a pilot could have a handheld speaker/mic combo with an LCD and controls to tune the SDR and talk to ATC as necessary.
There are of course a lot of variables here. This isn't even considering how one would design and mount an appropriate antenna on the drone for VHF operation, but I don't see that as a major factor. Some of the larger drones could easily carry COTS aviation antennas that already exist, but I'm sure a more streamlined, drone specific add-on or manufacturer integration would be the better option.
Thoughts?