
As a pilot I have been pretty well resigned to the fact that UAV's are of the future of aviation. The famous remote controlled military platforms have made a name for themselves in the combat zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. Taking over the role of the old observer controller aircraft as well as the light attack platforms the predator is sold as a one size fits all solution in which aviator pilots are no longer placed in harms way. With an incredibly long loiter time, range, and virtually unlimited capabilities the nail appeared to be in the coffin of the sole of the pilot.
This weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual fly in at Oshkosh. One of the significant airframes in attendance was the Predator B. This homeland security airframe made history by straying from the confines of Military operations areas, and restricted airspace's. This predator flew into Oshkosh for the show. I approached this bird and talked with the crew. I hate to say it, but I was not impressed. the crew on hand fielded questions, and discussions about the predator.
One question in particular was a concern, and I wanted to get your opinion on it. When asked how safe a predator could bee with out eyes looking out a wind screen the pilot stated that the Predator had a great TCAS System. For those of you not familiar with TCAS it is a system that reads the transponder transmissions from other aircraft in the area. Those pilots who regularly fly TCAS know that these systems although excellent supplements are no replacement for a visual scan around an airframe. After all many aircraft in the world do not have transponders, and there is not a flock of birds alive that contains this equipment.
The second point of concern related to the amount of crew necessary to reposition this aircraft for display. According to the staff at this display it took three complete crews to make this transfer possible. One crew at the departure point. A different crew handled the in route phase, and yet a third crew maneuvered this predator to its arrival at OSH. This does not seam to be the manpower saving platform that was advertised.
With these experiences in mind I was surprised to see the resurrection of the Air Force COIN program. Coin stands for Counter Insurgency aircraft, and the Iraqi government is in the process of purchasing several of these airframes. The concept of a single engine propeller driven aircraft similar to the A-1, P-51, and other aircraft of old is interesting. If done properly a COIN bird could be cost affective, functional, and extremely capable.
To top things off our Air Force is currently flying the Texan II as a primary trainer. This trainer meets the basic specs of the COIN program. It will be interesting to see how this evolves.
More blog posts about the COIN program
This is where the Predator crew manages the aircraft