FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-17/15

Title and Subtitle: A Historical Review of Training Requirements for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and Manned Operations (1997-2014)

Report Date: August 2017

Authors: Gildea KM, Williams KW, Roberts CA

Abstract: There are several mature Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) training programs available for analysis. Many of these programs were developed by the various branches with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in conjunction with UAS manufacturers. The structures of the existing training programs guided the creation of a general framework with the understanding that training programs might differ depending on variables such as the type, size, and mission of a particular UAS. Many common elements are found across existing DoD training programs and the Practical Test Standards (PTS), oral test, and knowledge test requirements for manned aircraft defined by the FAA under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 61.

This document reviewed and capitalized on the knowledge gained by Unmanned Aircraft (UA) pilots through many thousands of hours of operations as reflected in published training procedures. This review follows a structure based on that provided within the FAA PTS documentation, with additions where the specific content of UAS training programs dictates. Each section will discuss the requirements of the various UAS programs and point to general similarities between the manned and UAS training requirements. Knowledge requirements are discussed that are found in the PTS for manned systems and are not discussed in current UAS training documentation but may be applicable to UAS operations in the National Airspace System (NAS).

Key Words: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)/Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS), UAS/sUAS training programs, Practical Test Standards (PTS), Knowledge requirements, UAS NAS operations

No. of Pages: 69