ABSTRACT

Background: Considerable research is underway on how to integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) safely and securely into the National Airspace System (NAS). While there is some ongoing research on public acceptance, privacy concerns, and consumer willingness to fly in autonomous aircraft, little literature exists on pilots’ perceptions about operating to/from airports and in airspace with UAS integrated operations.

Objective: The goal of this exploratory research study was to assess the effect of airspace classification, type of UAS integration, and type of UAS operation on pilots’ willingness to operate with UAS integrated operations.

Method: Pilots’ attitudes about flying in UAS integrated airspace were collected using hypothetical scenarios in a factorial survey experiment and qualitative perspectives through open-ended and multiple-choice questions.

Results: Results from the mixed analysis of variance indicated a significant two-way interaction between airspace classification and type of integration and a significant main effect for airspace. Differences were observed for all classes of airspace except Class B and Class C for segregated operations and Class D and Class E for integrated operations.

Conclusion: The effect size for the two-way interaction was small, and overall airspace had a significant influence on willingness with the highest score for Class B operations and the lowest score for Class G operations. Results from the study are expected to support the development of better policies, procedures, and training methods.

摘要

背景：关于如何将无人驾驶飞机系统 (UAS) 安全可靠地集成到国家空域系统 (NAS) 中，正在进行大量研究。虽然正在进行一些关于公众接受度、隐私问题和消费者驾驶自动驾驶飞机的意愿的研究，但关于飞行员对往返机场和在无人机系统集成操作的空域中运行的看法的文献很少。

目标：这项探索性研究的目的是评估空域分类、UAS 集成类型和 UAS 运行类型对飞行员使用 UAS 集成运行的意愿的影响。

方法：使用因子调查实验中的假设场景和通过开放式和多项选择题的定性视角收集飞行员对在 UAS 综合空域飞行的态度。

结果：混合方差分析的结果表明，空域分类和整合类型之间存在显着的双向交互作用，以及对空域的显着主效应。除了隔离运行的 B 类和 C 类以及综合运行的 D 类和 E 类外，所有级别的空域都观察到了差异。

结论：双向交互的影响大小较小，整体空域对意愿有显着影响，其中 B 类运行得分最高，G 类运行得分最低。预计研究结果将支持制定更好的政策、程序和培训方法。