The feasible integration of manned and unmanned aircraft came one step closer last week, with a flight demonstration over central California. Avionics company Sagetech Corporation and unmanned aircraft manufacturer Arcturus UAV demonstrated joint flight operations between manned aircraft and a drone using the FAA NextGen ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) system. The two companies simultaneously flew a manned Cirrus SR-22 and unmanned Arcturus T-20 in adjacent airspace while operators and the pilot used the ADS-B system to track one another's position and flight path in real time.
At the October 24 demonstration over McMillan Airfield in Camp Roberts, Calif., both aircraft used Sagetech XP transponders to broadcast ADS-B position messages. The Cirrus SR-22 pilot and UAV ground operators received those messages with Sagetech Clarity receivers, which relayed them via wi-fi to an iPad. Using an Electronic Flight Bag app like Hilton Software's popular WingX, the iPad clearly displayed the positions of both aircraft as they flew—each a named icon indicating its exact location, heading and altitude.
