UAV - Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 250; Flight Crew Total 10000; Flight Crew Type 0
Other / Unknown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure
We were invited by the military to demonstrate a small; Styrofoam model aircraft equipped with a low-cost autopilot that gave it autonomous control (i.e. a UAV). We were not paid for this activity. This was to be conducted at a military field; in active restricted airspace; under the local control of the government agency in charge of the military field. Our flight test plan; radio frequencies; and vehicle were approved by the controlling agency. We also carried a $1 million liability policy on the model airplane/UAV for just this event. We conducted about twenty flights during the day. Each individual flight was also approved by the controlling agency for the military field. A Student Engineer who had experience in these vehicles was flown in from across the country to be the actual 'pilot.' The vehicle was programmed to fly a circuit around the closed airfield and was never out of visual sight. Recent conversations with the FAA indicate that we should have also had an airworthiness certificate. We did not know this was required under these conditions and did not have one for any of the flights during the demonstration. No conflicts with manned or unmanned aircraft occurred and all flights were uneventful.
A small Styrofoam UAV was flown in military airspace on demonstration test flights but an FAA air worthiness certificate was not obtained prior to flight.