Assessment of the equivalent level of safety requirements for small unmanned aerial vehicles

Abstract

The research described in this thesis was a concentrated effort to assess the Equivalent Level of Safety (ELOS) of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), in terms of the requirements needed for the small UAV to be considered at least as safe as equivalent manned aircraft operating in the same airspace. However, the concept of ELOS is often quoted without any scientific basis, or without proof that manned aircraft themselves could be considered safe. This is especially true when the recognized limitations of the see-and-avoid principle is considered, which has led to tragic consequences over the past several decades. The primary contribution of this research is an initial attempt to establish quantifiable standards related to the ELOS of small UAVs in non-segregated airspace. A secondary contribution is the development of an improved method for automatically testing Detect, Sense and Avoid (DSA) systems through the use of two UAVs flying a synchronized aerial maneuver algorithm.