UAS Nexus of Relations

Unmanned aerial systems are often referred to as "drones", and while to the recreational user they  may be just a drone, the complexity of the "system" reaches far beyond the aircraft itself. Attached in this post is a simple figure that I constructed to demonstrate the different parts of the system and how they work together to form a UAS. The figure was carefully constructed to imitate the shape of a human body, this is because similar to a human body, each part is integral to its operations.

Starting at the beginning, the head, is where the unmanned aerial system is located. All of the body parts come together to create the UAS. Moving down from the top, the UAS consists of three integral parts, the ground station, the aircraft, and the pilot. Making up one of the arms of the figure is the ground station. The ground station is vital to the UAS because it provides real-time data from the aircraft to the pilot. Such examples of this data includes altitude, heading, location, speed, etc. and is crucial for safe operation and accurate data acquisition. Ground stations can vary between operation, but they must be compatible with the aircraft flown. The second arm on the figure is the pilot. The pilot is the person in charge of the aircraft operation, and is responsible if anything were to go wrong. The pilot takes note of all of the information being fed to him/her by the ground station, and makes adjustments to the aircraft accordingly. With more complex aircraft, the pilot may allow the aircraft to control itself, this is what is known as an "autonomous" flight mission. A complex aircraft is able to be its own pilot, using correcting inputs to acquire the necessary data.

The body of this figure is the aircraft. As is shown on the figure, the aircraft has two components to it: the air frame and the payload. The air frame is the body of the aircraft, and the payload refers to the object, typically a camera or sensor, that the air frame is carrying. It is important to note that both the air frame and the payload vary from mission to mission. People that fly "drones" typically keep the same air frame and payload configuration no matter what they are flying. Whereas in a UAS, it is important to change out your air frame and/or payload to be mission dependent. This will ensure the most accurate data acquisition.

The figure that I have constructed today is merely a simple one for understanding the basics of what differentiates a UAS from a "drone". As more technological and legal innovations come into fruition, the figure will adapt.

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