Public perception of drones… or should that be remotely piloted aircraft systems?

The media coverage of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) has highlighted some issues, particularly in terms of security and privacy concerns. As such, it is essential to understand the public\u27s perception towards these systems. The purpose of this study was to assess the public\u27s perception towards 1) The terminology used to define RPAS, which varies across the industry; 2) The applications, current and future, of RPAS; 3) The future of passenger transport involving RPAS, and 4) RPAS in general. It was found that there was little difference between the terms used to describe RPAS; however, there was a significant difference at the 90% confidence level for remotely piloted aircraft systems over drones . In terms of RPAS applications, community based applications had a positive perception, while personal applications were neutral. The implementation of RPAS into passenger transport aircraft was strongly negative. Finally, there was an overall positive perception towards RPAS

Hybrid Propulsion Systems for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems

The development of more efficient propulsion systems for aerospace vehicles is essential to achieve key objectives. These objectives are to increase efficiency while reducing the amount of carbon-based emissions. Hybrid electric propulsion (HEP) is an ideal means to maintain the energy density of hydrocarbon-based fuels and utilize energy-efficient electric machines. A system that integrates different propulsion systems into a single system, with one being electric, is termed an HEP system. HEP systems have been studied previously and introduced into Land, Water, and Aerial Vehicles. This work presents research into the use of HEP systems in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). The systems discussed in this paper are Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)–Electric Hybrid systems, ICE–Photovoltaic (PV) Hybrid systems, and Fuel-Cell Hybrid systems. The improved performance characteristics in terms of fuel consumption and endurance are discussed