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Uninhabited Aircraft System Is Changing the Way Fires Are Fought

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Uninhabited Aircraft System Is Changing the Way Fires Are Fought The National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration A special publication of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center X-Press, Edwards, California The Ikhana Uninhabited Aircraft System is changing the way fires are fought and proving to be a valuable science tool June 2008 X-tra X-tra June 2008 By Jay Levine Index X-Press Editor he Ikhana project’s -4- new manager has a special appreciation for the unique aircraft’s Tpotential. When Ikhana flew missions over the deadly 2007 California New wildfires, Tom Rigney was a Dryden project manager living in the Antelope Valley but he retained a home in Santiago Canyon – ground zero for some of the worst of the blazes. His home was surrounded by a 28,000-acre Before remotely ED08 0066-1 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida brush fire as Ikhana flew above the piloted aircraft can inferno and gathered information Before Ikhana project manager Thomas Rigney came to Dryden, his home Heights was threatened by a fire the Ikhana helped battle. Rigney has a special ap- enter the same for firefighting commanders on preciation for the aircraft’s capabilities and hopes to see it used to help others the ground. It was a close call for airspace as piloted during future fire missions the way it helped him. Rigney, as the fire came within 30 ones, months of feet of his house. about the aircraft’s role in keeping coordination are “The people themselves – not Just the facts firefighters out of harm’s way and required. Multi-faceted aircraft offers only the firefighters, but those in saving their homes. people whose homes and lives are For more information: In order for uninhabited aircraft -8- involved – want to know where call the Dryden Strategic systems, or UAS, to one day fly flexibility and reliability the fire boundaries are,” Rigney Communications Office at in the same skies as commercial said. “They’ve been evacuated, and 661-276-3449 aircraft, or the national airspace, they have no way of finding out the aircraft will have to be where the fire is. These images let Ikhana information: equipped with software and people know where the fire is with http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ sensors that allow them to detect accuracy. dryden/aircraft/Ikhana/index. and avoid other aircraft, a future “Having been in that situation html research role the Ikhana might fill, Rigney said. myself, I know the value. It was Fiber Optic Wing very distressing.” Ikhana images: The fire missions are but one The Ikhana, a civil variant of http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/ example of the Ikhana’s potential Shape Sensor the General Atomics Aeronautical Gallery/Photo/Ikhana/ as a testbed for researching proves its worth Systems Predator B, is a remotely HTML/index.html technologies, he said. He also head-to-head with piloted aircraft flown from a envisions the UAS being used traditional sensors. cockpit in a Dryden ground For both missions, the team in other disasters or emergency control station. The ground gathered information on the fires operations as well as a platform for station, which is mobile, also as they happened, identifying environmental science and study of -10- houses monitoring and research hot spots using instrumentation areas of ongoing ecological concern capabilities necessary for carrying developed at Ames Research such as ice shelves or coral reefs. out the aircraft’s science missions. Center, Moffett Field, Calif. They “It’s exciting. It has a lot of Over a five-day period last fall, coordinated that information and potential,” Rigney said of the the Ikhana team assisted the U.S. imagery with Google Earth maps UAS. “It’s already showed some of Forest Service with the California to provide fire commanders on its potential on the fire missions, wildfire disaster by providing the ground with data to help them with its ability to carry large imagery in near real-time to map strategy for fighting the blaze, sensors and transmit real-time emergency operation command explained Brent Cobleigh, former images to the ground. I’m also centers and individual fire-incident Ikhana project manager. impressed by the Fiber Optic Pilots fly the Ikhana commands. The team used skills Rigney intends, if Dryden Wing Shape Sensor experiment, UAS from a ground refined while working on the is asked to assist in the fire which is happening on the Ikhana station. Learn what Western States Fire Missions mission for a third straight now.” (See related story.) it means to fly completed earlier in the summer, year, for the Ikhana team to Data obtained through that without four of the Above, the Ikhana surveys fires during the Southern California wildfire emergency last fall. (NASA Photo ED07 0243-35 by Jim Ross) when the aircraft’s thermal infrared help fire authorities to continue experiment, he said, could have sensors were used to map wildfires developing life-saving strategies applications for all aircraft as five senses, and do Cover, Ikhana flies over the high desert. (NASA Photo ED07 0139-19 by Lori Losey) in six states on missions of up to 20 for fighting the fires. He also it safely. hours in duration. plans to help inform the public See Ikhana, page 6 2 3 June 2008 X-tra X-tra June 2008 By Jay Levine X-Press Editor COA ... from page 4 eeting complex requirements for the he said. engage in flight research Ikhana to enter the national airspace, Within 24 hours of the request using an F-16 recently where piloted aircraft fly, has become the Altair was ready to fly. Dryden Ikha- loaned to Dryden from Greg Buoni’s area of expertise. The suspected arson fire, which na ground the Air Force for a series MBuoni, the Ikhana project’s lead operations claimed the lives of five firefighters crewmen Gus of missions that would engineer, has become skilled at determining and was driven by powerful Santa Carreno, left, examine the potential the right steps to take to fulfill Federal Aviation Ana winds, spread over 40,200 and James of collision-avoidance Administration requirements for a special- acres, or roughly 62 square miles, Smith load systems. permission Certificate of Waiver or Authorization destroying 34 homes and 20 other the thermal- Automated Collision infrared imag- known as a COA. A COA is required in order for structures. Avoidance Technology ing scanner uninhabited aircraft systems, such as the Ikhana, to From an altitude of 43,000 feet, is one concept being be permitted to fly in national airspace. pallet into over a 16-hour period on Oct. 28 the Ikhana’s explored to test how The Ikhana, a General Atomics Aeronautical and 29 the Altair’s wildfire sensor well a system works for Systems Predator B adapted for civil science and underwing collected and sent 100 images and payload pod. automatically avoiding research missions, flies in the national airspace more than 20 data files containing contact with the ground with a COA in place describing its operations, the location of the Esperanza fire’s and potentially for ground station and telemetry system. The COA perimeter. Data from the NASA ED07 0243-14 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida detecting and avoiding also contains information, Buoni said, about what system were used at the Fire Incident other aircraft. the aircraft is specifically tasked with doing, and Command Center to map the fire’s submitted an application for a 2007 team flew four flights over Southern To provide see-and- what happens should the pilot controlling it from location and behavior and direct COA at the end of February in hopes California wildfires Oct. 24-28 and avoid capability, current FAA a cockpit in the ground control station lose contact resources to critical areas. of obtaining it by July, ahead of the captured thermal-infrared imagery policy requires a manned aircraft with the aircraft. anticipated need for it in August. to aid firefighters battling the to accompany UASs flying below Buoni is honing his ability to secure a COA Western States Wildfires, 2007 The approved COA had its blazes. The Ikhana took off from 18,000 feet. Above that altitude, air quickly and efficiently in the event Dryden is asked In anticipation of 2007 fire limitations, however. Dryden for missions of about nine traffic controllers are responsible for to provide the Ikhana for use in fire missions again missions, the Ikhana team began “The approved geographic area hours each. monitoring aircraft and ensuring this summer. Acquiring the first COA, for the 2006 working in late 2006 to prepare was somewhat limited in comparison Officials from the California that they fly safe distances apart, fire missions, took six months. Dryden officials’ a COA request. The 2007 COA to the request, and the flight plan Office of Emergency Services and Buoni explained. diligence in obtaining COAs before they are needed request was based on the successful had to be submitted three days in the National Interagency Fire Until new rules are approved, coupled with a series of wildfire emergencies 2006 COA effort. Because of the advance. Three days is a long time Center in Boise, Idaho, requested Dryden officials will continue during the past two summers is leading to a more larger geographic area identified in when wildfires move and change. the flights, including those over taking steps to simplify the COA streamlined process, Buoni said. the request, negotiations and further For that reason, we were mostly the Santiago Fire mentioned in the application process. More than 280 agreements were required. The limited to [flying missions during] lead story. potential landing sites, for example, Esperanza mission, November 2006 agreement gelled, but approval didn’t the big fires,” Buoni said.
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