PI, ERAU: Dr. Akbas

Co-PIs, ERAU : Drs. Burgess and Kiernan

Collaborators: University of North Dakota, University of Kansas

The overall purpose of this project is to inform rulemaking and standards development regarding potential Right of Way (RoW) concepts for manned and unmanned aircraft in the low altitude environment. The information provided will help identify gaps in current rules regarding new entrants into the airspace, as well as explore options for future rules. 

Right-of-Way rules govern the interactions between aircraft in order to preserve safety. Right-of-Way rules are derived in part from the See-and-Be-Seen safety concept, the maneuverability limitations of aircraft types to give way, and other safety considerations. Ambiguity exist for certain Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations and the right-of-way rules that they should follow. There are various standards, which apply to specific types of UAS. However, there is ambiguity for other UAS and rules have yet to be developed for interactions between two unmanned aircraft or for UAS swarms. Right-of-way rules impact UAS Detect and Avoid (DAA) requirements and the development of industry standards. This research project explores right-of-way rules for diverse UAS operations and make safety-based recommendations for consideration by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decision makers and UAS standards bodies.

For more information. please check: https://assureuas.org/projects/right-of-way-rules/