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Meeting	ACGS Committee Meeting 114 - Cleveland, Ohio - October 2014
Agenda Location	6 SUBCOMMITTEE E – FLIGHT, PROPULSION, AND AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEMS 6.2 Autonomy Research for Civil Aviation – NRC Panel Report
Title	Autonomy Research for Civil Aviation – NRC Panel Report
Presenter	John-Paul Clarke
Affiliation	Georgia Tech
Available Downloads*	presentation
	Downloads are available to members who are logged in and either Active* or attended this meeting.
Abstract	John-Paul Clarke, johnpaul@gatech.edu Co-Chair, NRC Committee on Autonomy Research for Civil Aviation Abstract* The development and application of increasingly autonomous (IA) systems for civil aviation are proceeding at an accelerating pace, driven by the expectation that such systems will return significant benefits in terms of safety, reliability, efficiency, affordability, and/or previously unattainable mission capabilities. IA systems, characterized by their ability to perform more complex mission-related tasks with substantially less human intervention for more extended periods of time, sometimes at remote distances, are being envisioned for aircraft and for air traffic management (ATM) and other ground-based elements of the National Airspace System (NAS). This vision and the associated technological developments have been spurred in large part by the convergence of the increased availability of low-cost, highly capable computing systems; sensor technologies; digital communications systems; precise position, navigation, and timing information (e.g., from the Global Positioning System (GPS)); and open-source hardware and software. These technology enablers, coupled with expanded use of IA systems in military operations and the emergence of an active and growing community of hobbyists that is developing and operating small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), provide fertile ground for innovation and entrepreneurship. The burgeoning industrial sector devoted to the design, manufacture, and sales of IA systems is indicative of the perceived economic opportunities that will arise. In short, civil aviation is on the threshold of potentially revolutionary changes in aviation capabilities and operations associated with IA systems. These systems, however, pose serious unanswered questions about how to safely integrate these revolutionary technological advances into a well-established, safe, and efficiently functioning NAS governed by operating rules that can only be changed after extensive deliberation and consensus. In addition, the potential benefits that could accrue from the introduction of advanced IA systems in civil aviation, the associated costs, and the unintended consequences that are likely to arise will not fall on all stakeholders equally. This report suggests major elements of a national research agenda for autonomy in civil aviation that would inform and support the orderly implementation of IA systems in U.S. civil aviation. The scope of this study does not include organizational recommendations. *This abstract is extracted from the Summary of the NRC Report.