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  <TD><H2><CENTER>Pilotless Research Aircraft: Flygin Free</H2></TD>
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  <TD>Pilotless aircraft could help monitor forest fires, or collect 
      data over vast areas of ocean. But aviation authorities are reluctant to 
      let them share the sky with other aircraft.
      <BR>7 June 2002 
      <P><FONT COLOR="RED"><B>TOM CLARKE</B></FONT></TD>
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     <TD><CENTER><IMG SRC="/uav/images/n_uav4.jpg"></CENTER><BR><FONT 
         COLOR="#FFFFFF">UAVs: a laboratory in the atmosphere.<BR><I>&copy; 
         General Atomics</I></FONT></TD>
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     Veerabhadran Ramanathan has a dream: fleets of gossamer-winged, 
     solar-powered robotic aircraft cruising in formation for tens of 
     thousands of kilometres, high above the Indian Ocean. As they fly, 
     they carry out the atmospheric experiments that he struggles to do 
     now with planes and satellites. Planes cannot stay airborne for long 
     enough, and satellites are too far above the Earth's surface. "We 
     can't continue to rely on conventional aircraft," says Ramanathan, 
     who is based at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, 
     California. "We need an equivalent of satellites in the 
     atmosphere."</TD>
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     Ramanathan's dream could be realized with the help of unmanned aerial 
     vehicles (UAVs) - aircraft that can fly without pilots or remote control. 
     UAVs already exist, and are capable of doing the science he wants and 
     much more. The US military's Predator UAV, for example, has seen service 
     in Kosovo and Afghanistan. And as the cost of UAVs falls, the craft are 
     ready to fly the hawk's nest and be put to peaceful use by 
     scientists.</TD>
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     But getting UAVs airborne is proving tricky. Insurance costs are 
     staggering and aviation authorities are unsure how to regulate the craft. 
     Fears that they could be used by terrorists have grown after 11 
     September, making UAVs about as welcome in civilian airspace as a UFO. 
     Before scientists can benefit from UAVs, the runway needs to be cleared 
     of red tape.</TD>
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     UAVs have clear advantages over manned aircraft. For safety, take-off and 
     landing are usually remote controlled. But once up, UAVs can stay aloft 
     for days or weeks on end, following a predetermined path and guided by 
     Global Positioning System satellites.</TD>
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