Recently I have heard a lot of negative comments and feedback about drones/UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) from fellow certificated pilots. Being a helicopter pilot, I have heard it from both the rotor and fixed wing (airplane) side of manned aviation. They are worried, but, in my opinion, not for the reason they state.
I am hearing a lot of "code talk". You might be more familiar with this phenomena when it comes to politics. Basically this code talk is a word or series of words said that can't be attacked easily by themselves but mean something else. For example, in American politics, a criminal referred to as a "thug" on the news is code for someone that is a minority. A criminal "with mental health issues" is code for someone that is white or Caucasian. Both words are designed to provoke a different response from the listener and to formulate their opinion for them before they hear the details of the particular news story. University studies have shown that printing the same article, but changing between these two types of words, changes the readers reaction to the story considerably.
I am seeing this same sort of language when it comes to drones as well as dismissive statements such as drone operators "are unsafe" or "aren't real pilots". I would like them to call military drone operators to their face "non-pilots". If you want to read more about that, check out a short story of a conversation I had HERE. Currently, the vast majority of drone operators do not have FAA certification. So literally, we are seeing what I like to call "Digital Aviation" the most unsafe it can be. Yet, do you know how many drones have had collisions with manned aircraft in the U.S.? Zero...absolutely zero. So what is manned aviation so afraid of? Drones and drone operators can only get safer once they are integrated in the NAS (National Airspace System) and become properly trained.
True to American form, the populace is very scared of something that has next to zero actual incidences of causing accidental loss of life. Evidence of this would be No-Drone areas from city and state governments popping up all over the place. I only say next to zero loss of life in case there is some obscure occurrence I am unaware of. However, the reaction of the aviation community has been nervousness and flat out fear, but what they are really afraid of? Most of them won't say.
They are afraid for the future of manned aviation. The future of their jobs. There is no doubt that legalization and proper regulation of unmanned commercial aircraft will have an negative effect on manned aviation. Mostly, smaller operations such as crop dusting and aerial photography. However, some larger operations are at risk as well. FedEx and UPS are already looking to have large aircraft sized drones carry packages and freight over the ocean.
These aviators are nervous about the future. They are afraid of the coming end of "sky jock" aviation. They are going to witness a high tech change in their field from "the right stuff" fly-boys to intelligent and cautious engineers/operators taking over what is now a boys club that exists in the front of the aircraft known as a "cock-pit". The age of drones is coming folks, like it or not. However, just as John Henry fought progress and died, so shall they go the way of the dinosaur, because they are unable, but really unwilling, to change...
Please feel free to comment below. How are Unmanned Aircraft perceived in your area?
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