Measured Response for Multiple UAS in a Simulated NAS Environment

Abstract

The U.S. Congress passed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act in 2012, which calls for a plan to integrate Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS). For UAS to be allowed to operate in the NAS, they will be required to “act and respond as manned aircraft do.” FAA regulations require that pilots respond promptly to air traffic controller (ATCo) commands. However, they do not quantify what an acceptable latency is. We maintain that research needs to be carried out to identify an acceptable latency in UAS responding, known as the “measured response.” While the measured response can be broken down into several components, the present paper provides an overview of how latencies in verbal communication and command execution can impact Pilot-ATCo communications and acceptability ratings when single and multiple UAS are operating in a simulated NAS environment.