Laurence R'Nuke' Newcome assesses where we are in terms of the applicable technology and what needs to be done in this area in order to open the skies to routine unmanned flight. Of the hurdles facing unmanned aviation, gaining routine access to civil airspace and providing the means to sense and avoid oncoming aircraft in lieu of a pilot being on board, is perhaps the most daunting. The complex interactions between the human eye's resolution and the nervous system's reaction, not to mention a pilot's airmanship, judgment and innate survival instincts, must be replicated in some mechanical manner to provide this capability for unmanned aircraft, a goal that is still some years away.
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