NASA’s UTM concept
Operators of unmanned aerial systems now can submit their flight plans online, and those operations will be displayed graphically to general aviation pilots when they file their flight plans, Lockheed Martin said on Monday. “Our objective is an open, standards-based system that individual operators and other private UTM [UAS traffic management] systems can use to interact seamlessly and securely with the NAS,” said Paul Engola, vice president of transportation for Lockheed Martin. “We look forward to partnering with UAS operators and manufacturers to help create a system that supports the safe coexistence of manned and unmanned flight.” Only operators of UAS operating under an FAA certificate are required to file Notams about their flight plans, but the service is expected to expand as UAS become more common.
The system is still evolving, Lockheed Martin’s chief architect Mike Glasgow told AVweb’s Larry Anglisano recently at EAA AirVenture. Maps already are available on the flight service website at 1800wxbrief.com, where pilots can see where UAS are operating. Glasgow said he hopes to expand the capabilities of the project so it will be easy for even hobbyist UAS users to report their activities. Lockheed Martin also said it is collaborating with NASA on its UTM research project, and working to develop the capability to support beyond-line-of-sight UAS operations.
