Why do drones (UAS) have pilots?

Do drones (UAS) fly around by themselves? Isn't that the whole point of using a drone? While it may seem as though the flying objects fly on their own, it may not always be the case. In this article we will discuss the reasons why drones have pilots and why this remain a standard going forward in the future.

What is a pilot?

We are back to definitions and this time we are going to understand what is the definition of a pilot. A quick search and with definitions provided by Oxford Languages, in summary, shows the word to mean any of the following: - 

• Something done as a test or experiment prior to being ready for large scale application 
• A navigational handbook for use at sea
• A person who operates the flying controls of an aircraft
• The action of operating a ship or an aircraft
• an unmodulated reference signal transmitted with another signal for the purposes of control or synchronization.
• Another term for a cowcatcher

I know; it is very strange how words can mean so many different things. What is important to understand is the context. 

When it comes to Drones (UAS), the pilot can be defined as any person who operates the flying controls of the aircraft.

Are Drones (UAS) aircrafts? 

Without going into the detailed definition of it all, the short answer is; 

Yes! Drones (UAS) are aircrafts. 

Why? 

Because they are man-made objects that are designed to fly/operate in the air. 

You will notice that throughout this article, and most articles on the Ripple Show site, the term Drone has been suffixed with the UAS notation. This has been done to highlight the importance of using the term UAS, where the term stands for Unmanned Aircraft System. 

Further information can be found on this page: - What is a Drone?

Where are the flying controls situated on a Drone (UAS)?

This is quite an interesting question which can be answered either the hard way or the easy way. 

Lets start with the easy answer: -

Drone's (UAS) are usually controlled by using a separate device know as the Remote Controller. This device can be situated anywhere away from the Drone (UAS) itself. 

Trust me, the longer answer sounds very boring and scientific. So, we will discuss the details in a different post. You can find the longer answer on this page: - Where are the flying controls on a Drone (UAS)?

Why do drones (UAS) have pilots?

The answer is quite self- explanatory at this point. Drones (UAS) do not have  a mind of their own. They need to be told what to do. The person who tells the Drone (UAS) what to do, is known as the Drone (UAS) Pilot. 

What about artificial intelligence? 

AI has been implemented in many industries. Even in the Drones (UAS) industry, these implementations have made the operation of aircrafts much simpler. However, Drones (UAS) are not self aware, as in; they do not know why they are in the air or what they need to do next? They need someone else (the Pilot), to control their actions, to be made useful. While features like; Detect and Avoid (DAA) and, Return to Home (RTH), have made operations safer, the control still lies with the Pilot. 

It may also be argued that features, such as Detect and Avoid (DAA) and Return to Home (RTH), have been programmed by someone who aims to control the aircraft. therefore, the person who writes the programs for the drone, is considered to be the Pilot. Similarly, features such as route planning require the pilot to set the route in advance whereby the drone only follows what the pilot has told it to do in advance. 

With further advancements in the future, it is likely that the responsibilities of the Drone (UAS) pilot will be transferred to the software based Artificial Intelligence. At the same time, however, the responsibilities of the pilot will be transferred from operating a joystick type control during live operation, to programming the artificial intelligence to act on behalf of the pilot during the course of the operation. 

Ank Raj - Director

Ripple Show Limited

UK Reg - 12618320